Add vt8623fb to blacklisted framebuffer drivers

[Asmo Koskinen]

I have HP t5000 thin client. Everything works on Edubuntu 7.10 Classroom Server.

On Hardy Alternate Beta 8.04 it fails to boot. It flashes green screen and after that boot itself again.

Just before green screen flash t5000 says this: "memory size detection failed"

Here is Flash-movie about booting process:
http://www.arkki.info/howto/Wiki/T5000_Hardy_32.flv

There is similar bug filed for MythTV:

"Summary: Both the kernel vt8623fb driver and the Xorg via driver should be changed to correctly determine the amount of video memory."

https://bugs.launchpad.net/mythbuntu/+bug/179634

Best Regards Asmo Koskinen

===

SRU Justification

Justification: systems with the vt8623fb driver crash on boot if the vt8623fb driver is loaded

Impact: system crash

Fix Description: blacklist the vt8623fb driver in the framebuffer blacklist

Patch: http://launchpadlibrarian.net/22416917/module-init-tools--blacklist-vt8623fb-framebuffer-intrepid

Risks: anyone specifically using this driver would have to unblacklist it, we normally blacklist these drivers by default this one is missing from the list

TEST CASE: see bug description

[Giuseppe D'Angelo (dangelo)]

Hello,
after upgrading a mini-itx machine (VIA CLE266 chipset) from ubuntu 7.10 to 8.04 the machine began to freezing at boot time.
Before freezing, for a instant, the screen becomes green, then the display shuts down (out of sync error).

I figured out that it was the VIA framebuffer driver vt8623fb that messed the whole thing up.
In fact, I added the row
blacklist vt8623fb
to /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-framebuffer and got the machine working.

Actually, the vt8623fb driver is loaded by both the 7.10's kernel (2.6.22) and the 8.04's one, but the latter just crashes;
so please add to the blacklisted framebuffer modules the vt8623fb module, or reassign this bug to the kernel package if you think that it is kernel's fault.

[Asmo Koskinen (asmok)]

Giuseppe, thank you very much. My HP t5125 works here, too. Blacklisting did the trick.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edubuntu-users/2008-June/004177.html

Best Regards Asmo Koskinen.

[Bjorn Helgaas (bjorn-helgaas)]

I think this is a defect in the linux vt8623fb driver, not in module-init-tools.

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. There are one of two ways you should be able to test:

1) If you are comfortable installing packages on your own, the linux-image-2.6.27-* package is currently available for you to install and test.

--or--

2) The upcoming Alpha5 for Intrepid Ibex 8.10 will contain this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. Alpha5 is set to be released Thursday Sept 4. Please watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha5 to be announced. You should then be able to test via a LiveCD.

Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26 kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.

[Anthony M Simonelli (asimonelli)]

This bug still exists in Intrepid Ibex 8.10. I have a LTSP server running 8.10 and I am using HP T5125 thin clients with VIA chipset integrated graphics. Adding vt8623fb to the /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-framebuffer file in the ltsp chroot and updating the image allowed the thin clients to work. So to answer your question above, yes the bug is still in the newer 2.6.27 kernel. How do I open a new bug report for the 2.6.27 kernel as stated above if it already hasn't been done?

[Ge-org Brohammer (administrator-newadventure)]

I confirm this bug with LTSP in Intrepid 8.10. Blacklisting the vt8623fb module in the client image also solved the issue. I'm using a ebox thin client.

[Andy Whitcroft (apw)]

Added the vt8623fb video framebuffer module to module-init-tools blacklist. Attaching a debdiff for this for Jaunty:

[Andy Whitcroft (apw)]

And for Intrepid:

[Tim Gardner (timg-tpi)]

Uploaded Jaunty module-init-tools_3.3-pre11-4ubuntu20

[Andy Whitcroft (apw)]

We are dealing with this issue in module-init-tools, closing out the kernel tasks.

[Tim Gardner (timg-tpi)]

uploaded module-init-tools_3.3-pre11-4ubuntu17.2

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

This is still blocked by verification of bug 297750, and thus getting the previous version into intrepid-updates.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

How likely is it that someone actually uses this driver and relies on it? There seems to be a regression potential here.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

I rejected the current upload to -proposed, since it includes the SRU from -17.1 (bug 297750). That was just removed from -proposed due to lack of testing feedback.

If this is still an issue (i. e. you can be sure that blacklisting this driver doesn't cause a regression), please reupload as 17.2 without including the -17.1 change. Thank you!

[Ge-org Brohammer (administrator-newadventure)]

I don't know if this is related but that driver is used on a terminal that did not want to initialise the x server correctly.

Since blacklisting the driver it works, but streaming video from the terminal sever no longer works, only a black box is observed then the video player quits.

Maybe this driver is supposed to add the video overlay or something it that regard or the hardware video acceleration?

[Alex Valavanis (valavanisalex)]

Intrepid Ibex reached end-of-life on 30 April 2010 so I am closing the report. The bug has been fixed in newer releases of Ubuntu.