Xorg uses 35-55% CPU all time and fan runs continually

[Trond Thorbjørnsen]

After upgrade from Karmic to Lucid, the fan runs continually and the Xorg process eats a lot of CPU.

I use nvidia-current video driver.

Turning of compiz hasn't any effect.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.7.6-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-17.26-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-17-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia wl
Architecture: i386
CheckboxSubmission: 93deb082c181cf8fd095418f8f3e1d61
CheckboxSystem: e704f33cc0866ff0f0256a33de39ea1c
Date: Mon Mar 29 12:02:10 2010
DkmsStatus:
 bcmwl, 5.60.48.36+bdcom, 2.6.32-16-generic, i686: installed
 bcmwl, 5.60.48.36+bdcom, 2.6.32-17-generic, i686: installed
 nvidia-173, 173.14.22, 2.6.32-17-generic, i686: installed
 nvidia-current, 195.36.15, 2.6.32-17-generic, i686: installed
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/Xorg
Lsusb:
 Bus 002 Device 002: ID 08ff:2580 AuthenTec, Inc. AES2501 Fingerprint Sensor
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 04f2:b015 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd VGA 24fps UVC Webcam
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
MachineType: Hewlett-Packard HP Pavilion dv6500 Notebook PC
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-17-generic root=UUID=f361096d-a83c-4a64-9e04-3c8e8ea1a058 ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=nn_NO.UTF-8
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANGUAGE=nn_NO:nn:no_NO:no:nb_NO:nb:en
SourcePackage: xorg-server
dmi.bios.date: 11/24/2008
dmi.bios.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.bios.version: F.31
dmi.board.name: 30D0
dmi.board.vendor: Quanta
dmi.board.version: 85.26
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Quanta
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHewlett-Packard:bvrF.31:bd11/24/2008:svnHewlett-Packard:pnHPPaviliondv6500NotebookPC:pvrRev1:rvnQuanta:rn30D0:rvr85.26:cvnQuanta:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: HP Pavilion dv6500 Notebook PC
dmi.product.version: Rev 1
dmi.sys.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 codename: lucid
 architecture: i686
 kernel: 2.6.32-17-generic

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hi Trond, counter-intuitively, most high-CPU bugs with X.org are not actually X bugs but rather an issue with some client application. X is just a server, and will consume whatever CPU is necessary to meet client application requests, so generally these bugs are really against to whatever client app that is driving X too hard. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Troubleshooting/HighCPU for help at identifying what client app is causing it.

[Trond Thorbjørnsen (tthorb)]

Thanks for the info!

OK - I killed different processes, and 'ica' - Italc was probably the problem.

[Trond Thorbjørnsen (tthorb)]

The symptom was that Xorg overconsumed cpu. After uninstalling italc*, the Xorg process is normal again.

[Alkis Georgopoulos (alkisg)]

I've seen this problem when both iTalc and vino-server are installed, because they're both trying to use port 5900.

In Karmic we fixed the iTalc packaging so that it uses a different port, if 5900 is in use.
So I'm guessing that iTalc (==the ica process) starts first, sees that 5900 is free, uses it, and then vino-server tries to use the same port blindly without checking, and is causing the 100% xorg usage (you probably have a multi core system, that's why you're seeing less than 100%).

If my guess is correct, then this bug should probably be filed against vino-server instead, as iTalc is checking to see if the port is in use, while vino-server doesn't.

[Trond Thorbjørnsen (tthorb)]

vino-server tries to use the same port as italc without checking if its free

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report. The issue is an upstream one and it would be nice if somebody having it could send the bug the to the people writting the software (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream/GNOME)

[Ivan Kravchenko (iv-kravchenko)]

Remove of italc helps me too.

[dino99 (9d9)]

That version is no more supported