"conflicting memory types" -> "Failed to allocate primary buffer: out of memory" (unless PAT disabled(?))

[Lee Jones]

After upgrading to Natty, my X no longer works.

When it does work I receive a graphical login prompt, then when the Desktop loads, it freezes with no panels or icons.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: linux-image-2.6.38-5-generic 2.6.38-5.32
Regression: Yes
Reproducible: Yes
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-5.32-generic 2.6.38-rc6
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-5-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.23.
AplayDevices: aplay: device_list:240: no soundcards found...
Architecture: i386
ArecordDevices: arecord: device_list:240: no soundcards found...
AudioDevicesInUse: Error: command ['fuser', '-v', '/dev/snd/controlC0', '/dev/snd/hwC0D0', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D0c', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D0p', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D1c', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D1p', '/dev/snd/by-path', '/dev/snd/by-id', '/dev/snd/controlC1', '/dev/snd/pcmC1D0c', '/dev/snd/pcmC1D0p', '/dev/snd/seq', '/dev/snd/timer'] failed with exit code 1:
Date: Wed Mar 9 07:41:59 2011
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=1526af53-08e4-4cc8-96ec-7a15688b79e3
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
ProcEnviron:
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-5-generic root=UUID=26224801-a20b-4f9e-b224-1ca26afdd627 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-2.6.38-5-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-2.6.38-5-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.48
RfKill:
 0: phy0: Wireless LAN
  Soft blocked: no
  Hard blocked: no
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-03-08 (0 days ago)
WpaSupplicantLog:

dmi.bios.date: 10/20/2006
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 0804
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: P5B-Deluxe
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev 1.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr0804:bd10/20/2006:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rnP5B-Deluxe:rvrRev1.xx:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer

[Lee Jones (lag)]

Xorg:3001 conflicting memory types c0000000-c0960000 write-combining<->uncached-minus
reserve_memtype failed 0xc0000000-0xc0960000, track write-combining, req write-combining

This seems to be the problem

[Lee Jones (lag)]

With no nVidia driver it works okay. I get a desktop, but no Compiz and everything looks just a little bit rubbish

With nVidia I get the first application start to start then nothing.

I have tried creating a new user, but the same thing happens.

[Arnaud Soyez (weboide)]

I'm not sure if this is the same but I'm also getting "Failed to allocate primary buffer: out of memory."

[ 17.734] (EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to allocate primary buffer: out of memory.
[ 17.734] (EE) NVIDIA(0): *** Aborting ***
[ 17.804]
Backtrace:
[ 17.804] 0: /usr/bin/X (xorg_backtrace+0x3b) [0x80eb58b]
[ 17.804] 1: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x5fba8) [0x80a7ba8]
[ 17.804] 2: (vdso) (__kernel_rt_sigreturn+0x0) [0x6e740c]
[ 17.804] Segmentation fault at address 0x24

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

I wonder if the system actually is out of memory or if it's a driver conflict (I see nouveau had been loaded right before nvidia loaded, could they be conflicting somehow?)

In either case, I think it's not a bug in the proprietary driver but rather something else going on in Ubuntu that prevents it from loading.

One thing I notice is you have virtualbox installed; this package provides its own X driver which *sometimes* can cause conflicts. I think it is innocent in this case, but could you try uninstalling it and see if you can still reproduce the problem?

[Jose Gómez (adler-dreamcoder)]

I'm having the same problem. Most of the time I boot my systems, it hangs right after showing the "kubuntu" splash screen and just where it should show the "Nvidia" one.

If I turn off and on again the computer a few times (2 to 10 times), eventually it will boot.

I have seen in the Nvidia forum (http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=169294) the suggestion to add the "nopat" kernel parameter in /etc/default/grub:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="nopat"

However, I don't know what it means and what side effects that workaround could have in performance or others, or even if that could fix the problem.

Somewhere else I have seen the suggestion to remove "splash" from GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT. However, I don't know what that means either.

Using Ubuntu Natty with all the recent updates.

[Jose Gómez (adler-dreamcoder)]

For comparison, the log of a successful boot.

[Arnaud Soyez (weboide)]

I added the "nopat" kernel option, it seems to help with that issue.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Lee, can you confirm that adding the "nopat" kernel option as Jose indicated in comment #8 makes the error not occur?

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Alright, after poking around in google a bit it seems this is a commonly known issue (see docs at https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA for example), and in fact is a dupe of our bug #537218, which I'll link this one to and update.

[Jose Gómez (adler-dreamcoder)]

By the way, I added the "nopat" option to /etc/default/grub, and after some days I have not seen the error again. Before, it was happening around 85% of the boots.