machine hard-locks when using two monitors

[Alex Chekholko]

Steps to reproduce: hit Alt-F2 and type "xterm" and hit enter and the machine hard-locks.

This only happens when running Unity and using two monitors. Using one monitor with Unity seems to work fine.

This is a standard Dell Optiplex 745 with Radeon RV516 (Radeon X1300 Pro) with two DVI outputs.

What can I do to narrow this down to Unity or compiz or the radeon driver or Xorg or the kernel?

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.8.16-0ubuntu1~natty1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-10.46-generic 2.6.38.7
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-10-generic x86_64
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,mousepoll,vpswitch,regex,animation,snap,expo,move,compiztoolbox,place,grid,imgpng,gnomecompat,wall,ezoom,workarounds,staticswitcher,resize,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,scale,session,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Thu Aug 4 17:23:48 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: natty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
GraphicsCard:
 ATI Technologies Inc RV516 [Radeon X1300/X1550 Series] [1002:7183] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:0d02]
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:0d03]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64 (20110427.1)
InstallationMedia_: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64 (20110427.1)
InstallationMedia__: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64 (20110427.1)
MachineType: Dell Inc. OptiPlex 745
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-10-generic root=UUID=fb85112c-96c8-47d1-a3f2-ed4177bf2454 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature_: Ubuntu 2.6.38-10.46-generic 2.6.38.7
ProcVersionSignature__: Ubuntu 2.6.38-10.46-generic 2.6.38.7
Renderer: Unknown
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 08/21/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 2.4.1
dmi.board.name: 0RF703
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 6
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvr2.4.1:bd08/21/2007:svnDellInc.:pnOptiPlex745:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0RF703:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct6:cvr:
dmi.product.name: OptiPlex 745
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110606-0ubuntu1~natty2
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.23-1ubuntu6
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+4ubuntu3.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110107+b795ca6e-0ubuntu7

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

And X locked up immediately after submitting this bug report, so it's not just xterm-related; I'll edit the subject.

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

Seems very similar to this: https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=39469

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

I tried upgrading to Oneiric via aptitude. I can't get oneiric to hard-lock, but there are enough other bugs happening that Unity is unusable.

dmesg has errors like:

[ 86.663059] [drm:drm_mode_getfb] *ERROR* invalid framebuffer id
[ 102.589323] [drm:drm_mode_getfb] *ERROR* invalid framebuffer id
[ 129.330988] [drm:drm_mode_getfb] *ERROR* invalid framebuffer id
[ 222.145572] [drm:drm_mode_getfb] *ERROR* invalid framebuffer id
[ 237.234037] [drm:drm_mode_getfb] *ERROR* invalid framebuffer id
[ 427.898860] [drm:drm_mode_getfb] *ERROR* invalid framebuffer id
[ 534.013757] [drm:drm_mode_getfb] *ERROR* invalid framebuffer id

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

Alex, If this specific issue is not happening in Oneiric I think it would be better we close this bug and you report other issues you are facing. comment#5 look like a driver related thing.

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

Well, in Oneiric, I can't get the second monitor to work at all. So I can't reproduce the exact issue.

In Natty, I can't reproduce it with one monitor, but I can reproduce it every time with two monitors.

What can I do to figure out if it's a Unity problem or a driver problem?

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

Today I reinstalled Natty from scratch, and so long as only one monitor is connected, Unity works great; I've been using it all day. Will now try to connect second monitor.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

Alex did you happen to connect the second monitor in NattY?

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

Hot-plugging the second monitor works fine, I just run 'xrandr' in a terminal and the second monitor comes on and the desktop gets extended. I have the second monitor on the right of the primary one, so the defaults work fine.

I can also confirm that I can shut down the machine, disconnect the second monitor, boot the machine back up and after logging in, hot-plug the second monitor again, and everything works fine.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

Alex in other words this is not an issue for you anymore? Should we close this bug?

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

The problem occurs when I boot the machine with two monitors connected to it. I can log into Unity, and then when I try to launch an xterm, one of two things happens: I get kicked back out to the login screen or else my machine hard-locks completely. The mouse pointer still moves, but I can't click on anything and I can't switch to any console (e.g. Ctrl-Alt-F1).

So now I have a better idea of how to exactly reproduce this on this machine. But there's no issue if I boot it with only one monitor attached.

[Alex Chekholko (alex-chekholko)]

OK, so it just happened again, even when I follow this procedure:
boot with one monitor attached
log into unity
hotplug second monitor
Alt-F2 -> xterm -> hard lock

[Andrea Azzarone (azzar1)]

I'm closing this bug because of the type of the problem it is describing and because its age.