pulseaudio crashes at pa_cvolume_compatible when starting skype call

[darylb]

Binary package hint: pulseaudio

I was trying out Skype 2.1.0.47 on Ubuntu Karmic (up to date as of today, 1st Sept 2009), but trying a test call did not work, and pulseaudio crashed. The problem seems to happen every time I try.

I expected to be able to hear a voice on the test call, and then record and hear my own voice as is usual with Skype test calls.

What happened was I heard the noise that indicates a call is starting, but the test call voice never appeared. After that Skype would not respond to me asking it to quit (via the GUI), I had to pkill -3 skype to kill it.

This is the last few lines of the log of pulseaudio -vv (which is attached in full):

D: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_input.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo becomes busy.
D: protocol-native.c: Client skype changes volume of sink alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo.monitor.
E: source.c: Assertion 'pa_cvolume_compatible(volume, &s->sample_spec)' failed at pulsecore/source.c:765, function pa_source_set_volume(). Aborting.
Aborted (core dumped)

Here is some information on my system:

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu karmic (development branch)
Release: 9.10

$ apt-cache policy pulseaudio
pulseaudio:
  Installed: 1:0.9.16~test6-3-g57e1-0ubuntu2
  Candidate: 1:0.9.16~test6-3-g57e1-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
 *** 1:0.9.16~test6-3-g57e1-0ubuntu2 0
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com karmic/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[darylb (darylblanc)]

WORKAROUND:
Disabling "Allow Skype to automatically adjust my mixer levels" in the "Sound Devices" tab of the options screen in Skype causes calls to work again. Pulseaudio does not crash.

[Thomas (thomas-redhat-bugs)]

Description of problem:

Trying to set up skype on my laptop (T61 thinkpad). At some point audio stops working (all input/output set to pulseaudio).

Just know, I started pulseaudio from the command line. I start skype, hear the swoosh sound, go to settings, click test sound a few times, then do test call.

At that point, pulseaudio aborts:

[root@otto ~]# N: alsa-source.c: Increasing minimal latency to 1.00 ms
N: alsa-source.c: Increasing minimal latency to 2.00 ms
N: alsa-source.c: Increasing minimal latency to 4.00 ms
N: alsa-source.c: Increasing minimal latency to 8.00 ms
E: source.c: Assertion 'pa_cvolume_compatible(volume, &s->sample_spec)' failed at pulsecore/source.c:666, function pa_source_set_volume(). Aborting.

How reproducible:

Don't know yet; skype has failed playing sound at least twice.
Googling for the error message didn't turn up results.

Also, the line number is suspicious; Lennart, is The Beast hiding in your software ?

Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.

Actual results:

Expected results:

Additional info:

In my opinion, pulseaudio crashing because of a bad client should be a no-no. Throwing out the client would be ok; and it should somehow be able to tell me about the bad client. pulseaudio is meant to run as a server, and it was by accident that I noticed the message.

[Thomas (thomas-redhat-bugs)]

Some more info:

 - reproduced 5 times out of 5. It happens when I make the test call. Judging from the method, it might be related to the setting that allows skype to control mixer levels, which I will deactivate for the next test.

 - after that happens, skype cannot play any sounds at all anymore.

 - skype also can't be shut down. A normal kill doesn't work either. kill -9 does it though.

 - installing debug symbols now to get a backtrace of the assert.

[Thomas (thomas-redhat-bugs)]

ok, so deactivating the setting 'allow changing mixer volumes' helps (though you have to click apply first; the first time it still crashed presumably because it hadn't applied the settings yet)

[Thomas (thomas-redhat-bugs)]

Backtrace:

(gdb) cont
Continuing.

Program received signal SIG63, Real-time event 63.
[Switching to Thread 0xb7e01b70 (LWP 30474)]
0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) bt
#0 0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
#1 0x006bd470 in ppoll (fds=0x8aeca28, nfds=3, timeout=0xb7e011f4,
    sigmask=0x8ade7d8) at ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/ppoll.c:58
#2 0x0059a49c in pa_rtpoll_run (p=0x8ade7b8, wait=true)
    at pulsecore/rtpoll.c:413
#3 0x00fdd2c3 in thread_func (userdata=0x8ade610)
    at modules/alsa/alsa-sink.c:1347
#4 0x0309979c in internal_thread_func (userdata=0x8af29b8)
    at pulsecore/thread-posix.c:72
#5 0x00c1a935 in start_thread (arg=0xb7e01b70) at pthread_create.c:297
#6 0x006c793e in clone () at ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/i386/clone.S:130
(gdb) cont
Continuing.

Program received signal SIG62, Real-time event 62.
[Switching to Thread 0xb324eb70 (LWP 30475)]
0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) cont
Continuing.

Program received signal SIG62, Real-time event 62.
0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) cont
Continuing.

Program received signal SIG62, Real-time event 62.
0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) cont
Continuing.

Program received signal SIG62, Real-time event 62.
0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) cont
Continuing.

Program received signal SIG62, Real-time event 62.
0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) cont
Continuing.

Program received signal SIG62, Real-time event 62.
0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) cont
Continuing.

Program received signal SIGABRT, Aborted.
[Switching to Thread 0xb8002750 (LWP 30473)]
0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
(gdb) bt
#0 0x00aa1424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
#1 0x006147c1 in *__GI_raise (sig=6)
    at ../nptl/sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/raise.c:64
#2 0x00616092 in *__GI_abort () at abort.c:88
#3 0x005c39e0 in pa_source_set_volume (s=0x8afc738, volume=0xbfe18e68)
    at pulsecore/source.c:666
#4 0x0024c3a7 in command_set_volume (pd=0x8af7c68, command=38, tag=5413,
    t=0x8adedb0, userdata=0x8ade008) at pulsecore/protocol-native.c:3327
#5 0x03083298 in pa_pdispatch_run (pd=0x8af7c68, packet=0x8ae0e00,
    creds=0x8ade440, userdata=0x8ade008) at pulsecore/pdispatch.c:326
#6 0x0024fdd9 in pstream_packet_callback (p=0x8ade378, packet=0x8ae0e00,
    creds=0x8ade440, userdata=0x8ade008) at pulsecore/protocol-native.c:4234
#7 0x03089317 in do_read (p=0x8ade378) at pulsecore/pstream.c:816
#8 0x03086a99 in do_something (p=0x8ade378) at pulsecore/pstream.c:184
#9 0x03086cbb in io_callback (io=0x8adc838, userdata=0x8ade378)
    at pulsecore/pstream.c:213
#10 0x03070885 in callback (m=0x8ab2b44, e=0x8addfd8, fd=8, f=3,
    userdata=0x8adc838) at pulsecore/iochannel.c:119
#11 0x030cdd91 in dispatch_pollfds (m=0x8ab2b08) at pulse/mainloop.c:683
#12 0x030ceaa1 in pa_mainloop_dispatch (m=0x8ab2b08) at pulse/mainloop.c:896
#13 0x030cec32 in pa_mainloop_iterate (m=0x8ab2b08, block=1, retval=0xbfe19300)
    at pulse/mainloop.c:926
#14 0x030cec98 in pa_mainloop_run (m=0x8ab2b08, retval=0xbfe19300)
    at pulse/mainloop.c:941
#15 0x080548e2 in main (argc=3, argv=0xbfe19414) at daemon/main.c:1054

further info:
(gdb) p volume
$1 = (const pa_cvolume *) 0xbfe18e68
(gdb) p *volume...

[Tomasz (tomasz-redhat-bugs)]

Are you running Skype vesion 2.1.0.47? It is alleged to work with PA.

[Marcel Stimberg (marcelstimberg)]

The problem is also reported in the Fedora bugtracker: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=520586

[Lennart (lennart-redhat-bugs)]

Yes, under no circumstances a client should be able to trigger an assert in PA.

See http://pulseaudio.org/ticket/638

Fixed upstream in http://git.0pointer.de/?p=pulseaudio.git;a=commitdiff;h=e1ce365cd9cdcdfd1535aa58882de249c6274ed4

[Lennart (lennart-redhat-bugs)]

Oh, and btw. Here's a short intro how to use gdb on PA:

http://pulseaudio.org/wiki/Community#BugsPatchesTranslations

[Roland Dreier (roland.dreier)]

You probably already saw this, but the Fedora bug shows that this is fixed upstream:
http://git.0pointer.de/?p=pulseaudio.git;a=commitdiff;h=e1ce365cd9cdcdfd1535aa58882de249c6274ed4
with more details at http://pulseaudio.org/ticket/638

Probably a good idea to get pulse with at least that fix added in uploaded to karmic.

[Lennart (lennart-redhat-bugs)]

*** Bug 520696 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Saikat (saikat-redhat-bugs)]

FYI, disabling the "Let Skype control my mixer settings" in Skype works around this bug.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

On Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 5:16 PM, Marcel
Stimberg<email address hidden> wrote:
> ** Changed in: pulseaudio
>       Status: Unknown => Fix Committed

They're already in the ubuntu-audio-dev ppa.

[Fedora (fedora-redhat-bugs)]

pulseaudio-0.9.15-17.fc11 has been submitted as an update for Fedora 11.
http://admin.fedoraproject.org/updates/pulseaudio-0.9.15-17.fc11

[Fedora (fedora-redhat-bugs)]

pulseaudio-0.9.15-17.fc11 has been pushed to the Fedora 11 stable repository. If problems still persist, please make note of it in this bug report.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package pulseaudio - 1:0.9.16~test7-14-g7ca81-0ubuntu1

---------------
pulseaudio (1:0.9.16~test7-14-g7ca81-0ubuntu1) karmic; urgency=low

  * New git snapshot of origin/master (0.9.16~test7-14-g7ca81)
    fixes LP: #419658, #422451, #424127
  * debian/pulseaudio.install: add module-loopback
  * debian/control: remove liboil*-dev build-dependency thanks to
    included ASM optimisations
  * debian/copyright: update; we've added module-loopback
  * debian/patches/0052-disable-cpu-limit.patch: Disable cpu limit as
    per 812be327836c93492ad389333bcc037566141eb8
  * debian/patches/0053-add-input-sources.patch: Add internal mic and
    docking station as per 8cd635bc614834c13d0f1c586d472b4a52b98664
  * debian/patches/0054-use-sse2-volume.patch: Only use if SSE2 is
    available. This is a workaround for LP: #418448, thanks "knarf"!

 -- Daniel T Chen <email address hidden> Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:23:15 -0400