display freezes

[Kiwinote]

(compiz may or may not be the right place for this - please relocate if needed)

When running unity, every now and then the display will freeze. The image remains visible on the screen, but is static - the cursor can still be moved around the screen, and ctrl+alt+F1 still brings you to a virtual terminal. When running top from tty1, it can be noted that the compiz process is still running, also no crashes appear in /var/crash/*. The only way to resolve this seems to be a reboot. The issue started occurring about 2-3 weeks ago. From memory I have encountered this lockup maybe once or twice whilst only using the internal monitor of the netbook. When an external monitor is connected however, within a few minutes the display will freeze. The machine in question is a dell mini 9 using the i915 driver.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: compiz 1:0.9.8.0-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-14.15-generic 3.5.3
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-14-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.5.1-0ubuntu7
Architecture: i386
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CurrentDmesg:
 [ 14.104766] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): eth0: link becomes ready
 [ 14.464451] init: plymouth-stop pre-start process (1126) terminated with status 1
 [ 20.090550] ACPI: EC: GPE storm detected, transactions will use polling mode
Date: Sun Sep 9 14:55:35 2012
DistUpgraded: 2012-07-22 13:57:37,431 DEBUG enabling apt cron job
DistroCodename: quantal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 bcmwl, 5.100.82.112+bdcom, 3.5.0-13-generic, i686: installed
 bcmwl, 5.100.82.112+bdcom, 3.5.0-14-generic, i686: installed
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:27ae] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:02b0]
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:02b0]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Inspiron 910
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-14-generic root=UUID=683a337d-62e1-4db0-95a8-b6d7c554141f ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: compiz
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to quantal on 2012-07-22 (48 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 12/29/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A06
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A06
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: A06
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA06:bd12/29/2009:svnDellInc.:pnInspiron910:pvrA06:rvnDellInc.:rn:rvrA06:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvrA06:
dmi.product.name: Inspiron 910
dmi.product.version: A06
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.8.0-0ubuntu1
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.39-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.0~git20120903.e1673d20.is.git20120821.c1114c61-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.0~git20120903.e1673d20.is.git20120821.c1114c61-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.13.0-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.99.99~git20120713.6ef1ad6a-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.20.6-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.1-4~ubuntu1

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Mathieu Perona (mathieu-perona-gmail)]

Same bug here. The display freezes after ~30s, for around 1mn, unfreezes for 30 more seconds, freezes again.
While the display is frozen, Crtl+Alt+F1 remains active, and in fact the underlying windos are active: if I right-clik and move the cursor down where "Create New Folder" should be, a New Folder will appear when the display unfreeezes. Checking with the console shows that the forlder is immediately created. Thus, only the display is actually frozen, and the other layers are not aware of a crash at the display level.

If I let the computer idle, the display spontaneously gets dark (like when compiz crashes) and re-displayed every 2-3 mn.

Computer : Dell Studio, nvidia card, nvidia-current driver.

[Mathieu Perona (mathieu-perona-gmail)]

Here is the output of apport-bug compiz (made on tty1). Feel free to ask if more information or tests are needed.

[Kiwinote (kiwinote)]

Just a quick update to this bug: the issue persists with unity 6.6.0-0ubuntu1 and compiz 1:0.9.8.2+bzr3377-0ubuntu1. In the last few weeks I have not been able to reproduce this issue when using only the internal monitor, but it is 100% reproducible when an external monitor is connected. After the freeze has occurred, you can disconnect the external monitor, but the internal monitor changes from the frozen image to a black screen. It is possible to issue 'sudo killall Xorg' in tty1 and this brings you back to lightdm, but it kills all open windows and unsaved documents, so doesn't really help. The issue can also be reproduced using the guest session.

So just to summarize the steps to reproduce this crash:
- I have a dell mini 9 with an external monitor attached
- within a few minutes of normal usage the image on the screen will freeze (100% of the time)

(to speed up the last step you can eg open nautilus, browse to /usr/share, left mouse down on the handle of the overlay scrollbar, whilst holding the left mouse button down you can now make circle movements with your mouse which will cause nautlius to scroll up and down rapidly - this will cause the image on the screen to freeze within 10-60 seconds.)

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Please copy the attached dstack script to your home directory. Then next time the hang happens:

1. Switch to a VT (Ctrl+Alt+F1) and log in.
2. Run: sudo sh dstack compiz > compizhang.txt
3. Run: sudo restart lightdm
4. Attach the resulting "compizhang.txt" to this bug.

Thanks.

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

the trace matches bug 966744. If you can still reproduce the bug with the driver proposed there, please undupe.

[Kiwinote (kiwinote)]

After installing https://launchpad.net/~tjaalton/+archive/ppa/+files/xserver-xorg-video-intel_2.20.8-0ubuntu2.1_i386.deb and restarting , I can still reproduce this, so unduping.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Kiwinote:

Please test the final fix for bug 966744:
xserver-xorg-video-intel (2:2.17.0-1ubuntu4.2) precise-proposed; urgency=low

[Michael Smith (michael-smith-w)]

This happens consistently for me in 12.10. It started happening immediately after I upgraded to 12.10. After I log in Unity is usable for a minute or so then it permenantly freezes on both screens. I am able to work around the problem by not using my external monitor but that is no practical for me because I have a netbook with a small screen.

To get out of the frozen state I start another virtual terminal, log in and sudo reboot.

My system is an ASUS eeepc.
My graphics driver is "INTEL IGD X86 MMX SE2"
I am running stock Ubuntu 12.10
I have an external samsung monitor, VGA

Additionally I noticed that there is another new bug in this version. When a window runs slow, it dims. This has been standard behaviour for several versions. Now when it dims it also has a flashing or pulsing border. I saw this both in the configuration which hangs and in the non-hanging configuration.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Compiz because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for compiz (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Kiwinote (kiwinote)]

Hi - sorry for losing track of this bug. The freezes persist in raring with all the latest updates, so I'm reopening this bug. I've done a little research and have managed to obtain a kernel log with drm.debug=6. Perhaps this helps? If you need any other info please let me know.

Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108138] INFO: task Xorg:1059 blocked for more than 120 seconds.
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108157] "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message.
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108167] Xorg D f7400100 0 1059 1025 0x00400004
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108187] cb4fdd54 00203086 e25d4ce0 f7400100 f7400100 cb4fdcf8 c19c2100 0d3071d7
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108217] 00000086 c19c2100 f7400100 f68599a0 00000001 00000001 c9f4a0c4 00000001
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108243] 00000000 c9e74400 000bdd3c c9e74c00 cb4fdd2c c103ce48 cb4fdd40 cb4fdd38
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108271] Call Trace:
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108303] [<c103ce48>] ? default_spin_lock_flags+0x8/0x10
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108321] [<c103ce48>] ? default_spin_lock_flags+0x8/0x10
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108339] [<c16103ed>] ? _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x2d/0x40
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108355] [<c160f533>] schedule+0x23/0x60
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108453] [<f88d31d5>] intel_crtc_wait_for_pending_flips+0x55/0xa0 [i915]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108471] [<c106bc20>] ? finish_wait+0x70/0x70
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108550] [<f88d597a>] i9xx_crtc_disable+0x6a/0x150 [i915]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108632] [<f88d9ede>] intel_crtc_update_dpms+0x5e/0x90 [i915]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108712] [<f88dfa56>] intel_crt_dpms+0x66/0xa0 [i915]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108780] [<f8653505>] drm_mode_obj_set_property_ioctl+0x385/0x3a0 [drm]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108797] [<c160e098>] ? mutex_lock+0x18/0x40
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108857] [<f8653557>] drm_mode_connector_property_set_ioctl+0x37/0x50 [drm]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108917] [<f8653520>] ? drm_mode_obj_set_property_ioctl+0x3a0/0x3a0 [drm]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.108971] [<f8643eda>] drm_ioctl+0x42a/0x490 [drm]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.109036] [<f8653520>] ? drm_mode_obj_set_property_ioctl+0x3a0/0x3a0 [drm]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.109059] [<c115f187>] ? do_sync_read+0x97/0xd0
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.109114] [<f8643ab0>] ? drm_copy_field+0x80/0x80 [drm]
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.109131] [<c116f0a0>] do_vfs_ioctl+0x80/0x580
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.109149] [<c109a0bb>] ? ktime_get_ts+0x4b/0x150
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.109165] [<c116f60b>] sys_ioctl+0x6b/0x80
Feb 2 22:56:45 fourish kernel: [ 721.109182] [<c161758d>] sysenter_do_call+0x12/0x28