occasionally loses external monitor

[Joe Barnett]

Occasionally the screen will blank and all windows move from the external monitor to the laptop monitor. Relatively immediately afterward both screens re-enable, but the windows don't move back to the external monitor.

This usually appears to be triggered by a specific application, eg, "ScudCloud" (a slack client that embeds an HTML webkit view), or enabling the flash plugin in an existing firefox window.

dmesg shows:
[ 174.404713] ------------[ cut here ]------------
[ 174.404736] WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 1699 at /build/linux-AxjFAn/linux-4.2.0/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c:5269 i915_gem_track_fb+0x129/0x140 [i915]()
[ 174.404738] WARN_ON(!(old->frontbuffer_bits & frontbuffer_bits))
[ 174.404739] Modules linked in:
[ 174.404741] bnep pci_stub vboxpci(OE) vboxnetadp(OE) vboxnetflt(OE) vboxdrv(OE) asix usbnet mii xt_addrtype xt_conntrack ipt_MASQUERADE nf_nat_masquerade_ipv4 iptable_nat nf_conntrack_ipv4 nf_defrag_ipv4 nf_nat_ipv4 iptable_filter ip_tables x_tables nf_nat nf_conntrack bridge stp llc aufs nls_iso8859_1 applesmc input_polldev uvcvideo videobuf2_vmalloc videobuf2_memops videobuf2_core v4l2_common videodev media btusb btrtl btbcm btintel bluetooth snd_usb_audio snd_usbmidi_lib joydev input_leds bcm5974 snd_hda_codec_hdmi x86_pkg_temp_thermal intel_powerclamp coretemp snd_hda_codec_cirrus kvm_intel snd_hda_codec_generic kvm snd_seq_midi snd_seq_midi_event brcmfmac snd_hda_intel brcmutil snd_hda_codec snd_hda_core cfg80211 snd_hwdep snd_rawmidi bdc_pci lpc_ich snd_pcm mei_me snd_seq mei snd_seq_device
[ 174.404776] snd_timer thunderbolt snd sbs soundcore acpi_als kfifo_buf shpchp sbshc industrialio apple_gmux mac_hid apple_bl parport_pc ppdev lp parport autofs4 jitterentropy_rng drbg ansi_cprng algif_skcipher af_alg dm_crypt hid_plantronics hid_microsoft hid_logitech_hidpp hid_generic hid_logitech_dj hid_apple usbhid hid crct10dif_pclmul crc32_pclmul i915 ghash_clmulni_intel aesni_intel aes_x86_64 lrw gf128mul glue_helper ablk_helper i2c_algo_bit uas cryptd drm_kms_helper usb_storage drm ahci libahci video
[ 174.404803] CPU: 0 PID: 1699 Comm: gnome-shell Tainted: G OE 4.2.0-16-generic #19-Ubuntu
[ 174.404804] Hardware name: Apple Inc. MacBookPro11,4/Mac-06F11FD93F0323C5, BIOS MBP114.88Z.0172.B04.1506051511 06/05/2015
[ 174.404806] 0000000000000000 000000005f8a407a ffff8804613eba28 ffffffff817e8c09
[ 174.404808] 0000000000000000 ffff8804613eba80 ffff8804613eba68 ffffffff8107b3c6
[ 174.404811] ffff880465a30000 0000000000000001 ffff88046756e640 ffff8804658558c0
[ 174.404813] Call Trace:
[ 174.404818] [<ffffffff817e8c09>] dump_stack+0x45/0x57
[ 174.404823] [<ffffffff8107b3c6>] warn_slowpath_common+0x86/0xc0
[ 174.404825] [<ffffffff8107b455>] warn_slowpath_fmt+0x55/0x70
[ 174.404836] [<ffffffffc0238ec9>] i915_gem_track_fb+0x129/0x140 [i915]
[ 174.404852] [<ffffffffc0281367>] intel_prepare_plane_fb+0xe7/0x1a0 [i915]
[ 174.404859] [<ffffffffc00cdfa9>] drm_atomic_helper_prepare_planes+0x59/0xe0 [drm_kms_helper]
[ 174.404872] [<ffffffffc027984e>] __intel_set_mode+0x1ae/0xb60 [i915]
[ 174.404886] [<ffffffffc0280d16>] intel_crtc_set_config+0x2b6/0x580 [i915]
[ 174.404899] [<ffffffffc0044ee5>] ? drm_mode_create+0x25/0x60 [drm]
[ 174.404908] [<ffffffffc003e4c6>] drm_mode_set_config_internal+0x66/0x100 [drm]
[ 174.404917] [<ffffffffc0042b29>] drm_mode_setcrtc+0x3e9/0x500 [drm]
[ 174.404923] [<ffffffffc0033495>] drm_ioctl+0x125/0x610 [drm]
[ 174.404930] [<ffffffffc0042740>] ? drm_mode_setplane+0x1b0/0x1b0 [drm]
[ 174.404934] [<ffffffff812108a5>] do_vfs_ioctl+0x295/0x480
[ 174.404936] [<ffffffff81210b09>] SyS_ioctl+0x79/0x90
[ 174.404939] [<ffffffff817ef9f2>] entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath+0x16/0x75
[ 174.404941] ---[ end trace fc649a1af1173285 ]---
[ 175.018549] snd_hda_codec_hdmi hdaudioC0D0: HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128
[ 175.018587] snd_hda_codec_hdmi hdaudioC0D0: HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0
[ 175.184359] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: resetting error on 0:c.
[ 175.184396] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: 0:c: hotplug: scanning
[ 175.184400] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: 0:c: hotplug: no switch found
[ 176.225350] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: resetting error on 0:c.
[ 176.225389] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: 0:c: got unplug event for disconnected port, ignoring
[ 181.480150] usb 1-1.3.1: reset high-speed USB device number 10 using xhci_hcd
[ 581.943528] usb 1-1.3.1: reset high-speed USB device number 10 using xhci_hcd

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.10
Package: linux-image-4.2.0-16-generic 4.2.0-16.19
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.2.0-16.19-generic 4.2.3
Uname: Linux 4.2.0-16-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.19.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Mon Oct 26 07:38:02 2015
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=dd225ec0-47f4-49d8-a51c-a2547f8eb945
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-08-21 (66 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 15.10 "Wily Werewolf" - Alpha amd64 (20150819)
MachineType: Apple Inc. MacBookPro11,4
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.2.0-16-generic.efi.signed root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--gnome--vg-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-4.2.0-16-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-4.2.0-16-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.149
RfKill:
 0: phy0: Wireless LAN
  Soft blocked: no
  Hard blocked: no
SourcePackage: linux
UdevLog: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/var/log/udev'
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 06/05/2015
dmi.bios.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.bios.version: MBP114.88Z.0172.B04.1506051511
dmi.board.name: Mac-06F11FD93F0323C5
dmi.board.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.board.version: MacBookPro11,4
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: Mac-06F11FD93F0323C5
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAppleInc.:bvrMBP114.88Z.0172.B04.1506051511:bd06/05/2015:svnAppleInc.:pnMacBookPro11,4:pvr1.0:rvnAppleInc.:rnMac-06F11FD93F0323C5:rvrMacBookPro11,4:cvnAppleInc.:ct9:cvrMac-06F11FD93F0323C5:
dmi.product.name: MacBookPro11,4
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: Apple Inc.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Did this issue start happening after an update/upgrade? Was there a prior kernel version where you were not having this particular problem?

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v4.3 kernel[0].

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[0] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.3-unstable/

[Joe Barnett (thejoe)]

Still happens on 4.3 mainline. It's happened on every kernel I've used on this machine, and feels related to bug #1493989 , though may not be.

[Roy (corduroy)]

This is present for:
- GNOME/Wayland session
- Ubuntu 17.10
- 4.13.0-36-generic
ie. any Ubuntu any kernel

symptom:
tail --follow=name --retry /var/log/syslog
Mar 2 11:36:06 c89 kernel: [649937.206226] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: resetting error on 0:c.
Mar 2 11:36:06 c89 kernel: [649937.206258] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: 0:c: hotplug: scanning
Mar 2 11:36:06 c89 kernel: [649937.206261] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: 0:c: hotplug: no switch found
Mar 2 11:36:07 c89 kernel: [649937.685613] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: resetting error on 0:c.
Mar 2 11:36:07 c89 kernel: [649937.685645] thunderbolt 0000:07:00.0: 0:c: got unplug event for disconnected port, ignoring

Present since:
- always, but was earlier hidden by more severe i915 bugs

Happens when:
- many windows, or when opening many such as when restoring a crashed Chromium or LibreOffice session
- 2 external monitors via DisplayPort

Affect hardware:
- Product Name: MacBookPro12,1
lspci -v -s 00:02.0 [21/21]
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Iris Graphics 6100 (rev 09)
 (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Apple Inc. Iris Graphics 6100
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 50
        Memory at c0000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
        Memory at b0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        I/O ports at 3000 [size=64]
        [virtual] Expansion ROM at 000c0000 [disabled] [size=128K]
        Capabilities: <access denied>
        Kernel driver in use: i915
        Kernel modules: i915