[radeon] Random system freeze

[SolarSoap]

Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS x86_64 randomly freezing. Often when using browser (Firefox or Vivaldi) or email client (Thunderbird). Have to reboot to restart. Can occur several times a day. Didn't have problem with 18.04.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+19ubuntu14
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-42.46-generic 5.4.44
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-42-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.8
Architecture: amd64
BootLog: Error: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/var/log/boot.log'
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CompositorRunning: None
CurrentDesktop: Regolith:GNOME-Flashback:GNOME
Date: Sun Aug 23 14:08:35 2020
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: focal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
GpuHangFrequency: Several times a day
GpuHangReproducibility: Seems to happen randomly
GpuHangStarted: Immediately after installing this version of Ubuntu
GraphicsCard:
 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Cape Verde XT [Radeon HD 7770/8760 / R7 250X] [1002:683d] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. [MSI] R7770-PMD1GD5 [1462:2710]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-06-14 (69 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Regolith 20.04.0 1.4.1 LTS amd64 (20200511)
MachineType: ASUS All Series
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-5.4.0-42-generic root=/dev/mapper/vgregolith-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
Title: Xorg freeze
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 10/25/2013
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 0903
dmi.board.asset.tag: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: Z87-K
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev X.0x
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr0903:bd10/25/2013:svnASUS:pnAllSeries:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:rnZ87-K:rvrRevX.0x:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.family: ASUS MB
dmi.product.name: All Series
dmi.product.sku: All
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUS
version.compiz: compiz N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.101-2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 20.0.8-0ubuntu1~20.04.1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 20.0.8-0ubuntu1~20.04.1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.20.8-2ubuntu2.2
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:19.1.0-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20200226-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.16-1

[SolarSoap (hbn97kw4dp)]

Output of running journalctl -b -1 -e > journalctl.txt following last freeze.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thanks for the bug report. This appears to be a crash in the 'radeon' kernel driver.

Please try a newer kernel like https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8.3/amd64/
and if that doesn't solve the problem then also look in the 'Additional Drivers' app to see if your system supports the proprietary AMD driver instead.

[SolarSoap (hbn97kw4dp)]

Appreciate your reply and link. I have not previously installed a new kernel. Having spent a small amount of time investigating this, it appears there are some risks updating to a mainline kernel. I'm in the middle of some fairly critical deadlines at the moment and would frankly rather save my work frequently and live with reboots than have to spend time recovering my system from some bad kernel update. If you want to close this completely understand. Again appreciate your time.

NB - I did check additional drivers, it said 'no additional drivers available.'

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

No problem. Don't put your work at risk. We can leave this bug 'Incomplete' and it will stay that way for 60 days. Then if there are no further comments it will close automatically.

[SolarSoap (hbn97kw4dp)]

Unsure why, but this seems to have resolved itself - now suffering from far less (pretty much no) freezes. I must have updated some software that was causing the problem and a fix has been put in place. Appreciate the help on this forum, thank you.