simple-scan crashes EPSON Office ADF scanners, fails with hp ADF scanners

[Matthias Andree]

Binary package hint: simple-scan

simple-scan is incapable of scanning from automated document feeders, while single-page scans from the flatbed glass work fine.

Devices tested:
1. Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet Pro L7680 All-in-One (with maverick meerkat)
2. EPSON Stylus Office BX625FWD (with natty narwhal)

The latter displays communication error for photo scans, and crashes its firmware (needs to be switched off and on again) in text mode when using the ADF ("scan all sheets from ADF" or similar).

I am tagging the bug "security" because it crashes the Epson Office device in text mode.

In the attached debug information, there are:

- two successful photo mode (300 dpi) scans from the positive/flatbed glass (EPSON)
- one failed scan in photo mode from the EPSON device (which recovered after pressing OK)
- one failed scan in text mode that crashed the EPSON device (which needed to be power cycled).

In neither case did the computer or application crash.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: simple-scan 2.32.0.1-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic-pae 2.6.38.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic-pae i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Tue May 17 13:56:52 2011
DriverPackageVersions:
 libsane 1.0.22-2ubuntu1
 libsane-extras N/A
 hplip 3.11.1-2ubuntu2
 hpoj N/A
MachineType: To Be Filled By O.E.M. MS-7137
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=de:en
 LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic-pae root=/dev/mapper/vgcrypt-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: simple-scan
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 02/16/2006
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: V1.0Bc
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: MS-7137
dmi.board.vendor: MSI
dmi.board.version: 0A
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.version: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrV1.0Bc:bd02/16/2006:svnToBeFilledByO.E.M.:pnMS-7137:pvr0A:rvnMSI:rnMS-7137:rvr0A:cvnToBeFilledByO.E.M.:ct3:cvrToBeFilledByO.E.M.:
dmi.product.name: MS-7137
dmi.product.version: 0A
dmi.sys.vendor: To Be Filled By O.E.M.

[Jamie Strandboge (jdstrand)]

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. We appreciate the difficulties you are facing, but this appears to be a "regular" (non-security) bug. I have unmarked it as a security issue since this bug does not show evidence of allowing attackers to cross privilege boundaries nor directly cause loss of data/privacy. Please feel free to report any other bugs you may find.

[Matthias Andree (matthias-andree)]

Jamie, you don't know what is in inbound or outbound fax queues of the device at the time. It needs to be power-cycled after the fact.

Please do NOT unmark the bug as non-security relevant until it is proven that the bug does not cause the loss of, say, another user's fax.

[Michael Nagel (nailor)]

Please read https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SimpleScanHardwareIssues and comment if it works with xsane or if it is a bug with sane-backends! Thanks!

[Matthias Andree (matthias-andree)]

I won't be able to comment on the Epsons, as the hardware/software combination is no longer existent.
This is again a case where a slow response to bug reports made it the whole effort nearly worthless.

I hope to test on the HP L7680 this weekend.

[Michael Nagel (nailor)]

Hi Matthias, thanks for your reply and you are absolutely right. I am currently making an effort to work through the massive backlog of bug reports and improve response time dramatically.

However manpower really is an issue here, and in particular there is only one person (Robert Ancell) working on the code.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

Epson WorkForce 610 ADF always crashes, device needs power cycle. Using xsane, I can get a preview from the ADF, but not a final scan.

Epson are, and always were, a stack of s**t at the very bottom end of the consumer goods market. This heap of junk was free even when brand new, and in retrospect, we should still have said "no".

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

Adding affects xsane, because it does.

[Michael Nagel (nailor)]

If you want to make some really progress here, I suggest you take this to sane-devel http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/sane-devel and please report any finding back here. Thanks!

[Abie Swanepoel (abie)]

I can confirm this bug is alive and well in Ubuntu 12.04 on an Epson Workforce 645.

I use Simple Scan and can reproduce it when scanning in either text or photo modes. It is intermittent - I can sometimes get it to scan. Even the mode of failure is inconsistent: Sometimes it will start to feed the documentt and fail with "Communication error" on the printer display, other times it will just hang with "Scanning.." displayed on the printer screen without even attempting to feed a document.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Dane Powell (danepowell)]

I'm getting this as well with an Epson WF-3540- trying to use the ADF crashes the devices, requiring a hard power cycle. It would definitely suck if someone else was trying to send a fax or print a nice photo when this happens.

This is not a "heap of junk" - it's a fairly high-end, highly-rated, and commonplace device, that claims to be supported by sane.

[Captain Chaos (launchpad-chaos)]

This bug is still alive and kicking. Trying to scan from the ADF of an Epson XP-810, via the network, hangs the scanner. It loads the document, but when it is about to start the actual scan, the Epson starts flashing all its lights and has to be turned off, and xsane reports: "Error/Failed to start scanner: Error during device I/O". Simple-scan fails with a similar message. Scanning from the glass plate works fine.

[Captain Chaos (launchpad-chaos)]

I can provide logs, technical information, etc.. Please let me know what you need!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Benpro (benpro82)]

I can reproduce too.

Don't known how I can help, because as the printer crashes, there is nothing to do… Maybe something bad in libsane?

[Benpro (benpro82)]

Oh BTW, it works with "Image Scan! For Linux", Epson utility. It seems to use sane backend. So this is quite odd that it works as xsane crash too…

[Benpro (benpro82)]

Ok sorry for spamming.

Updated iscan with "iscan-bundle-1.0.1.x64.deb.tar.gz" from epson website and everything is OK!!

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Matthias Andree, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better.

As per https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases your release is EOL.

If you have an issue in a supported release (ex. 16.04) please file a new report, and feel free to subscribe me to it.