Horizontal lines on Samsung Laptop np900x3f after Update to 18.04

[Thomas Diesenreiter]

My laptop was running fine for years, but after the latest update to 18.04 and the reboot there were horizontal lines everywhere.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+19ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-20.21-generic 4.15.17
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-20-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: None
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Mon May 14 22:31:29 2018
DistUpgraded: 2018-05-11 10:45:03,937 DEBUG Running PostInstallScript: './xorg_fix_proprietary.py'
DistroCodename: bionic
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 virtualbox, 5.2.10, 4.13.0-41-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 5.2.10, 4.15.0-20-generic, x86_64: installed
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, if not too technical
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0166] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [144d:c0f9]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-11-21 (1635 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131017)
MachineType: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. 900X3F
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.15.0-20-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--gnome--vg-root ro vesafb.invalid=1 drm.debug=0xe plymouth:debug
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to bionic on 2018-05-11 (3 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 04/26/2013
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
dmi.bios.version: P00ACX
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: NP900X3F-K01DE
dmi.board.vendor: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
dmi.board.version: FAB1
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
dmi.chassis.version: 0.1
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenixTechnologiesLtd.:bvrP00ACX:bd04/26/2013:svnSAMSUNGELECTRONICSCO.,LTD.:pn900X3F:pvr0.1:rvnSAMSUNGELECTRONICSCO.,LTD.:rnNP900X3F-K01DE:rvrFAB1:cvnSAMSUNGELECTRONICSCO.,LTD.:ct9:cvr0.1:
dmi.product.family: ChiefRiver System
dmi.product.name: 900X3F
dmi.product.version: 0.1
dmi.sys.vendor: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
version.compiz: compiz N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.92+git1805100630.cb592a~oibaf~b
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 18.2~git1805140730.ff7521~oibaf~b
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 18.2~git1805140730.ff7521~oibaf~b
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.5-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:18.0.1-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20171229-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.15-2
xserver.bootTime: Fri Apr 22 16:22:53 2016
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.errors:

xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.outputs:
 product id 1495
 vendor BOE
xserver.version: 2:1.17.2-1ubuntu9.1

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

See photo of the screen attached.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Thomas Diesenreiter, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. Please advise to all of the following:

1) What release were you using immediately prior to upgrading to 18.04?

2) If you boot into a kernel from the previous working release is this issue still reproducible?

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

Hi Christopher,

ad 1: 17.10
ad 2: I cannot check that, sorry. My boot partition is so small (only 256mb, happened when I first installed ubuntu on this machine in 2013 for whatever reason), so i have to uninstall the older kernels immediately after updating in order to be able to install updates.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Thomas Diesenreiter, in order to allow additional upstream mainline kernel developers to examine the issue, at your earliest convenience, could you please test the latest mainline kernel available from http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/?C=N;O=D ? Please keep in mind the following:
1) The one to test is at the very top line at the top of the page (not the daily folder).
2) The release names are irrelevant.
3) The folder time stamps aren't indicative of when the kernel actually was released upstream.
4) Install instructions are available at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds .

If testing on your main install would be inconvenient, one may:
1) Install Ubuntu to a different partition and then test this there.
2) Backup, or clone the primary install.

If the latest kernel did not allow you to test to the issue (ex. you couldn't boot into the OS) please make a comment in your report about this, and continue to test the next most recent kernel version until you can test to the issue. Once you've tested the mainline kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this issue is not reproducible in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon, next to the word Tags, located at the bottom of the Bug Description:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-X.Y-rcZ

Where X, and Y are the first two numbers of the kernel version, and Z is the release candidate number if it exists.

If the issue is reproducible with the mainline kernel, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-X.Y-rcZ

Please note, an error to install the kernel does not fit the criteria of kernel-bug-exists-upstream.

Also, you don't need to apport-collect further unless specifically requested to do so.

It is most helpful that after testing of the latest mainline kernel is complete, you mark this report Status Confirmed.

Lastly, to keep this issue relevant to upstream, please continue to test the latest mainline kernel as it becomes available.

Thank you for your help.

[Frank Winklmeier (frank-winklmeier)]

I am seeing the exact same problem on a Samsung NP900X3G after the most recent kernel update for Ubuntu 16.04. It works fine on 4.13.0-41 but with 4.13.0-43 I am seeing the same horizontal lines as Thomas. Maybe this helps to find where the problem got introduced.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Frank Winklmeier, it will help immensely if you use the computer the problem is reproducible with, and provide necessary debugging logs by filing a new report with Ubuntu via a terminal:
ubuntu-bug linux

Please feel free to subscribe me to it.

[Frank Winklmeier (frank-winklmeier)]

Sure, no problem. Separate bug for 16.04 created: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-hwe/+bug/1773581

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

Tested it with 4.17.0-041700rc6-generic, the bug still exists.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Thomas Diesenreiter, the next step is to fully commit bisect from 4.13.4 to 4.15.17, in order to identify the last good kernel commit, followed immediately by the first bad one. This will allow for a more expedited analysis of the root cause of your issue. Could you please do this following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/KernelBisection ?

Please note, finding adjacent kernel versions, or providing a commit without testing it and reverting it is not fully commit bisecting.

Also, the kernel release names are irrelevant for the purposes of bisecting.

It is most helpful that after the bad commit (not kernel version) has been confirmed via testing, you then mark this report Status Confirmed.

Thank you for your help.

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

Hi there,

I fear that I do not have the time to do such in-depth debugging atm. As I said, I used the latest kernel with my previous 17.10 install without this problem, and it occurred with the first kernel of the 18.04 release. I know that it would be easier for you to know the specific kernel version where the digression was introduced, but maybe it would be possible to have a look at the old bug here (https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=64332) and take a look at the specific files which got patched back then to find the digression.
I'm just a php coder, so my knowledge about kernel development is too limited to take a look into it myself.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Thomas Diesenreiter, to advise, given you have the hardware, it is best if you test reverting/adding of the potential regression commit, to confirm it is, in fact, the correct commit. When you aren't as busy, feel free to check out the bisect article as it is written for folks who know nothing about linux.

[Frank Winklmeier (frank-winklmeier)]

I was able to identify the offending commits on 16.04 and it was reported to Intel: https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=106943

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

Cool, I will report back as soon as the patch lands in the Ubuntu kernel if it works.
Thanks a lot for your help!

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

Just tested with the latest proposed kernel: It's working. Although it takes about 30 minutes after the booting with the new kernel for the lines to slowly vanish. Truly a weird bug.
Thanks for the help, Christopher and Frank!

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Thomas Diesenreiter:

1) Given the Proposed kernel didn't resolve the issue, this is not a duplicate of LP#1773520. Hence, to keep this relevant to upstream, one would want to periodically check for, and test the latest mainline kernel (now 4.18-rc4) as it is released.

Could you please advise?

2) If reproducible in latest mainline, could you please test drm-tip?

3) If reproducible in drm-tip, could you please confirm the regression commit following https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1771204/comments/10 ? The article was written for people who don't know anything about linux, so it is easy to follow.

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

Ad CHristopher: Maybe you read my last comment wrong? The latest kernel did fix the bug, so the bug can get closed now, in my humble opinion.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Thomas Diesenreiter, as per your comment https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1771204/comments/16 :
>"Although it takes about 30 minutes after the booting with the new kernel for the lines to slowly vanish."

Were you mistaken that the Proposed kernel took 30 minutes after booting for issue to go away?

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

Yes, but thats a onetime thing. The bug somehow "burns" into the system, and it needs time to "heal". Now, when I start the machine, I don't have any issues. Thats why I called it weird, I've never seen something like this.
See the link I posted in the original report: https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=64332
People there reported similar behaviour: "Update to the comment above: Even if the lines were not gone after the reboot with the new kernel, there are no new lines and the old ones seem to disappear one by one over time. It kindof "heals". This is a VERY strange bug, but maybe fixed after all. Just to let you all know, don't despair if the reboot does not fix the lines promptly. Shuffle around some windows and see."

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Thomas Diesenreiter:

1)
>"Yes, but thats a onetime thing."

To clarify, if you boot into one kernel back from Proposed, then back into Proposed, do you then have the issue only on the first boot?

2)
>"See the link I posted in the original report"

That report has been resolved for the original reporter since kernel 3.10-rc4, and has nothing to do with your issue.

3)
>"People there reported similar behaviour..."

Unfortunately, what other people reported isn't relevant. What is though, is what you confirmed with your hardware.

[Thomas Diesenreiter (tdiesenreiter)]

ad 1) When I boot the old kernel, the lines start to appear. They stay as long as I run the old kernel. When I boot the new kernel, they are there at the beginning and then slowly fade away and never come again.
ad 2)3) Even if the cause was different, the reported behavior is the same.

Anyway, its fixed now. Thanks for your help.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Thomas Diesenreiter, this bug report is being closed due to your last comment https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1771204/comments/22 regarding how you consider this issue closed. For future reference you can manage the status of your own bugs by clicking on the current status in the yellow line and then choosing a new status in the revealed drop down box. You can learn more about bug statuses at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Status. Thank you again for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please submit any future bugs you may find.