HD 5970 multi monitor radeon screen corruption

[Jonathan Brier]

When a window is open periodically horizontal corruption occurs on all the screens in this 3 monitor setup. I also see corruption more like a static in the shadow background on the game Kerbal Space Program.

The hardware config is three Samsung SynMaster XL2370 in a 5760 x 1080 configuration running off of first of the two XFX HD 5970 cards attached via two DVI ports and one display port using an active DVI to display port adapter.

See attached screen captures for details.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.10
Package: xorg 1:7.7+1ubuntu6
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.11.0-14.21-generic 3.11.7
Uname: Linux 3.11.0-14-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.12.5-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
CompositorUnredirectFSW: true
Date: Fri Dec 13 13:16:03 2013
DistUpgraded: 2013-09-28 15:17:03,924 DEBUG enabling apt cron job
DistroCodename: saucy
DistroVariant: ubuntu
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, if not too technical
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-11-29 (378 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121017.5)
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
MarkForUpload: True
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.11.0-14-generic root=UUID=c4ec6b3f-ea2f-479a-9ad4-f1eab2c84e9c ro crashkernel=384M-2G:64M,2G-:128M quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to saucy on 2013-09-28 (75 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 09/14/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 2101
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: Crosshair IV Formula
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev 1.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr2101:bd09/14/2012:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rnCrosshairIVFormula:rvrRev1.xx:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.10+13.10.20131011-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.46-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.2.1-1ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.2.1-1ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.14.3-3ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu3.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.2.0-0ubuntu10
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.904-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.9-2ubuntu1
xserver.bootTime: Tue Dec 10 21:14:23 2013
xserver.configfile: /etc/X11/xorg.conf
xserver.devices:
 input Power Button KEYBOARD, id 6
 input Power Button KEYBOARD, id 7
 input Logitech USB Receiver KEYBOARD, id 8
 input Logitech USB Receiver KEYBOARD, id 9
 input HD Pro Webcam C920 KEYBOARD, id 10
xserver.errors:
 RADEON(G0): [XvMC] Failed to initialize extension.
 RADEON(G1): [XvMC] Failed to initialize extension.
 RADEON(G2): [XvMC] Failed to initialize extension.
xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.version: 2:1.14.3-3ubuntu2
xserver.video_driver: radeon

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

Not sure if the issue is related to https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-ati/+bug/1239711 or a separate issue as the corruption is more intense now. These reports are from the same machine.

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

I just updated and checked again and the horizontal corruption is present in the latest patched version of 13.10, but the kerbal corruption is fixed. Though now I'm seeing some corruption in the Steam app dialog boxes such as when warning the game is not supported on the system. Example double clicking on a game to install which is only a windows game. Will attach corruption as another attachment.

I flashed the latest daily build as of noon Dec 7 Eastern time, but as with many recent attempts to boot it kernel panics or something occurs when booting from USB drive. (photo of output attached)

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

The Xorg Edgers PPA fixed the Steam dialogue box corruption and no corruption showed on the Kerbal Space Program, but as you can see from the latest screenshot there are horizontal lines on all three screens.

I found that they appear when you hold a window such as the file explorer and while grabbed drag it left to right and these lines appear. Though if you left click the desktop outside the window the corrupted lines disappear. They reappear upon window movement actions such as dragging.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Jonathan Brier, thank you for performing the requested test. As a potential WORKAROUND, would fglrx address the issues via https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI#Installation_via_the_Ubuntu_repositories ?

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

The corruption persists even with 3.13.0-031300-generic kernel and xorg-edgers ppa. fglrx is not acceptable to use as a workaround since fglrx has been unreliable for system and display stability. The open source drivers should be the focus of development especially due to the ability debug more transparently.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Jonathan Brier, thank you for testing fglrx. Did this problem not occur in a release prior to 13.10?

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

No if my memory serves me correctly, in the beginning of using 13.10 there was no corruption with the mesa drivers. It was not until updates after its release did these corruptions begin to appear on this machine.

The issues with fglrx have been intermittent. I believe at the initial launch of 13.10 fglrx did not function at all nor would it install or it installed, but was unusable due to system/graphic crashes. In 13.04 fglrx was mostly working stable until things from 13.10 were being included.

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

Corruption is still occurring with xorg edgers and oibaf. I cannot test on 14.04 dev version as there is a kernel panic as highlighted in bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1266900

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

With a successful daily 14.04 image boot and testing the latest development image no corruption appears in the March 27, 2014 ubuntu trusty daily image booted off of a live usb. While corruption continues to occur in 13.10.

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

Looks like I spoke too soon about the 14.04 not having corruption issues. I conducted an upgrade to 14.04 today on this machine and the corruption is present when running the Ubuntu 14.04 kernel 3.13.0-20.

I installed the latest build from the mainline 3.14.0-031400rc8-generic the corruption is not present.

Now that I can actually boot for 14.04 what would be useful to collect to diagnose this further?

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

Correction the 3.14.0-031400rc8-generic latest build is starting to show the signs of corruption after prolonged use. I was running System Testing default test cases when I noticed the corruption starting to form in the same way as 13.10 shows.

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

After applying latest updates no corruption appearing again on 14.04. Will have to monitor as the dev revisions continue.

[Jonathan Brier (brierjon)]

the corruption returned with the latest update. Packages that changed are attached.