kernel-packages team mailing list archive

[sudodus <nio.wiklund@xxxxxxxxx>]

Help for Lubuntu testers:


1. Test with the daily build as it is but with zRAM turned off

If you want to test how the installation and installed system works,
turn off zRAM with the following commands (as shown briefly above in
post #8). Do it *before* you start the installation, or at the beginning
of the installed session. If you select 'Install Lubuntu' you can right-
click on the background and select a terminal emulator (LXterminal).

Will it solve the problems in your computer, or will it still freeze?

Open LXTerminal

sudo swapoff /dev/zram0
sudo swapoff /dev/zram1
...
until all zram devices are switched off. Check with

sudo swapon -s

and finally run

sudo rmmod zram


1a. Test to install with low RAM - AMD64 (64-bit kernel)

This time testing the newest daily build (Sep 17 2013) of

saucy-desktop-amd64.iso

in my Toshiba (a direct install, no virtualisation)

http://www.toshiba.se/laptops/satellite-pro/c850/satellite-pro-c850-19w/

using mem=xxxM to limit the RAM usage

RAM = 512 MB, 768 MB and 1024 MB

i. Finished gracefully, but froze after I clicked reboot. Working system
installed (available after 'force reboot' looooong press of power
button, SysRq REISUB not responding).

ii. Tried again and it froze very early, before copying files.

iii. Powered off for a long time. Removed the USB pendrive. Tried again
and had the same result as the first time: Finished gracefully. I could
peek behind the curtain with ctrl+alt+F1: I could see that a lot of data
were swapped (more than 250 MB), which might not be available in a
virtual system with a small virtual disk.

But it froze after I clicked reboot ... as the first time

Something in the system remembers old data. It seems that all variables
are not initiated, which is a horrible bug. I've had such problems long
ago, when I was developing and debugging programs. It is hard to tell if
it is some firmware, the BIOS or Lubuntu that is guilty.

Tried only once with 768 MB RAM and 1024 MB: Finished gracefully, but
froze after I clicked reboot.

RAM 1280 MB

Finished gracefully, and no freeze. "Please remove ... and press Enter"
not visible because graphics mode, bug 966480. And it did reboot after
pressing Enter. Working system installed.
--
Comment 1: Install was selected directly at the syslinux screen (not via
live desktop). I did not use the mouse only keyboard keys, and used the
very simplest install 'use the whole disk'.

Comment 2: at RAM = 1280 MB KVM behaved like the real computer except
that plymouth run in graphical mode in the real computer, but in text
mode in KVM.


1b. Test to install with low RAM - i386 (32-bit kernel)

Finally, I tested the newest daily build (Sep 17 2013) of the 32-bit
Lubuntu saucy-desktop-i386.iso

in the same machine and with the same conditions.

RAM = 384, 512 MB, 768 MB

Finished gracefully, but froze after I clicked reboot. Working system
installed.

RAM = 1024 MB

No freeze, but waiting for Enter, and then finishing and rebooting
properly.

This is only slightly better than the 64-bit version, and it is much
worse that during early Saucy alpha (or pre-alpha) stages, when the
32-bit desktop installer for Lubuntu might work with 384 MB RAM, and
definitely worked with 512 MB RAM.

*Try this with the current daily build and  zRAM switched off to test if
the following assumption is true or false*

"The freezing is caused by bad cooperation between the kernel and zRAM"

-o-

2. Test of a bug-fix that improves the cooperation between the kernel
and zRAM (only for the AMD64 version)

Will it solve the problems in your computer, or will it still freeze?

In order to 'keep all the ducks in a row' I include the details of how
to install the test kernel below.

Open LXTerminal

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~jsalisbury/lp1227202/linux-image-3.11.0-7-generic_3.11.0-7.14~lp1227202v1_amd64.deb
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~jsalisbury/lp1227202/linux-image-extra-3.11.0-7-generic_3.11.0-7.14~lp1227202v1_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i linux-image-3.11.0-7-generic_3.11.0-7.14~lp1227202v1_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i linux-image-extra-3.11.0-7-generic_3.11.0-7.14~lp1227202v1_amd64.deb
reboot

Please note that there is currently only an AMD64 version of this
kernel.


2a. Test installing programs with the bug-fix and low RAM.

I have tested the kernel

'Linux lubuntu 3.11.0-7-generic #14~lp1227202v1 SMP'

for several days now. I tested it as an installed system running in my
Toshiba giving it only 384 MB RAM.

Add the boot option mem=386M at the end of the line in the grub menu
with boot options (for example quiet splash).

I alternated between this kernel and the default one. I made it swap,
for example running some youtube video. Then if I installed something
with apt-get, I often had freezes with the default kernel but never with
the #14~lp1227202v1 kernel.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Kernel
Packages, which is subscribed to linux in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1227202

Title:
  Unexpected freezes Saucy

Status in “linux” package in Ubuntu:
  In Progress

Bug description:
  When using desktop-installer with lubuntu there is a freeze at the
  very end (bug 1225429) which also affects desktop-i386 and desktop-
  amd64. There are also unexplained freezes on the system when using it.
  Further tracking down has found
  http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2162655&page=3 and earlier
  today this arrived..

  As for freezing we discovered that since kernel 3.10.6 zram is broken
  which causes freezes and was fixed only completely in 3.12rc1. We
  backported that fixes in Neptune's Kernel I am not sure if the ubuntu
  kernel devs did the same.

  *Von: *Nio Wiklund
  *Gesendet: *Mittwoch, 18. September 2013 15:39

  The links we have also found are  https://lkml.org/lkml/2013/8/12/29
  and  https://lkml.org/lkml/2013/8/19/17

  Disabling zram prevents the freeze in desktop-i386

  My machine specification is http://phillw.net/hardware/aDU4RVzY
  although using the lower RAM (512Mb) has been achieved by KVM
  http://phillw.net/hardware/LuFdGuxP increasing the available RAM to
  1GB does not show this error. It has also now been tested on 'real'
  hardware with 512Mb of RAM and is also showing the freeze (as well as
  with VBox).

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.10
  Package: linux-image-3.11.0-7-generic 3.11.0-7.14
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.11.0-7.13-generic 3.11.0
  Uname: Linux 3.11.0-7-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.12.1-0ubuntu4
  Architecture: amd64
  AudioDevicesInUse:
   USER        PID ACCESS COMMAND
   /dev/snd/controlC0:  phillw     2019 F.... lxpanel
  CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'iw'
  Date: Wed Sep 18 16:13:01 2013
  HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=d98ac0ad-5c96-4382-8195-23b44e056358
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-06-29 (81 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Lubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Alpha amd64 (20130628)
  MachineType: Packard Bell EasyNote LJ71
  MarkForUpload: True
  ProcFB: 0 radeondrmfb
  ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.11.0-7-generic root=UUID=69c7aa0f-ccd0-4ac4-8930-e6f0efda9e6b ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
  RelatedPackageVersions:
   linux-restricted-modules-3.11.0-7-generic N/A
   linux-backports-modules-3.11.0-7-generic  N/A
   linux-firmware                            1.114
  SourcePackage: linux
  StagingDrivers: zram
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
  dmi.bios.date: 09/22/2009
  dmi.bios.vendor: Packard Bell
  dmi.bios.version: V1.03
  dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
  dmi.board.name: EasyNote LJ71
  dmi.board.vendor: Packard Bell
  dmi.board.version: V1.03
  dmi.chassis.type: 10
  dmi.chassis.vendor: Packard Bell
  dmi.chassis.version: V1.03
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPackardBell:bvrV1.03:bd09/22/2009:svnPackardBell:pnEasyNoteLJ71:pvrV1.03:rvnPackardBell:rnEasyNoteLJ71:rvrV1.03:cvnPackardBell:ct10:cvrV1.03:
  dmi.product.name: EasyNote LJ71
  dmi.product.version: V1.03
  dmi.sys.vendor: Packard Bell

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