[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: CMOS settings getting lost when user who is group "nvram" logs into KDE



On Thursday 10 February 2005 06:56, Martin Steigerwald wrote:
> Hello,
>
> For a customer I installed a Linux Scan Workstation with
> Debian Sarge. It is some Wortmann Terra Server with SiS 661
> chipset with a motherboard that seems to be from ASUS (lspci
> output at the end of the mail).
>
> It all worked pretty well despite one problem:
>
> When the user logs into KDE 3.3.2 using KDM, and then logs
> out again with rebooting the machine, on the next start the
> BIOS of the machine (an American Megatrends one) complains
> that it cannot read the CMOS settings anymore.
>
> This doesn't happen when the user just boots into KDM and
> then uses KDM's menu to reboot the machine, i.e. when he
> doesn't log into KDE.
>
> This also doesn't happen when the user use the "safe"
> session (dunno the exact english name in KDM) which only
> gives an xterm.
>
> And it also doesn't happen when the user is not a member of
> the group "nvram" although even when he is, a "lsmod | grep
> nvram" after KDE was started gives no result.
>
> But it does also happen, when the user does not log out
> normally but just switches off the machine and switches it
> on again then.
>
> Currently I removed the user from the group "nvram" as a
> work-around, without knowing the exact cause of the problem.
>
> I am almost ready to file this under esoteric problems with
> non properly supported hardware, but I still would like to
> know what the heck is happening here. Who at all is
> accessing nvram during start of KDE? I de-installed
> "klaptopdaemon" which didn't make a difference.
>
> Any hints where to search? I am about to file this as a bug
> report, but before I would like to get some feedback on it.
> Maybe someone has an idea.
>
> I am using a standard Debian kernel 2.6.10-1-686 on that
> machine.

[Snip]

I noticed a new (I believe it was experimental) kernel option 
that enabled the use of the "supposedly" unused portion of the 
CMOS ram.  I "think" that came out with the 2.6.10 kernel, but 
I am unsure as to exactly which releases have it.

It sounds like that option is enabled in the kernel you are 
using, and somehow KDE is corrupting the CMOS ram data. I 
don't understand why that option would be enabled in any 
standard kernel.  

Removing the user (all users, perhaps) from nvram (non-volatile 
ram) seems like the proper solution. I wouldn't call it a 
work-around at all. Unless I completely misunderstand what's 
going on, I don't think that kernel option should be enabled 
in the first place, and if it is, most, if not all users, 
should not be members of the nvram group.

N.P.




Reply to: