Bug#649448: udev loading radeon drivers garbles screen output
Package: linux-image-3.0.0-1-amd64
Version: 3.0.0-3
This is to inform you of a possible problem. I've solved it to my own
satisfaction, so if I'm the only one, feel free to ignore this report.
Just installed a wheezy setup using debootstrap, adding grub-pc and
linux-image-amd64 after the chroot was created. The kernel boots, the
initrd seems all right. When the main system boots up, udev gets launced
pretty early. Soon after it is started, the screen turns into a pretty
random-looking pattern of pixels, making the console pretty unusable.
This also happens in "recovery" i.e. single-user mode.
Passing "init=/bin/bash" on the kernel command line, I could get a
working text console. Manually executing the udev init script from there
has the same effect.
Possible workarounds seem to include:
- removing the kernel/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/radeon.ko kernel module
from the kernel module tree
- Adding a line "blacklist radeon" to /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf,
followed by running "depmod -a". Seems I forgot that on my first
attempt, causing me hours of unnecessary work.
Adding "video=vga16fb" to the kernel command line didn't help.
It seems that the radeon.ko module itself is to blame, neither one of
its dependencies nor some other module depending on it. After moving the
file back in place, a "modprobe -v radeon" prints the following commands
(over ssh):
> insmod /lib/modules/3.0.0-1-amd64/kernel/drivers/power/power_supply.ko
> insmod /lib/modules/3.0.0-1-amd64/kernel/drivers/i2c/algos/i2c-algo-bit.ko
> insmod /lib/modules/3.0.0-1-amd64/kernel/drivers/gpu/drm/drm.ko
> insmod /lib/modules/3.0.0-1-amd64/kernel/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_kms_helper.ko
> insmod /lib/modules/3.0.0-1-amd64/kernel/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm.ko
> insmod /lib/modules/3.0.0-1-amd64/kernel/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/radeon.ko
Running those commands manually gives me this (over netconsole):
> [ 150.125768] r600_cp: Failed to load firmware "radeon/SUMO2_pfp.bin"
> [ 150.125818] [drm:evergreen_startup] *ERROR* Failed to load firmware!
> [ 150.125859] radeon 0000:00:01.0: disabling GPU acceleration
The middle line doesn't seem to occur every time.
Not having GPU accelleration due to lack of free firmware is acceptable.
Not having a usable text console can be a real problem. Particularly as
that makes fixing the problem a real challenge.
The controller in question is located on my motherboard, an ASrock A75
Extreme6. "lspci -vvv" describes it like this:
> 00:01.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Device 9644 (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
> Subsystem: ASRock Incorporation Device 9640
> Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
> Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
> Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
> Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 11
> Region 0: Memory at fc000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=32M]
> Region 1: I/O ports at f000 [size=256]
> Region 2: Memory at feb00000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256K]
> Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
> Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 3
> Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
> Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
> Capabilities: [58] Express (v2) Root Complex Integrated Endpoint, MSI 00
> DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <4us, L1 unlimited
> ExtTag+ RBE+ FLReset-
> DevCtl: Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
> RlxdOrd+ ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop+
> MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 128 bytes
> DevSta: CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr- TransPend-
> LnkCap: Port #0, Speed unknown, Width x0, ASPM unknown, Latency L0 <64ns, L1 <1us
> ClockPM- Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
> LnkCtl: ASPM Disabled; Disabled- Retrain- CommClk-
> ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
> LnkSta: Speed unknown, Width x0, TrErr- Train- SlotClk- DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
> DevCap2: Completion Timeout: Not Supported, TimeoutDis-
> DevCtl2: Completion Timeout: 50us to 50ms, TimeoutDis-
> LnkCtl2: Target Link Speed: 2.5GT/s, EnterCompliance- SpeedDis-, Selectable De-emphasis: -6dB
> Transmit Margin: Normal Operating Range, EnterModifiedCompliance- ComplianceSOS-
> Compliance De-emphasis: -6dB
> LnkSta2: Current De-emphasis Level: -6dB
> Capabilities: [a0] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
> Address: 0000000000000000 Data: 0000
> Capabilities: [100 v1] Vendor Specific Information: ID=0001 Rev=1 Len=010 <?>
If there is any additional information I can provide, please let me know.
Greetings,
Martin von Gagern
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