Bug#247756: xlibmesa-dri: MGA G550: heavy DRI use causes console (possibly system) lockup
Package: xlibmesa-dri
Version: 4.3.0-7
Severity: important
System info: kernel 2.4.23, XF86 v4.3.0-7, MGA G550 video card,
using the driver that came with X, *not* using the proprietary
mga_hal driver from Matrox.
I am getting lockups when running OpenGL programs. They're not
exactly reproducible, in the sense that I cannot guarantee the
lockup will occur if I do any particular sequence of steps.
However, I have noticed that it only happens when a large amount
of 3D info is being updated -- for example, if I'm flying near
the ground of a city in FlightGear. When it occurs, the mouse
still moves the mouse cursor around; but screen updates (like a
second counter on a clock, or the OpenGL app itself) cease, no
keys have any effect (including attempts to switch virtual consoles),
and sound ends. I don't have another machine handy, so I don't
know whether I could still ssh in; and I don't know whether doing
so and killing X would have any effect. I suspect I wouldn't be
able to ssh in, and that the lockup is complete, because it appears
that regular notes to the system logs stop being written (looking
at the logs after reboot). I'm not sure of that, though; and
am reluctant to reproduce it and check unless you need me to
because I want to avoid forcing crashes if possible.
At any rate, my only option is the reset button. Inspecting the
XFree86.0.log.old file, I find hundreds of messages like this:
(EE) MGA(0): [dri] Idle timed out, resetting engine...
(EE) MGA(0): [dri] Idle timed out, resetting engine...
(EE) MGA(0): [dri] Idle timed out, resetting engine...
(EE) MGA(0): [dri] Idle timed out, resetting engine...
. . . up until the end of the file.
I was experiencing a very similar problem under X 4.2 (exactly
the same symptoms, but no such messages above in the log), but
waited until now to file the bug out of advice that the Matrox
drivers/dri support for X 4.2 were dated and that things might
improve under 4.3.
This looks like the same bug as:
http://pdx.freedesktop.org/cgi-bin/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=473
except I don't get it immediately at the start. The program
needs to be doing a lot of rendering for it to occur. And
unlike that poster, I dunno whether I can ssh in.
Thanks,
-c
-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
APT prefers testing
APT policy: (990, 'testing'), (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.4.23.040214a
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C
Versions of packages xlibmesa-dri depends on:
ii xlibmesa-gl 4.3.0-7 Mesa 3D graphics library [XFree86]
-- no debconf information
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