Bug#363559: xserver-xorg-video-ati: system freezes on Thinkpad T42

[Lex Spoon <lex@debian.org>]

Package: xserver-xorg-video-ati
Version: 1:6.5.7.3-3
Severity: important


The current version of the "ati" driver causes my Thinkpad T42 to freeze
a few minutes after X is started.  Changing to the "vesa" driver causes
the freezes to stop.  Commenting out all loaded modules from the "Module"
section of xorg.conf causes the freeze to take longer to happen, but
it does not prevent it.  Likewise, turning off hardware acceleration
with the "NoAccel" option does not prevent the freezes (though I do not
recall whether NoAccel made the freeze take longer to happen).

The chipset is:

(--) RADEON(0): Chipset: "ATI FireGL Mobility T2 (M10) NT (AGP)" (ChipID
= 0x4e54)

For now I have used snapshot.debian.net to downgrade to 6.8.2.dfsg.1-6
and all is well again.  I have been having this problem for much or all of
2006.  I believe 6.9.x already had the problem, and no update through
1:6.5.7.3-3 has fixed it.

The following thread describes the same problem I am seeing, but
unfortunately with no resolution reached:

http://hardware.mcse.ms/archive42-2006-1-276052.html

Here is my xorg.conf:

# xorg.conf.dpkg-new (Xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf.dpkg-new manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf.dpkg-new" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following commands as root:
#
#   cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf.dpkg-new /etc/X11/xorg.conf.dpkg-new.custom
#   md5sum /etc/X11/xorg.conf.dpkg-new >/var/lib/xfree86/xorg.conf.dpkg-new.md5sum
#   dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
	FontPath	"unix/:7101"
	FontPath	"unix/:7100"
	# if the local font server has problems, we can fall back on these
	FontPath	"/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc"
	FontPath	"/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic"
	FontPath	"/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
	FontPath	"/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
	FontPath	"/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1"
	FontPath	"/usr/lib/X11/fonts/CID"
	FontPath	"/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi"
	FontPath	"/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi"
EndSection

Section "Module"
	Load	"bitmap"
	Load	"dbe"
	Load	"ddc"
	Load	"dri"
	Load	"extmod"
	Load	"freetype"
	Load	"glx"
	Load	"int10"
	Load	"record"
	Load	"type1"
	Load	"v4l"
	Load	"vbe"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
	Driver		"keyboard"
	Option		"CoreKeyboard"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xorg"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc105"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"dvorak"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/input/mice"
	Option		"Protocol"		"ExplorerPS/2"
	Option		"Emulate3Buttons"	"true"
	Option		"ZAxisMapping"		"4 5"
EndSection


Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Synaptics Touchpad"
	Driver		"synaptics"
	Option		"SendCoreEvents"	"true"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/psaux"
	Option		"Protocol"		"auto-dev"
	Option		"HorizScrollDelta"	"0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"ATI"
	Driver		"ati"
	BusID		"PCI:1:0:0"
	Option		"DynamicClocks"		"on"
	Option		"UseFBDev"		"false"
	Option 		"MonitorLayout" 	"LVDS, CRT"

#Option "NoAccel" "true"

	# reasonable guesses at limits....
    	Option      "CRT2HSync"    "15-92"
#	Option      "CRT2VRefresh" "50-85"
	# the Dell LCD I am using at EPFL can only handle 1600x1200 at 60 Hz
	Option      "CRT2VRefresh" "50-60"
	Option      "MergedFB"     "on"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Framebuffer"
	Driver		"fbdev"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"VESA"
	Driver		"vesa"
	Option		"ModeSetClearScreen" "off"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Generic Monitor"
	Option		"DPMS"
	DisplaySize	305 229
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Device		"ATI"
#	Device		"Framebuffer"
#	Device		"VESA"
	Monitor		"Generic Monitor"
	DefaultDepth	24
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		1
		Modes		"1600x1200" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		4
		Modes		"1600x1200" "1024x768"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		8
		Modes		"1600x1200" "1024x768"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		15
		Modes		"1600x1200" "1024x768"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		16
		Modes		"1600x1200" "1024x768"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		24
		Modes		"1600x1200" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		32
		Modes		"1600x1200" "1024x768"
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Default Layout"
	Screen		"Default Screen"
	InputDevice	"Generic Keyboard"
	InputDevice	"Configured Mouse"
#	InputDevice	"Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
	Mode	0666
EndSection

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.14
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)