Back home after work, testing the laptop, and the crash/freeze occurred twice. Same flashing caps lock symptom. Once about 20 minutes after boot, and the next time about 20 seconds after X started. When I get the chance I’ll try the same <CTRL><ALT><F10> as before, to see if I can capture the error messages.
On 06/08/2010 12:46 AM, oldcpu wrote:
>
> Thanks. It now appears to be working after following that advice.
>
> This is a new and educational experience for me.
>
> Details: I note many users have packaged compat-wireless on the
> OBS. So I briefly added this repository:
> Code:
> --------------------
> http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/driver:/wireless/openSUSE_11.2/
> --------------------
> and installed
> - compat-wireless-kmp-desktop version 2.6.34_2.6.31.05_0.1-2.1 (that
> was a new version numbering for me ! but I like it, … suggests it
> works with kernels from 2.6.31.05 to 2.6.34).
> - compat-wireless-scripts version 2.6.34-2.1
> and I then removed the “wireless” repository (as is my practise to
> minimize my repos).
>
> I note the description stated “compat-wireless” contains kernel modules
> for several WLAN adapters from linux wireless.org kernel based on the
> new mac80211-stack (mention of that stack is new to me - but was likely
> in the 11.3 milestone 2.6.34 and I was not aware of it as 11.3 milestone
> wireless in 2.6.34 “just worked” 
).
>
> I note compat-wireless-scripts contains the load/unload scripts for
> compat-wireless.
>
> I also saw a reference to ’ the linux wireless.org download ’
> (http://www.linuxwireless.org/en/users/Download/stable) stating the rpms
> were built on the applications from that site. That site in turn noted:
>> This page is dedicated to the stable kernel compat-wireless releases.
>> This started with the announcement of work for 2.6.30-rc series and will
>> continue for all stable kernels releases. These stable releases are
>> intended for users looking for more stability than what bleeding edge
>> daily compat-wireless releases provide. … all “old information” for you no doubt, but it was educational for
> me.
Compat-wireless packages the current drivers in wireless-testing in a
form that can be compiles on older kernels. As the developers are now
working on stuff that might not be in stable until 2.6.37, that code
might be a great improvement. The repo above builds them for the kernels
in use by openSUSE.
A bit of a history lesson: The earliest of the 802.11 wireless devices
had their Media Access Control (MAC) layer built into the hardware, and
were so-called hardmac devices. That is expensive and inflexible;
therefore, the operations that are not time-critical were put into a
software MAC layer. The original implementation for a number of devices
was called SoftMac and was used by a number of drivers. That software
was so badly flawed that it not fixable. At that time, a softmac package
named d80211 developed by a company was released to the public domain,
renamed mac80211 and it became the softmac of choice beginning with
kernel 2.6.24. The package also includes nl80211 and cfg80211. Along
with the user-space utility iw, these pieces are replacing the wireless
extensions.
> No worries, … I was late in taking and posting pix due to a mix of
> social commitments and household chores (and my wife and I booked our
> flights to Asia in September which always take time, as we debate what
> flights to take, what seat assignments to get (based on information on
> the aircraft type … etc … )). We don’t have children (and hence no
> grandchildren) but we do have nephews and nieces and hence that reads to
> be a more rewarding activity than leaning over a keyboard. Hope all is
> well with the grandchildren.
They are fine. Their mom works days, and their dad usually works
evenings, but he had a 10 AM meeting today. Rather than bringing them to
us at 8 AM, they stayed overnight.
This is the <alt><ctrl><f10> from a crash a couple of minutes after X started running. There are 4 images in sequence. I tried a different video setting on my camera (shorter exposure time) but it made things a bit darker as a result.
http://thumbnails25.imagebam.com/8381/88359283802450.gif](ImageBam) http://thumbnails32.imagebam.com/8381/29d20483802453.gif](ImageBam) http://thumbnails28.imagebam.com/8381/e2f87e83802459.gif](ImageBam) http://thumbnails25.imagebam.com/8381/f7bbc883802466.gif](ImageBam)
Images of Freeze when using wireless
… again flashing caps lock key at same time as freeze. The compat-wireless-kmp-desktop and compat-wireless script rpms noted above are installed.
Links for NNTP users:
- image-1: ImageBam - First image
- image-2: ImageBam - Second image
- image-3: ImageBam - Third image
- image-4: ImageBam - Fourth image
I can not tell the functional difference between this and the previous … it could be the same or a different crash cause.
… assuming the “worst case”, which may be the best course of action is to ‘wait until 11.3 is available’ (knowing that the 11.3 M7 wireless does NOT have this problem, as I tested it overnight) I’m pondering my next course of action. I use the laptop for major meetings, and my next one is 15/16-July and then the week after on 22-July, both of which are poorly timed for me to install 11.3 GM. I am pondering if I may be best to just disable the 11.2 wireless (as I don’t use it often) between now and August time frame, although there is some Internet software I would like to demo (under virtual box/openSUSE) on 15/16-July business meeting, for which I must have wireless.
I suppose I could install 11.3 RC1 and use the radeon graphic driver (fglrx will likely be late for 10.3), but I need virtual box and other applications running (and I need to check those out). I’m reluctant to take the risk on RC1 for a business meeting, although I might.
I suppose another alternative is to roll the 11.2 kernel back, and see if that makes a difference (with the speculation that the recent 2.6.31.12-0.2 kernel install in March is a possible cause).
I had a bit more pressure placed on my schedule yesterday, as my boss advised me I likely have to go on a 6/7-July business trip, where I need my wireless functioning for that business trip.
Hence I may install an older kernel for a test this weekend (in a dual boot) and test the wireless with an older 11.2 kernel. First I need to change my graphic driver from fglrx to radeon, in order to support multiple kernels.
I went ahead and did this.
First I removed the fglrx driver by removing both the fglrx rpm and also I removed the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file (associated with the fglrx). I then rebooted the PC, and run for about 20 min. I noted with no /etc/X11/xorg.conf, that the “radeonhd” driver was loaded. Eventually the PC froze using the wireless, with the same symptoms as before. This suggests to me that the fglrx driver (which was updated at the same time as the kernel update) was not the cause.
Then I downloaded the originally packaged opensuse kernel, and I installed that old kernel with the command:
rpm -ivh --force kernel-desktop-2.6.31.5-0.1.1.x86_64.rpm
I NEVER recommend using the “–force” command, but I think it was necessary in this case. I ran “rpm -ivh” so as to keep the old kernel installed. Now I have a choice of kernels upon boot.
I’m typing this from old kernel, using wireless. 20 minutes, no freeze so far. I’'ll keep this running for a few hours or more.
Its now 1 hour and no crash, with wireless working on the Intel PRO/Wireless 5300 AGN with the 2.6.31.5 kernel. I’m going to let this run for many hours, but I am becoming more confident that the previous freeze I encountered (when using wireless) was a kernel problem.
I now suspect one of the recent kernel updates broke the wireless stability. Either one of the 2.6.31.12 updates (there were 2) or one before. I do not have those old rpms (64-bit kernel-desktop) so I can not test to see which one caused the problem.
But I now have a work around for my business meeting in early July. When I know that I need to use wireless, I can boot to the 2.6.31.5 kernel, and when I wish to use wired I can boot to the 2.6.31.12 kernel. To be on the cautious side, I need to take my Dell Studio 1537 laptop into the office, and confirm “xrandr” (for driving an external projector) works with openSUSE-11.2 with the radeonhd graphic driver (I believe it does, but I need to confirm that BEFORE my business meeting).
Its now 4.5 hours later, and wireless is still running fine with the 2.6.31.5 kernel.
I know from testing that 11.3 milestone7 works fine.
I’m now asking myself, should I raise a bug report on 11.2 kernel-desktop-2.6.31.12-0.2 ? … Since wireless on the 5300AGN works in 11.3 M7 (and I plan to update to 11.3 GM), and since wireless works on the 5300AGN in 11.2’s kernel-desktop-2.6.31.5, the only reason I can think of for raising a bug report is to
(1) ensure what ever was put in 11.2 kernel-desktop-2.6.31.12 ( ? ) is not mistakenly applied to the 11.3 RC1 kernel-desktop-2.6.34, and that strikes me as a somewhat slim likelihood
(2) provide support for a fix for a possible updated kernel release for 11.2, where 11.2 will be supported for about 1 more year.
I would still file the bug report, and let the devs decide whether, when and how to fix it.
I agree.
I wrote a bug report here: Access Denied