no sound after 11.3 fresh install

I have a fresh install of openSUSE 11.3 (gnome) on my Dell Opxiplex380–but no sound… The hardware works because I can swap a Windows SATA HD into the CPU and test it.
My alsa-info file is here: http://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1hAMCcLng-D90PLmapJPM1zFWWmx4jimRKcIsrrAGNqg&hl=en

rpm -qa '*alsa*'
alsa-1.0.23-2.12.i586
alsa-firmware-1.0.23-1.2.noarch
alsa-oss-1.0.17-29.2.i586
alsa-utils-1.0.23-1.8.i586
alsa-plugins-1.0.23-1.9.i586
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.23-1.9.i586

rpm -qa '*pulse*'
libpulse0-0.9.21-9.2.i586
pulseaudio-esound-compat-0.9.21-9.2.i586
libpulse-browse0-0.9.21-9.2.i586
pulseaudio-module-lirc-0.9.21-9.2.i586
libpulse-mainloop-glib0-0.9.21-9.2.i586
pulseaudio-module-gconf-0.9.21-9.2.i586
pulseaudio-0.9.21-9.2.i586
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.23-1.9.i586
pulseaudio-utils-0.9.21-9.2.i586
pulseaudio-module-bluetooth-0.9.21-9.2.i586
pulseaudio-module-zeroconf-0.9.21-9.2.i586
pulseaudio-module-x11-0.9.21-9.2.i586

cat /etc/modprobe.d/50-sound.conf

options snd slots=snd-hda-intel
# u1Nb.5JnQy4kmGO9:82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel

any suggestions, everything seems up-to-date as far as I can tell

Thats the wrong file.

Please, when you run:

/usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh 

do you not get something like this:
http://thumbnails33.imagebam.com/9280/a5973e92794041.jpg](ImageBam)

followed by this (select the SHARE/UPLOAD option):
http://thumbnails30.imagebam.com/9280/5e84f992794044.jpg](ImageBam)

followed by this (its quickest if you simply select ‘NO’ to seeing the output - you will see it on the web page) :
http://thumbnails32.imagebam.com/9280/214da092794048.jpg](ImageBam)

followed by this (where in RED is the URL).
http://thumbnails23.imagebam.com/9280/d9858092794051.jpg](ImageBam)

Just post the URL you get (similar to the RED URL in my example, but yours will be different).

If you can not get that, then run this with the no upload option:

/usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh --no-upload

which will create the file /tmp/alsa-info.txt. Copy that file and paste it on Pastebin.com and press submit. That will give you a URL address. Please post that URL here.

Sorry, updated doc above, and have link here: Alsa info - Pastebin.com

hmmm… did you edit that AFTER posting the first time? Its better this time … one sec and I’ll look at it.

OK, thankyou. I see nothing obvious there.

What is your criteria for stating sound does not work? Try each of the following in a terminal, first as a regular user and then with root permissions:

  • first:
 speaker-test -Dplug:front -c2 -l5 -twav
  • second, try again:
speaker-test -c2 -l5 -twav
  • third:
speaker-test -c2 -D hw:0,0 -t wav -l3
  • fourth, this next command has a volume meter at the bottom of its output with a changing number of #'s and %'s to show volume levels so run this command and tell me if the number of #'s and %'s are changing:
aplay -vv /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_*
  • fifth: and also:
aplay -vv /usr/share/sounds/alsa/test.wav

Do any of those give an indication of sound ?

… also if you hear no sound from speakers with those tests, try them again with a headset plugged in.

Researching this a bit, it appears your make PC (Dell Opxiplex380) has a problem with the 2.6.34 kernel and sound. I note this thread (starting at post#20) has some rather complex solutions: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/alsa-driver/+bug/582199

My recommendation is not to follow that thread, but instead to write a bug report on openSUSE component “sound” on openSUSE-11.3.

Attach (don’t copy and paste, but attach) to the bug report the text file from running:

/usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh --no-upload

and that will create the file /tmp/alsa-info.txt which can be added as an attachment. That has bunch of technical info that may show the alsa dev what is wrong with the alsa driver, IF you also describe the audio symptoms.

Note the SuSE-GmbH packager for sound is also an alsa developer, and if he fixes this, the fix gets sent upstream and ALL Linux distributions will benefit from your efforts with him.

There is guidance here for raising bug reports: Submitting Bug Reports - openSUSE … The alsa developer/openSUSE packager, may ask that you try a few different alsa versions, and hence if your schedule is too busy for such support (and I definitely know what that can be like) then its probably best NOT to write such a bug report.

Don’t reference this thread, as the SuSE-GmbH packager refuses to read forum threads. Its important the bug report has all the salient information. You could however, point to him the Ubuntu bug report thread: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/alsa-driver/+bug/582199

Good luck !!

a fix!
I found this link: No sound in openSuSE 11.2 (Optiplex 380)
and from there modified my /etc/modprobe.d/50-sound.conf file
[ALT+ F2 “gnomesu gedit /etc/modprobe.d/50-sound.conf”]

options snd-hda-intel model=lifebook

then restarted the driver with

su -c 'rcalsasound restart'

It’s great to hear sound!
HOWEVER, it is just from the headphone jack in the front right now, not the rear panel…

Interesting, the setting ‘lifebook’ is typically associated with an ALC269, and your PC has an ALC259. I note these are the possible settings for an ALC269 (from the HD-Audio-Models.txt file documentation):

ALC269
======
  basic		Basic preset
  quanta	Quanta FL1
  eeepc-p703	ASUS Eeepc P703 P900A
  eeepc-p901	ASUS Eeepc P901 S101
  fujitsu	FSC Amilo
  lifebook	Fujitsu Lifebook S6420
  auto		auto-config reading BIOS (default)

I suppose you could try each of those other settings, one at a time, in your 50-sound.conf (reboot after each and then test) to see if any make the audio control characteristics any better.

I recommend you still write a bug report against openSUSE-11.3 component “sound”. This should be setup properly automatically and clearly it is not. Include in the bug report all that you have learned so as to help the SuSE-GmbH sound packager (who is also an alsa sound driver developer). He may come up with a better fix for you fairly quickly. Don’t forget to include an up to date version of the alsa-info.txt file as an attachment after running:

/usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh --no-upload

Again, guidance for writing bug reports here: openSUSE:Submitting bug reports - openSUSE
… ensure you watch the bug report for the reply(s) and also after providing information, ensure you remove the “need info” flag on the bug report.

Good luck.

Only lifebook works as model, and only thru front jack.

Issued Bug 631185

Looks like you have a reply to your bug report from the openSUSE Packager. They would like you to do a few things:

(1) + (2) provide the /tmp/alsa-info.txt file as an attachment, not as a URL (from running: /usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh --no-upload ) . They want the file without the ‘model=lifebook’ option, and then add the ‘model=lifebook’ option and reboot, and obtain the alsa-info.txt file again. In both cases post as an attachment.

(3) try updating alsa-driver-kmp on OBS multimedia:audio:KMP repo … there is guidance here: SDB:Alsa-update - openSUSE If you need help on that update, then post here. I suspect after a successful update and test, whether your sound works better or not, the SuSE-GmbH packager would still like another (3rd) alsa-info.txt file.

Don’t forget to clear the ‘need info’ flag after you provide the requested information.

I installed alsa-driver-kmp through adding the repository:
Index of /repositories/multimedia:/audio:/KMP/openSUSE_11.3
This gives me sound through the rear jack!
My headphone jack works also, but does not function to “replace” the sound from the rear jack when plugged in. Either way, my sound is working.
Thank you.

Glad to read that.

If you keep working with the SuSE-GmbH packager for Sound, he probably can fix that also. It will likely require more support on your part, but the end result will be: (1) your sound should function better on all jacks with headset / speaker combination working properly (2) all other Linux distributions benefiting as the openSUSE packagers is VERY good at fixing sound problems.

Note, you do not need to copy the contents of the alsa-info.txt file in bugzilla, … for at the bottom of the bugzilla page there is a somewhat obscure way of attaching the FILE directly to a post on the bugzilla page. So instead, ATTACH the file. Don’t copy and paste its contents.

Good luck, and glad to read we are making progress. Anything you do to help improve this further will help all other Linux users.