Sound problem: SuSE 11.1 on ASUS M2N78 PRO motherboard

English Hardware
1

It just doesn’t work. Sometimes, I can hear some faint scratchy sounds, but mostly no sound at all. /var/log/messages may have some hints, but I haven’t read the source to understand them:

Jan 4 06:38:22 beethoven pulseaudio[4953]: alsa-util.c: Error opening PCM device hw:0: Device or resource busy
Jan 4 06:38:22 beethoven pulseaudio[4953]: module.c: Failed to load module “module-alsa-sink” (argument: “device_id=0 sink_name=alsa_output.pci_10de_774_sound
_card_0_alsa_playback_0 tsched=1”): initialization failed.
Jan 4 06:38:57 beethoven kernel: hda_codec: Unknown model for ALC883, trying auto-probe from BIOS…
Jan 4 06:38:57 beethoven kernel: ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3047: autoconfig: line_outs=4 (0x14/0x15/0x16/0x17/0x0)
Jan 4 06:38:57 beethoven kernel: ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3051: speaker_outs=0 (0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
Jan 4 06:38:57 beethoven kernel: ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3055: hp_outs=1 (0x1b/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
Jan 4 06:38:57 beethoven kernel: ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3056: mono: mono_out=0x0
Jan 4 06:38:57 beethoven kernel: ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3064: inputs: mic=0x18, fmic=0x19, line=0x1a, fline=0x0, cd=0x0, aux=0x0

running alsaconf and alsamixer seem to go okay, but speaker-test produces no sound, but prints this:

speaker-test

speaker-test 1.0.18

Playback device is default
Stream parameters are 48000Hz, S16_LE, 1 channels
Using 16 octaves of pink noise
Rate set to 48000Hz (requested 48000Hz)
Buffer size range from 2048 to 8192
Period size range from 1024 to 1024
Using max buffer size 8192
Periods = 4
was set period_size = 1024
was set buffer_size = 8192
0 - Front Left
Time per period = 2.836261
0 - Front Left
Time per period = 2.986717
0 - Front Left
[etc.]]]

Help, please? Thank you.

2

I think that is very indicative. When alsa ran, it appears the auto probe for your hardware audio codec had difficulty. It identified your hardware audio codec as an ALC883, but it could not determine what options to apply for that.

There is a way to manual assign the appropriate option, when the auto probe does not work. The list of possible options for an ALC883 is listed in the ALSA-Configuration.txt file for 1.0.18a of alsa as follows:

	ALC883/888
	  3stack-dig	3-jack with SPDIF I/O
	  6stack-dig	6-jack digital with SPDIF I/O
	  3stack-6ch    3-jack 6-channel
	  3stack-6ch-dig 3-jack 6-channel with SPDIF I/O
	  6stack-dig-demo  6-jack digital for Intel demo board
	  acer		Acer laptops (Travelmate 3012WTMi, Aspire 5600, etc)
	  acer-aspire	Acer Aspire 9810
	  medion	Medion Laptops
	  medion-md2	Medion MD2
	  targa-dig	Targa/MSI
	  targa-2ch-dig	Targs/MSI with 2-channel
	  laptop-eapd   3-jack with SPDIF I/O and EAPD (Clevo M540JE, M550JE)
	  lenovo-101e	Lenovo 101E
	  lenovo-nb0763	Lenovo NB0763
	  lenovo-ms7195-dig Lenovo MS7195
	  lenovo-sky	Lenovo Sky
	  haier-w66	Haier W66
	  3stack-hp	HP machines with 3stack (Lucknow, Samba boards)
	  6stack-dell	Dell machines with 6stack (Inspiron 530)
	  mitac		Mitac 8252D
	  clevo-m720	Clevo M720 laptop series
	  fujitsu-pi2515 Fujitsu AMILO Pi2515
	  3stack-6ch-intel Intel DG33* boards
	  auto		auto-config reading BIOS (default)

Those model options can be applied only one at a time, and there is a possibility that applying one of the model options from that list will solve your problem. I would need to see the content of your PC’s /etc/modprobe.d/sound file before I could recommend the exact change to make.

Also, there is always the possibility there is another reason for the audio problem you are experiencing, and hence it would be helpful if you could provide more information to improve the odds of an accurate assessment as to the problem you are experiencing (and solution(s) to try fix the problem). So can you provide more very detailed information so a good recommendation can be given? You can do that, with your PC connected to the internet, by opening a gnome-terminal or a kde konsole and typing:
/usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh
that will run a diagnostic script and post the output to a web site on the Internet. It will give you the URL of the web site. Please post that URL here. I need that output to understand better your PC’s configuration. If the script notes an update is available, either select NO (and do not update it, but run it anyway) or select YES, watch the update fail, and then re-run the script with root permissions (which will allow an update to the diagnostic script to be made). Don’t forget to post the output URL here provided by a successful running of the diagnostic script.

Also, please copy and paste the following commands one line at a time into a gnome-terminal or a konsole and post here the output: rpm -qa | grep alsa
rpm -qa | grep pulse
rpm -q libasound2
uname -a
cat /etc/modprobe.d/soundI also need that output. Hopefully with that I can make a good recommendation.

3

Hey, thank you “oldcpu”. Sorry, I just don’t have the
energy to mess with this that often.
Anyhow, some output for you (hope you’re still there…):

Your ALSA information is located at
http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=c5dd8a09d2d8bc41c0c07ad770da56ce8d0bc709
$> rpm -qa | egrep ‘alsa|pulse’
alsa-oss-32bit-1.0.17-1.37
pulseaudio-module-zeroconf-0.9.12-9.5
alsa-oss-1.0.17.git20080715-2.7
alsa-tools-1.0.18.git20081201-1.5
libpulse-browse0-0.9.12-9.5
alsa-utils-1.0.18.git20081122-1.7
libpulse0-0.9.12-9.5
pulseaudio-module-jack-0.9.12-9.5
alsa-driver-kmp-default-1.0.18.20090104_2.6.27.7_9.1-1.1
alsa-firmware-1.0.17.git20081202-2.3
pulseaudio-module-bluetooth-0.9.12-9.5
libxine1-pulse-1.1.15-20.8
alsa-1.0.18.git20081212-1.1
libpulse-mainloop-glib0-0.9.12-9.5
libpulsecore4-0.9.12-9.5
pulseaudio-0.9.12-9.5
pulseaudio-module-x11-0.9.12-9.5
alsa-devel-1.0.18.git20081212-1.1
pulseaudio-module-lirc-0.9.12-9.5
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18.git20081122-1.11
alsa-plugins-1.0.18.git20081122-1.11
pulseaudio-utils-0.9.12-9.5
pulseaudio-esound-compat-0.9.12-9.5
$> uname -a
Linux beethoven 2.6.27.7-9-default #1 SMP 2008-12-04 18:10:04 +0100 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
$> cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound

options snd slots=snd-hda-intel

M71A.GTi64jAMZRE:MCP78S [GeForce 8200] High Definition Audio

alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel

4

OK, start by looking at your mixer. I’ve copied and pasted the following lines from that diagnostic script, indicating some mixer settings you need to look at. Green is “good”. Red indicates you should check this. Red bold is DEFINITELY set wrong.
!!Amixer output
!!-------------

!!-------Mixer controls for card 0 [NVidia]

Card hw:0 ‘NVidia’/‘HDA NVidia at 0xfe020000 irq 20’
Mixer name : ‘Realtek ALC1200’
Simple mixer control ‘Master’,0
Mono: Playback 31 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘PCM’,0
Front Left: Playback 0 0%] -51.00dB]
Front Right: Playback 0 0%] -51.00dB]
Simple mixer control ‘Front’,0
Front Left: Playback 23 [74%] -12.00dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 23 [74%] -12.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘Surround’,0
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘Center’,0
Mono: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘LFE’,0
Mono: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘Side’,0
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘Line’,0
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘CD’,0
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘IEC958’,0
Mono: Playback [on] Capture [off]
Simple mixer control ‘IEC958 Default PCM’,0
Mono: Playback [on]
Simple mixer control ‘Channel Mode’,0
Items: ‘6ch’ ‘8ch’
Item0: ‘6ch’
You have your PCM volume at 0%. That is DEFINITELY wrong. Move it up to 95% for testing your audio. You can reduce it to a lower % after audio is established.

You also have many other controls “ON”, but at 0%. IMHO you should either move their volume controls UP when ON, or switch them OFF if (and only if) you are certain they do not affect your volume.

This looks ok, although there is a newer 1.0.19 of alsa available. I do NOT see the output of “rpm -q libasound”, so I have to assume it is also ok.

Looking at the diagnostic script, I see your PC has an ALC1200. Searching the alsa web site for the ALC1200 (which is reported by the script) I see the following: Search results for alc1200 - AlsaProject where the ALC1200 codec support was only recently added, and it is almost compatible with an ALC888. Hence you could update your alsa to 1.0.19. Alsa-update - openSUSE Note you MUST restart after updating alsa.

Hence if fixing your mixer and if updating your alsa (to 1.0.19) does not work, then you could try some model options in your /etc/modprobe.d/sound file.

So if you were to try an edit to this file , lets say to apply the “auto” option from the ALC883/888 list, then the edited file would look like this:

options snd-hda-intel model=auto
options snd slots=snd-hda-intel
# M71A.GTi64jAMZRE:MCP78S [GeForce 8200] High Definition Audio
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel

and then one needs to restart one’s alsa sound drive with su -c ‘rcalsasound restart’ and enter root password when prompted for a password, restart one’s mixer, check the mixer and test one’s sound. When testing the sound, try both of these speaker tests as both a regular user, and as user root:
speaker-test -Dplug:front -c2 -l5 -twavNote Linux is case sensitive, and “D” is not the same as “d”. Note you should check your mixer settings (kmix if using KDE, and alsamixer if using Gnome) to ensure that PCM and Master Volume are set to 95% for initial testing, then back off to a lower % once sound established. Note the test for surround sound is different. If that test yields errors, try instead this more simple test:
speaker-test -c2 -l5 -twav

Then if “auto” does not work, replace “auto” in the /etc/modprobe.d/sound file with another model from the list provided above (in a previous post), such as “3stack-dig”, resart alsa, restart one’s mixer, and test one’s sound.

Good luck.

5

Just wanted to note that the tips in this thread worked well for my ASUS M3N78 PRO motherboard.