Sound problem with KDE 4.2.3 r2

English Hardware
#1

Hello,

I have been using opensuse 11.1 with kde 4.2.3. Until this time, while kde was being loaded, I got an error notification at system tray(Is it called system tray like in windows? very right corner) saying you have a problem with your current audio driver, therefore we fall it back to Default drivers.Then it mutes my laptop’s sound(it also physically turn off the key on my laptop which is strange attitude, because at the mixer it is enabled but on my laptop it’s disabled, so laptop’s mute button is overwhelmed the mixers), but when I enable the key on my laptop I have the sound.

However, after the latest updates w/ zypper up, I have no sound anymore. I tried some methods (addind this line to the top of my below sound file : "options snd-hda-intel enable_msi=1 ")available in this forum but didn’t work. I’d be appreciate,if someone can help me. I have no idea about the sound in Linux, What do “alsa” and “pulse” stand for? Can you suggest me some website/article/ebook? Here is my info:


linux-fxl5:/home/baris # rpm -qa | grep alsa
alsa-1.0.18-8.9
alsa-firmware-1.0.17-1.51
alsa-utils-1.0.18-6.4
alsa-oss-1.0.17-1.43
alsa-oss-32bit-1.0.17-1.37
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18-6.13
alsa-plugins-1.0.18-6.13




linux-fxl5:/home/baris # rpm -qa | grep pulse
pulseaudio-lang-0.9.14-2.2.1
pulseaudio-0.9.14-2.2.1
libpulse0-0.9.14-2.2.1
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18-6.13
libpulse0-32bit-0.9.14-2.2.1
pulseaudio-esound-compat-0.9.14-2.2.1




linux-fxl5:/home/baris # uname -a
Linux linux-fxl5 2.6.27.23-0.1-default #1 SMP 2009-05-26 17:02:05 -0400 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux



linux-fxl5:/home/baris # cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound
options snd slots=snd-hda-intel
# u1Nb.coyBOML1QHD:82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel




llinux-fxl5:/home/baris # zypper lr
# | Alias           | Name                           | Enabled | Refresh
--+-----------------+--------------------------------+---------+--------
1 | kde4-desktop    | openSUSE-11.1-KDE42-Desktop    | Yes     | No
2 | kde4-playground | openSUSE-11.1-KDE42-Playground | Yes     | No
3 | libdvdcss       | libdvdcss                      | Yes     | No
4 | mozilla         | mozilla                        | Yes     | No
5 | openoffice      | openoffice                     | Yes     | No
6 | packman         | packman                        | Yes     | No
7 | repo-non-oss    | openSUSE-11.1-Non-Oss          | Yes     | No
8 | repo-oss        | openSUSE-11.1-Oss              | Yes     | No
9 | repo-update     | openSUSE-11.1-Update           | Yes     | No
#2

This was a known bug. I believe a number of users have reported this. There are a more than a fewthreads here, where users have posted solutions that worked for them:

Now re: 4.2.3 r2, one reason I never update my KDE version is to avoid those sorts of problems. I don’t want the aggravation that can come with it. Hence in my case I simply went with KDE-3.5.10 which is rock stable and works like a charm.

These sorts of options are hardware codec specific. IMHO is a waste of time (which is better spent elsewhere) to apply such codecs with out having specific concrete reason to believe they may be applicable to one’s hardware. When ever I recommend such a codec, I RESEARCH first their hardware. Yes, it take me time to research it. BUT I do that BEFORE I make the recommendation.

OK, to learn about openSUSE concepts you can start here: Concepts - openSUSE

To learn about openSUSE sound concepts you can start here: Sound-concepts - openSUSE

To troubleshoot audio you can start here: SDB:AudioTroubleshooting - openSUSE

How certain are you that your problem is your KDE update, and not an update to your openSUSE Linux kernel version? I note you have a 2.6.27.23-0.1 kernel. Is that a brand new SuSE-GmbH packaged kernel release, or did you get that from someone’s web site? My guess is it is more likely that kernel update that broke things, as opposed to your KDE update, … but it could be both or either.

If its your kernel update, then you have problems. You probably have to custom compile your alsa driver and that is not a job for new users. Its not. Full stop.

Out of curiousity, when you copying and pasting into a konsole/terminal with your PC connected to the internet:

wget -O alsa-info.sh http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-info.sh && bash alsa-info.sh

it will run a script, and when complete give you a URL. What is that URL ?

I put in red the repos I think you should disable. I put in orange repos that are going to possibly break things if you are not careful. I understand you want the latest KDE to ensure you have a more stable KDE, but you have to be aware that those KDE rpms have minimal to no testing.

IMHO users (new to Linux) who want a stable KDE should go with KDE-3.5.10 and wait for openSUSE-11.2 in November 2009.

#3

OK, I just checked the repos. There was just a new 2.6.27.23 kernel released by SuSE-GmbH. I think checked the build service for new sound (alsa) drivers for the new kernel. The drivers are not out yet.

You may need to wait a few days before the new drivers are released.

So I am sorry to read this has happened. Please try to wait for a few days, and the SuSE-GmbH packager will likely release a new alsa version in the build service. When that comes we can give you some commands to update your alsa. …

So my recommendation is to wait a bit.

#4

How certain are you that your problem is your KDE update, and not an update to your openSUSE Linux kernel version? I note you have a 2.6.27.23-0.1 kernel. Is that a brand new SuSE-GmbH packaged kernel release, or did you get that from someone’s web site? My guess is it is more likely that kernel update that broke things, as opposed to your KDE update, … but it could be both or either.

I just do “zypper up” today, than reinstall my NVIDIA unix drivers. Cos the X didn’t started again normally (I think it’s the rule for many apps after a huge kernel updates).

[/QUOTE]
Out of curiousity, when you copying and pasting into a konsole/terminal with your PC connected to the internet:

wget -O alsa-info.sh http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-info.sh && bash alsa-info.sh

it will run a script, and when complete give you a URL. What is that URL ?
[/QUOTE]

Here is the thing that it uploaded to ALSA:



Your ALSA information is located at http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=d670274f9547323545a2ceaea83c90718aaa1af5

Please inform the person helping you.

An a persdonal question, why do you prefer SuSE instead of “more” open source projects like ubuntu. For my point of view, Ubuntu has a lot of bugs, after every installation of ubuntu, I start to miss suse. However, for debian I cannot say that it has a lot of bugs, but it results very out-of-date experience.

Regards,

#5

Glad to read you figured that out. Kernel updates tend to impact all distributions each time they do their own updates.

From that script output:
http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=d670274f9547323545a2ceaea83c90718aaa1af5
I note your PC has an Analog Devices AD1984A hardware audio codec, running openSUSE-11.1 (64-bit) with the 2.6.27.23-0.1-default kernel, and a mix of 1.0.17/1.0.18 of alsa.

I note your Master volume is at 84% and PCM volume at 52%. Did you try moving those up in case the volume scale is not linear?

I note from this thread: Kernel Update 9 June 09 - Feedback - openSUSE Forums after the kernel update, one user went into YaST > Hardware > Sound and enabled pulseAudio in Yast and they got their sound back. Other than that, its a wait until the alsa drivers for 2.6.27.23 kernel are available.

I checked again this morning (in Europe) and they are not available yet.

I have a couple of great (and very bright) friends who use Ubuntu and like it, but we have different views with respect to open source.

In my view, openSUSE is more closer to implementing the open source philosophy than Ubuntu. That is why it is called openSUSE. Note the emphasis on “open”. Ubuntu is tied/connected together with proprietary drivers and codecs much more “automatically” than openSUSE, which some of us believe border on the verge of illegality. If Novell/SuSE-GmbH tried that, they may be hit with a massive law suit, … but its not worth the while of anyone to go after Ubuntu.

But thats not my reason for not using Ubuntu. Note my reasons for disliking Ubuntu are my own reasons, not any official reasons, and mine are personal reasons. I dislike Ubuntu mainly because:

  • I prefer the openSUSE community with whom I know various users from years of correspondence;
  • I like and prefer the openSUSE implementations of KDE;
  • I like the tool “YaST” that comes with openSUSE, and no other distribution IMHO has any tool that comes anywhere close as being as good (and not many users dislike YaST, but I am NOT one of those);
  • I like the packages packaged by the Packman packagers for openSUSE and I like the structure how Packman is setup and the responsiveness of the Packman packagers to queries/requests. My experience is the Packman packagers package 1st rate multimedia and provide quick and timely updates, better than what most distributions get
  • I like the build service now available for openSUSE which has opened up the field for the packaging of many 3rd party rpms for openSUSE, which the other distributions (who are allowed to use the same service) have not jumped on to the same extent as openSUSE;
  • and finally, I have a massive DISLIKE for the Ubuntu bug reporting and fix policy, which is to pass bug reports first to Debian (who often disagree with Ubuntu) and only then are bug reports and fixes passed up stream. This means Ubuntu, with the largest user base for finding problems, don’t have their fixes nor bug reports passed upstream with any sort of speed. Instead its a massive slow down, and it takes much longer than necessary for other distributions to take advantage of. That is TOTALLY unacceptable to me where I believe Linux distributions need to share with each others methods more
    So thats it. Thats my personal reasons.

Good luck with your audio. Hopefully some new rpms with alsa will be out soon. Thursday is a holiday in Germany, so its possible also the SuSE-GmbH packager took advantage of the short week, and took the entire week as a holiday, and if so it may be until next week before we see new alsa rpms for the new 2.6.27.23 kernel.

#6

For those with non-functioning sound as a result of the new 2.6.27.23 kernel, the SuSE-GmbH packager has now released the rpms for the update to 1.0.20 of alsa for the 2.6.27.23 kernel. Note this is on a special multimedia repository and not on the standard “update” repository.

There is guidance here for doing the update:
Alsa-update - openSUSE

Note one MUST send six zypper commands, being certain to pick the one’s specific to one’s openSUSE version. I recommend one optimize the alsa apps to be installed to match what one has on one’s PC already. … and also the second last command in the 3 command group should be specific to one’s kernel. Do NOT install multiple alsa-driver-kmp-<packages> … Only install the ONE that is applicable.