linuxMCE is still not ready for real life!

[jeff_rigby]

I'm having lockup problems with the last two versions.  Before that, other problems but no lockups.  It's a screen and mouse lockup, the rest of LINUXMCE appears to be working.  Within a few seconds of fast scrolling or copying many .mp3 files over the network while playing and slow scrolling, it will lock it up.

Again, recommended hardware that was absolutely stable prior to the last two version changes.

[1audio]

Try looking in from another system, run top ans start the process that's locking the system. It may just be stalled as it trys to catch up, or it could be an xorg failure- usually shown by 100% xorg in Top.
However you may just be asking for more than it can do at once.
Check the memory available for video if you are using an internal graphics controller. It should be at least 128MB and for 1080p it should be 256MB for reliable performance.

[Afkpuz]

So, the only help that I've gotten on hardware issues is that my video card might be the culprit.  I'm going to make a post asking for people to post the ways they have beaten hard-lock ups.  Also if you want, please post any solutions that you've seen here.  I can't think of any other way to approach this since I really want to use linuxmce, but cant find a solution

[totallymaxed]

So, the only help that I've gotten on hardware issues is that my video card might be the culprit.  I'm going to make a post asking for people to post the ways they have beaten hard-lock ups.  Also if you want, please post any solutions that you've seen here.  I can't think of any other way to approach this since I really want to use linuxmce, but cant find a solution

Does your Core lockup completely? ie no external ssh, no mouse pointer and totally frozen?...or can you ssh in? If the latter then it looks like an X lockup. This seems to affect some combinations of nVidia card and the nVidia driver shipped in LinuxMCE-0710. I cant say we have a handle on this yet... as its very very rare.

If the former then it could be any number of things... bad RAM, bad processor, overheating processor, badly seated processor or RAM, motherboard track fracture... etc etc etc etc etc.

Hope this helps

All the best

Andrew

[royw]

My problem was thermal.  I ended up reversing the top fan to make in an input fan then adding a side exhaust fan.  It's been rock solid for months now.
My theory is one of the motherboard chips was not getting enough airflow.  No proof, but I did notice the southbridge was the hottest component when I used an IR thermometer.

I failed at all other attempts to capture info on the lockup.  lm-sensors didn't show abnormal temps, couldn't find any hint in the logs.

HTH,
Roy

[rrambo]

So, the only help that I've gotten on hardware issues is that my video card might be the culprit.  I'm going to make a post asking for people to post the ways they have beaten hard-lock ups.  Also if you want, please post any solutions that you've seen here.  I can't think of any other way to approach this since I really want to use linuxmce, but cant find a solution

Does your Core lockup completely? ie no external ssh, no mouse pointer and totally frozen?...or can you ssh in? If the latter then it looks like an X lockup. This seems to affect some combinations of nVidia card and the nVidia driver shipped in LinuxMCE-0710. I cant say we have a handle on this yet... as its very very rare.

If the former then it could be any number of things... bad RAM, bad processor, overheating processor, badly seated processor or RAM, motherboard track fracture... etc etc etc etc etc.

Hope this helps

All the best

Andrew

Well, I'm back.. not that anyone cares or anything.. ;-)...  I've taken a break from linuxmce for quite some time...  I was having too many issues...  strangley, all my problems started with the 7.10 betas as 7.04 never really gave me any problems..  video problems.. random lockups....  etc...

I'm giving it another shot with 7.10...  I've replace the my cpu (Sempron 3000+) with a Athlon 64 x2 5200+ and took the 1GB stick out and put in 2 new 1GB sticks...

I installed last night and got most of it configured..  I'm going to finish it up this afternoon and test it out... I will say that I've been running ubuntu 7.10 and 8.04 running XBMC/linux all this time with no hardware problems...  no video problems (Nvidia 6150, dvi out), no audio problems (spdif out), and no lock ups with my hardware running xbmc for linux under gutsy or hardy..

[Afkpuz]

I thought I had made some progress by using the dvi output on my video card, but I ran into a problem.  My movies seemed too dark, so I tried running it through the vga again and the darkness was gone.  However, after about 30 mins of a movie, HARD LOCK!  rebooted and couldn't even get past loading screens without the comp locking.  So, reinstalled and am still getting lock ups.  hmm, I guess I just have to keep installing until I find that clutch install.  I think that the dvi output did have some effect though.

[rrambo]

I thought I had made some progress by using the dvi output on my video card, but I ran into a problem.  My movies seemed too dark, so I tried running it through the vga again and the darkness was gone.  However, after about 30 mins of a movie, HARD LOCK!  rebooted and couldn't even get past loading screens without the comp locking.  So, reinstalled and am still getting lock ups.  hmm, I guess I just have to keep installing until I find that clutch install.  I think that the dvi output did have some effect though.

Interesting..  same thing happened to me..  a hard lock..  had to reboot, then during screen generation, another hard lock...  rebooted again..  same thing, hard lock during screen generating...

[Zaerc]

Yeah yeah yeah, lmce is not ready because you guys have heat problems... 

Learn how to build a decent PC, or give it a rest.

[rrambo]

Yeah yeah yeah, lmce is not ready because you guys have heat problems... 

Learn how to build a decent PC, or give it a rest.

Zaerc..  you give it a rest...  it's not a heat issue on mine..  otherwise I would be getting lockups when running xbmc/linux on the same hardware..  opengl 3d rendering for the gui and playing HD videos with no problems..  I'm getting lockups with lmce from sitting cold all night turned off, booting up and not even getting anywhere to generate any heat...

There are odd hardware issues that only relate to lmce even when using supposedly "supported" hardware..  for those of you lucky enough to have picked the "right" hardware and never experience these issue I'm sure it's hard to believe it's a lmce problem...  but it is...  it's too widespread to be denied....

[seth]

 
@rrambo

try disabling the flickr screensaver. Occasionally when I get lock-ups, I disable it, and the lockups go away.
You can do this from the "Files&Media" tab at the top of the webadmin.
 > Screensaver
 > Disable Flickr Script
 > Reload Screensaver

Just a thought.

Regards,

Seth

[hari]

Zaerc's hint is not all that bad. Thermal issues are often a cause of lockups. Seth, I don't know whats used by xbmc or your other linux, but we run the standard ubuntu kernel with the nvidia drivers on top. As LinuxMCE runs completely in the userspace, there is no way to HARD lockup the machine without hitting a linux kernel bug or some nvidia driver bug. The chance for the former is very low, but the nvidia binary drivers are known to severly harm the stability of a linux system. As we use OpenGL pretty much all the time (even in the photo screensaver), the graphic chipset gets warm and needs proper cooling. We also have a higher chance of hitting a bug in the NVidia stack because of that.

Does your machine also crash when you stop X?

best regards,
Hari

[colinjones]

When I have had lock ups - only since RC2 - it is probably just the interface locking which can make it difficult to get back in and so seem like a "hard" lock. But on at least one occasion I could absolutely verify that the core was still routing traffic normally between internal and external LANs so it definitely was not a real "hard" lock. The other occasions, I wasn't able to test this. But on at least 2-3 occasions the lock up seemed "harder" and the LEDs on my keyboard were flashing.....

Hard or soft, I definitely feel that RC2 is significantly more unstable even than RC1, and definitely more than b3/4 (which I spent more time on) Don't know why - gut says TV card, VDR or nVidia drivers, but my gut says a lot of things I don't listen to! There are many other reports I have read that suggest a connection with RC2, but nothing definitive.

BTW, yes I have rebuilt a few times. Started on AMD64 and have now moved to i386 for the last couple of builds...

[hari]

sorry, feelings don't help here. If the machine really locks up, enable kernel crash dumps to analyze it.

best regards,
Hari

[Afkpuz]

Ok, I'm in the same boat as rrambo in that my system temp is fine when running non-linuxmce operating systems.  Another post said that my video card is overheating?  Come on.  My comp temperature is fine.  I have 2 fans blowing air in and 2 blowing out.  Not to mention that this computer is in the basement, on the floor, which is always cool. 

Either way, I want to help redeem myself.  I can't program, but I can document my hardware usage and compatibility, and tend to build a new computer every once in a while.  I'd be willing to test linuxmce and document, but I don't know how.  I tried adding to the wiki, but I have no idea how to do that.  I've never done that sort of thing.  Anyone help? 

For now, linuxMCE won't work on my box and I've come to accept that after lots of reinstalls and tweaking.  But I'll keep trying every new release until it starts working reliably on hardware recommended in the wiki.  Until that glorious day, I'll be using mythtv+ubuntu 8.04, which by the way, runs at a cool 35C at peak usage.  Seriously, you want me to get water cooling?