Arch Linux

navaburo

Member

From: NYC

Registered: 2009-01-18

Posts: 11

Website

Hard-locking after killing X

I am new to the archlinux distro but not to linux. I must say I am impressed by arch's excellent integration of various software components despite the transparency of the system. Years back I felt it was nessisary to have a thick automation layer keeping the configuration inline. Thankfully this belief is being proven wrong!

Anyhow, I have experienced one frustrating problem: dreaded hard-locking. To reproduce a hard-lock I have only to kill X with CTRL-ALT-BKSPC, switch to a VT0-6, then try to switch back to VT7. After that I have no control over my system: I cannot switch VTs; num-lock does not toggle the num-lock indicator; and even the sacred ALT-SYSREQ-B does nothing. I have also experienced intermittant hard-locks when plugging in a particular flash drive.

My configuration is as follows:

SLIM display manager started by the uncommented line in /etc/inittab
openbox window manager
no desktop environment

HP Compaq nw8440 notebook
hardware is stock except for upgraded hdd
video: ATI FireGL X1600 using radeonhd driver from repo

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Any help overcomming this frustrating issue would be greatly appreciated. If there is any additional information I could provide that would help in diagnosing this problem, please let me know what that would be!

-navaburo

kludge

Member

Registered: 2008-08-03

Posts: 294

Re: Hard-locking after killing X

you should look in your x logs for either errors or the last thing that happened before the lock up.

---

[23:00:16]    dr_kludge | i want to invent an olfactory human-computer interface, integrate it into the web standards, then produce my own forked browser.
[23:00:32]    dr_kludge | can you guess what i'd call it?
[23:01:16]    dr_kludge | nosilla.
[23:01:32]    dr_kludge | i really should be going to bed.  i'm giggling madly about that.

djgera

Developer

From: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Registered: 2008-12-24

Posts: 723

Website

Re: Hard-locking after killing X

Hi,

I tried this, and always happens when close X normaly, then switch to VT7 and, now can't switch to another terminal.

The solution is set the kerboard in raw mode with SYSRQ+R and keyboard respond again .

You need to eneble sysrq in /etc/sysctl.conf

Maybe a X error, not hardware dependent, my system is and AMD X2 5200+ with a nvidia 7300GT.

Bye

navaburo

Member

From: NYC

Registered: 2009-01-18

Posts: 11

Website

Re: Hard-locking after killing X

djgera: thanks for confirming that this is not my fault, and for telling me that I must enable sysrq.

djgera

Developer

From: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Registered: 2008-12-24

Posts: 723

Website

Re: Hard-locking after killing X

xserver-1.6.0 in testing solves this issue.

You can mark this as [SOLVED] in title.