[SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

wstewart90 · 2013-08-15 07:05:43

Should this really be in the testing repo section?

Martins · 2013-08-15 07:09:38

I have problem with 3.10.6 too, two times a row my laptop randomly freezes and I can't say why. Restart can only with power button ...

wstewart90 · 2013-08-15 07:53:25

This thread will tell you why and how to temporarily fix it if it's just so happens to be the same issue with the broadcom kernel module.

Last edited by wstewart90 (2013-08-15 09:24:15)

Spider.007 · 2013-08-15 09:07:02

It seems the same issue is being discussed here, with a few patches being posted too

sekret · 2013-08-15 10:19:06

This post was crap, I updated to 3.10.6, but didn't reboot, so of course I didn't get the panic.

Last edited by sekret (2013-08-15 16:32:54)

multiphrenic · 2013-08-15 10:48:16

Emailed the broadcom dev team.
Here was their reply:

"I have had a couple of other report about this particular panic and did some investigation. It is a divide-by-zero causing the panic. I do have a patch to avoid that, but the root cause is something else. Is 3.10.6 you see this on the unmodified stable release?

The attached patch avoids the panic, but you will probably have crappy connectivity."

I've downgraded to 3.9 as a result.

akanski · 2013-08-15 18:03:49

@multiphrenic,

That "something else" may be related to the recent fixes that were made for the mac80211 wireless stack in Linux 3.10.6, which might be causing that malfunction in brcmsmac module.

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kerne … 0.6&ofs=62

I think so, because I compiled only the mac80211 source code of Linux 3.10.6 in order to load that module on the kernel 3.10.5, and after doing that, I had trouble with the same kernel panic. By the way, I added the following in Makefile to do such a thing.

KVERSION = $(shell uname -r)
all:
	make -C /lib/modules/$(KVERSION)/build M=$(PWD) modules
clean:
	make -C /lib/modules/$(KVERSION)/build M=$(PWD) clean

Last edited by akanski (2013-08-19 04:44:55)

dabbi2000 · 2013-08-16 12:27:54

Does anyone know when 3.11 will come to test repo?

WonderWoofy · 2013-08-16 14:55:34

dabbi2000 wrote:

Does anyone know when 3.11 will come to test repo?

Any mild amount of googling would have revealed taht we are on 3.11rc5, which means that it is the 5th release candidate. In other words, 3.11 has not been released yet. Of course, this is open source software so you are free to build and use it as it is getting to the stable form. Arch Linux may be bleeding edge, but it only has bleeding edge stable releases. Linux kernel stable releases are put out when they are ready, not on any arbitrary date.

dabbi2000 · 2013-08-16 15:03:32

Sorry WonderWoofy, RC5 tells me nothing other than it's behind the corner. My exptertise lies in medicine, not kernel programming and so unfortunately I cannot contribute. I just have an Arch server that is now crippled because of this broadcom issue and I am trying to figure out if I should wait for 3.11 or dig into the patches that have been offered. Best to you mate!

WonderWoofy · 2013-08-16 15:08:22

Not knowing much about the kernel and whatnot is fine. But not doing any bit of research before posting a question like that is not the way things work around here.

Additionally, you should have, at some point read the stickes in the Newbie Corner, which would have lead you here.

dabbi2000 · 2013-08-16 16:48:13

I already spent hours reading other threads about broadcom issue and even bug reports and I thought maybe since patches have been released that someone here, following in the same issue, would know when 3.11 is ready for Arch repos - that is hours, days or weeks? I've tried various netctl tricks and broadcom-wl driver without luck so hellya I've done my research.

Sorry for not having scrutinized the Newbie forums, I've been using Arch for almost 5 years now and didn't realize this question was not "in line".

And really sorry for disturbing other topic followers with such a stupid newbie question, I should have Googled a lot more and even Binged some. And brushed my teeth this morning.

mrunion · 2013-08-17 01:22:47

Can't you just roll back to an earlier, working version and not fool with patching?

wstewart90 · 2013-08-17 03:11:19

I take that back. I got a kernel panic with the b43 module as well. It seemed like it was working fine the whole time at work but as soon as I got home it crashed. Possibly the type of encryption on my AP or something like that. I guess the wl driver is probably the simplest method if you don't want to recompile your kernel.

Edit: If I remember correctly, it looked like the b43 module loaded the bcma module even though I had it blacklisted. I could probably use install bcma /bin/false or something but I think I'll just stick with the wl driver for now since it's working.

Last edited by wstewart90 (2013-08-17 03:22:41)

wstewart90 · 2013-08-17 03:21:52

WonderWoofy wrote:

Not knowing much about the kernel and whatnot is fine. But not doing any bit of research before posting a question like that is not the way things work around here.
Additionally, you should have, at some point read the stickes in the Newbie Corner, which would have lead you here.

You don't have to be so harsh about it. It's not like the guy made a whole post just to ask that one question. It seems like somebodies been bitten by too help vampires

Last edited by wstewart90 (2013-08-17 10:30:23)

wstewart90 · 2013-08-17 10:49:25

After reading that post, I think I may be enabling help vampires. I'm going to have to change my ways.

kaipee · 2013-08-18 10:18:15

Just a quick note to confirm that I also had this exact issue with 3.10.6. (I'm not using Testing btw)

Can confirm that downgrading to 3.10.5 works fine

Thralas · 2013-08-18 13:08:16

Related Fedora bugreport with a Broadcom developer commenting: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=989269

Last edited by Thralas (2013-08-18 13:08:33)

nullstring · 2013-08-18 14:38:30

I'm having this same issue.

For kicks, I built package linux-mainline from AUR, which is linux-3.11rc5.
The regression still exists in this version.

Is there a kernel bug report somewhere for this?

akanski · 2013-08-18 22:17:45

Recent fix in mac80211/minstrel_ht is the main cause of broadcom wireless malfunction (fix cck rate sampling).

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kerne … 595897bef6

In order to solve temporarily kernel panic on brcmsmac, you can, for example, put that troublesome module in your blacklist to comment it later,

echo 'blacklist brcmsmac' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

and manually compile the mac80211 module from source code (#32) after reversing changes (e.g. `patch -R rc80211_minstrel_ht.c minstrel_ht_get_rate.patch`).

By the way, a copy of the problematic commit:

--- a/net/mac80211/rc80211_minstrel_ht.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/rc80211_minstrel_ht.c
@@ -804,10 +804,18 @@ minstrel_ht_get_rate(void *priv, struct ieee80211_sta *sta, void *priv_sta,
 
 	sample_group = &minstrel_mcs_groups[sample_idx / MCS_GROUP_RATES];
 	info->flags |= IEEE80211_TX_CTL_RATE_CTRL_PROBE;
+	rate->count = 1;
+
+	if (sample_idx / MCS_GROUP_RATES == MINSTREL_CCK_GROUP) {
+		int idx = sample_idx % ARRAY_SIZE(mp->cck_rates);
+		rate->idx = mp->cck_rates[idx];
+		rate->flags = 0;
+		return;
+	}
+
 	rate->idx = sample_idx % MCS_GROUP_RATES +
 		    (sample_group->streams - 1) * MCS_GROUP_RATES;
 	rate->flags = IEEE80211_TX_RC_MCS | sample_group->flags;
-	rate->count = 1;
 }
 
 static void

Last edited by akanski (2013-08-19 16:05:54)

eworm · 2013-08-19 11:35:23

I have built a package with brcm80211 modules including the patches from Fedora bug report. Anybody wants to try?
http://dl.mylinuxtime.de/arch/eworm/x86 … pkg.tar.xz

The developer states:
"The attached patch avoids the panic, but you will probably have crappy connectivity."

So probably this is far from perfect. I have not tested myself as I do have have the system nearby.

pdizzle · 2013-08-19 12:53:10

the broadcom-wl package from the AUR fixed this for me, if only temporarily

edit: after updating to 3.7.10 this morning, I am no longer able to see my wireless adapter, with or without the Broadcom-wl module.

Last edited by pdizzle (2013-08-19 14:29:53)

zigzed · 2013-08-19 16:14:47

pdizzle wrote:

the broadcom-wl package from the AUR fixed this for me, if only temporarily
edit: after updating to 3.7.10 this morning, I am no longer able to see my wireless adapter, with or without the Broadcom-wl module.

you need re-compile the broadcom-wl module from source after upgrade to 3.10.7.

akanski · 2013-08-19 16:56:18

@eworm,

You can reverse the minstrel_ht commit before compiling the mac80211 module like I did (#45). If you also do such a thing, you won't have that "crappy connectivity". In fact, I'm using Linux 3.10.6 right now and I've had no trouble with my broadcom wireless since then.

WonderWoofy · 2013-08-19 17:30:38

zigzed wrote:

pdizzle wrote:
the broadcom-wl package from the AUR fixed this for me, if only temporarily
edit: after updating to 3.7.10 this morning, I am no longer able to see my wireless adapter, with or without the Broadcom-wl module.
you need re-compile the broadcom-wl module from source after upgrade to 3.10.7.

This is not true. Most of the functionality of the module comes from the included binary blob (hence the designation as a "hybrid" source, meaning part GPL, and part proprietary). So I have found that most of the time, the build module will simply continue to work through all of a kernel's minor version (ie. through all of 3.10). There was one exception when I had to recompile it going from something like 3.9.6 to 3.9.7 or something. It lives in the "extramodules" directory, so it will be applied to any kernel update that isn't a bump in the minor version number.

Arch Linux

#26 2013-08-15 07:05:43

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#27 2013-08-15 07:09:38

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#28 2013-08-15 07:53:25

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#29 2013-08-15 09:07:02

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#30 2013-08-15 10:19:06

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#31 2013-08-15 10:48:16

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#32 2013-08-15 18:03:49

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#33 2013-08-16 12:27:54

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#34 2013-08-16 14:55:34

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#35 2013-08-16 15:03:32

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#36 2013-08-16 15:08:22

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#37 2013-08-16 16:48:13

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#38 2013-08-17 01:22:47

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#39 2013-08-17 03:11:19

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#40 2013-08-17 03:21:52

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#41 2013-08-17 10:49:25

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#42 2013-08-18 10:18:15

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#43 2013-08-18 13:08:16

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#44 2013-08-18 14:38:30

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#45 2013-08-18 22:17:45

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#46 2013-08-19 11:35:23

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#47 2013-08-19 12:53:10

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#48 2013-08-19 16:14:47

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#49 2013-08-19 16:56:18

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

#50 2013-08-19 17:30:38

Re: [SOLVED] Linux 3.10.6 and brcmsmac: kernel panic

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