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#1 2022-10-05 16:49:05

Cbhihe
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Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

[SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

[Note: this is unrelated to this issue https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=280139  now solved... The issue described below is on the same host, but was pre-existent.]

Everytime this Arch linux host boots, it starts mounting boot and kernel file systems with two-line display on screen, then screen goes black again (one very slow approx 0.75 second flicker) and the sequence starts again (with same 2-line display as before).
Boot sequence always succeeds the second time around; then GDM over Xorg takes over with the interactive login menu, and it's business as usual.

systemd and systemd-libs are version 241.5-1 and kernel is at "5.19.13-arch1-1".
Boot is with early KMS and the kernel driver for the i915 Intel integrated graphics.
glu 9.0.2-3 (OpenGL), mesa 22.1.7-1 and xf86-video-vesa 2.5.0-3 are installed.

> cat /proc/cmdline
BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=0f2397cc-ee76-44b5-b7d4-5710b54238a2 rw loglevel=3 quiet mds=full acpi_rev_override=1 acpi_osi=Linux resume=/dev/disk/by-uuid/c1e198e1-db13-4834-9b86-ff6dd6b2d415

I systematically get the following log at boot time: http://0x0.st/oJ3Z.txt.
The beginning shows the repeated init sequence at boot. I don't understand where that comes from.
The boot sequence log section below marks the second ( successful ) boot sequence.

...
systemd[1]: Mounted Kernel Configuration File System.
systemd[1]: Mounting FUSE Control File System...
systemd[1]: First Boot Wizard was skipped because of a failed condition check (ConditionFirstBoot=yes).
systemd[1]: Rebuild Hardware Database was skipped because of a failed condition check (ConditionNeedsUpdate=/etc).
systemd[1]: Create System Users was skipped because of a failed condition check (ConditionNeedsUpdate=/etc).
systemd[1]: Starting Create Static Device Nodes in /dev... 
systemd[1]: Mounted FUSE Control File System.
...

I could find similar  informational messages reported (including here, on bbs.archlinux.org, e.g. "Rebuild Hardware Database was skipped because of a failed condition check") but no clear explanation about why the double init on this host, and less still on how to fix it.

Last edited by Cbhihe (2022-10-13 18:38:21)


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#2 2022-10-05 16:54:16

Scimmia
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

Sounds to me like it's KMS kicking in, the lines you're seeing aren't repeats, they're the same lines. The video mode just changes.

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#3 2022-10-05 17:00:35

Cbhihe
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Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

That could be it , but I'm in the dark as to whether it looked like before KMS was configured.
In reality I'm looking at a system not installed by me... meaning I don't know whether upon first install KMS was on and if so whether the flicker was there
.

Just trying to get to the bottom of this, not leaving too many stones un-turned.

Last edited by Cbhihe (2022-10-06 08:57:08)


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#4 2022-10-05 17:02:47

Scimmia
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

KMS has been there for a very, very long time. Think 20+ years. Early or late would make little difference.

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#5 2022-10-05 17:04:58

Cbhihe
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

I meant "KMS first install" on THAT box.  ;-))
Did I get you wrong ?


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#6 2022-10-05 17:06:36

Scimmia
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

You're not understand what KMS is. Unless the machine is 20+ years old, it has always used KMS. Period.

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#7 2022-10-05 17:08:30

V1del
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Registered: 2012-10-16
Posts: 21,427

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

How are you booting? Which bootloader/BIOS or EFI system? If EFI is CSM/BIOS compat mode enabled? If so try disabling that. This just sounds like you are in a sub-optimal resolution during BIOS/UEFI init phase that gets corrected when KMS actually kicks in. Properly fixing that will depend on your mainboard/EFI implementation. Also check behaviour when getting rid of the acpi_osi and the override parameter.

Last edited by V1del (2022-10-05 17:19:48)

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#8 2022-10-05 17:12:53

Cbhihe
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Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

@Scimmia:
I know it's not the issue and there seems not to be a technical issue to sort out anyway, but are you saying that you cannot install Archlinux anywhere today without KMS ??

I've done it maybe 3 or 4 years ago (... I seem to remember), where the graphics driver was an Xorg driver and there was no early kernel modesetting.


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#9 2022-10-05 17:15:03

V1del
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Registered: 2012-10-16
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

You are definitely confusing things. The xorg driver has no relation to this, what xorg did add was a generic driver that could use KMS for basic initialization, instead of device specific code, but that has no relation to the availability of KMS in the kernel space. But that also long predates  3 to 4 years. KMS will always have been present.

Last edited by V1del (2022-10-05 17:16:02)

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#10 2022-10-05 17:26:05

Cbhihe
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Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

@V1del: This is a pure UEFI boot (EFI system) and /sys/firmware/efi/ shows in the file tree. I think it's safe to say that the box does not boot in compatibility mode. If not I can reboot and check the BIOS configuration.

@V1del and @Scimmia: thank you for helping me getting the story of KMS and how the Xorg driver actually chained into KMS at boot time straight ...

Last edited by Cbhihe (2022-10-05 17:29:40)


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#11 2022-10-05 18:16:17

V1del
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Registered: 2012-10-16
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

Check your EFI. If CSM is enabled because you "theoretically" want compatibility they will often leave the early video mode on a lower resolution. Explicitly disabling CSM if you do not need the compatibility will help in providing a few more modern features like a higher UEFI/early boot resolution, which can in turn make the modeset less jarring.

Did you see my edit with regards to the acpi overrides?

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#12 2022-10-05 20:47:28

seth
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Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,992

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

Do you use a bootloader and if so, which?
Does the resolution change (does the text get smaller after the flicker)?
Also get rid of the "quiet" parameter to get a better idea when the flicker/change actually happens.

Oct 05 16:42:45 HOST kernel: efifb: probing for efifb
Oct 05 16:42:45 HOST kernel: efifb: showing boot graphics
Oct 05 16:42:45 HOST kernel: efifb: framebuffer at 0x80000000, using 8128k, total 8128k
Oct 05 16:42:45 HOST kernel: efifb: mode is 1920x1080x32, linelength=7680, pages=1
Oct 05 16:42:45 HOST kernel: efifb: scrolling: redraw
Oct 05 16:42:45 HOST kernel: efifb: Truecolor: size=8:8:8:8, shift=24:16:8:0
Oct 05 16:42:45 HOST kernel: fbcon: Deferring console take-over
Oct 05 16:42:45 HOST kernel: fb0: EFI VGA frame buffer device
Oct 05 16:42:46 HOST kernel: i915 0000:00:02.0: vgaarb: deactivate vga console

For the moment I don't buy

Boot is with early KMS

i915 shows up only after eg. iwlwifi

lsinitcpio /boot/initramfs-linux.img | grep i195

Also does https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Silent … d_takeover have any impact on the situation?

---
Ftr, linux in-tree GPU drivers support KMS since ~2009/10

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#13 2022-10-05 23:37:06

Scimmia
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

That's what I get for going from memory for something that long ago. 13 years, not 20.

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#14 2022-10-06 06:40:17

seth
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

On the upside, you're 7 years younger than you thought smile

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#15 2022-10-06 17:04:52

Cbhihe
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Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

V1del wrote:

Did you see my edit with regards to the acpi overrides?

No, sorry. Thanks for the heads up. See reboot options below.

Is EFI CSM/BIOS compat mode enabled ?

No. Confirmed.

seth wrote:

Do you use a bootloader and if so, which?

Yes, GRUB 2.

Does the resolution change (does the text get smaller after the flicker)?

No there is no change in resolution on either side of the flicker.

> sudo lsinitcpio -v /boot/initramfs-linux.img | grep i915

... draws a blank, the which tells me something about early KMS ... o_0 ¿?!

The reboot log provided below was obtained without the following options:
- quiet
- acpi_rev_override=1
- acpi_osi=Linux

The log put out by journalctl -b is at: http://0x0.st/oyqh.txt


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#16 2022-10-06 19:36:44

V1del
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Registered: 2012-10-16
Posts: 21,427

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

if that command draws a blank then you did not enable early kms. Did you configure a custom gfxmode in GRUB (you probably shouldn't)?

Last edited by V1del (2022-10-06 19:40:42)

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#17 2022-10-07 19:35:35

Cbhihe
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Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

Sorry for the delay in answering.

I have the two lines:

GRUB_GFXMODE=auto
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep

but I have the feeling those lines are generic, as I don't recall having ever touched that aspect of the early display resolution setting on any Linux box at all.
In fact I had to go to this bbs post and to the GRUB gfxmode documentation to find out it was possible to tweak that and to get a sense of how it's done.
Although the GRUB menu display on that box is somewhat blocky, it is not an issue its principal user ever complained about.   

Here is the box' whole `/etc/default/grub` file contents:

> sed -e '/^#/d;/^$/d' /etc/default/grub
GRUB_DEFAULT=saved
GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="Arch"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="loglevel=3 quiet mds=full resume=/dev/disk/by-uuid/c1e198e1-db13-4834-9b86-ff6dd6b2d415"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="part_gpt part_msdos"
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=menu
GRUB_TERMINAL_INPUT=console
GRUB_GFXMODE=auto
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep
GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true

For the time being I suppressed the previous boot options: `acpi_rev_override=1` and  `acpi_osi=Linux` with no change at all to the observed flicker.

The said one-time slow flicker only concerns the laptop's built-in display. During boot the attached 24" external display remains completely black, until 2 or 3 seconds AFTER the Gnome login manager has kicked in. I think that may be related to another Error entry in the boot log:

HOST gsd-color: failed to set xrandr-Dell Inc.-DELL P2421DC-3LQVS03 color transform matrix: failed to load file: Error opening file /home/USER-1000/.local/share/icc/edid-2d45c60fc624988c76f5d191b637bbc6.icc: Permission denied

I checked that file

> ls -lAF /home/USER-1000/.local/share/icc/edid-2d45c60fc624988c76f5d191b637bbc6.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 USER-1000 USER-1000 1476 Oct 24  2020 edid-2d45c60fc624988c76f5d191b637bbc6.icc

same as all the other files at that same location. I am pretty convinced it is the reason for the external DELL P2421DC-3LQVS03 display remaining black for so long after session start.  When booting with the two additional boot options above, i.e. `acpi_rev_override=1` and `acpi_osi=Linux`, the error repeatedly logged at boot becomes:

HOST gsd-color: failed to set xrandr-Dell Inc.-DELL P2421DC-3LQVS03 color transform matrix: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.AccessDenied: The requested configuration is based on stale information

Last edited by Cbhihe (2022-10-07 19:40:54)


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#18 2022-10-07 19:44:21

seth
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#19 2022-10-11 19:56:51

Cbhihe
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Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

@seth: sorry for the long delay.

I read the wiki you referenced entirely, including its "Early KMS start" sub-section.  Something may be afoot.  Here is what the initramfs was already built with (even though > sudo lsinitcpio -v /boot/initramfs-linux.img | grep i915 drew a blank):

> grep i915 /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
MODULE=(intel_agp i915 crc32 libcrc32c crc32c_generic crc32c-intel crc32-pclmul crypto-crc32 bluetooth)
> sudo mkinitcpio -P
...
==> Image generation successful

where rebuilding  the initramfs image above was un-necessary I think, because I did not modify  /etc/mkinitcpio.conf at all.  Still the boot log show the entry:

HOST gsd-color: failed to set xrandr-Sharp Corporation color transform matrix: failed to load file: Error opening file /var/lib/gdm/.local/share/icc/edid-c7ddff2fafbd2c8b321981bd1b81be57.icc: Permission denied 

Which is strange because

> sudo ls -lAF /var/lib/gdm/.local/share/icc/
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1476 Oct 21  2020 edid-1a31ac7516f0630b2e858e6a353cff4d.icc 
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1492 Nov  4  2019 edid-23f8bd7db9eb62aaf6e9764fb2a02870.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1476 Nov 13  2020 edid-2d45c60fc624988c76f5d191b637bbc6.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1472 Oct  9  2020 edid-415eea615ddd6e8418ca5418f62f88d7.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1464 Sep 22 09:57 edid-5416424bd9fac6a3e91bb6d5f09947ce.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1492 Dec 28  2020 edid-5ba19679232979c36a605c1b57eb9e2d.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1492 Oct 19  2020 edid-616a942190efacbba2cb965929d28f88.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1492 Oct 11  2017 edid-628e88b6d0c696219b5f8221bcb24343.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1492 Aug 31  2018 edid-65fdbd2a1c87afa4878140725d7f4f18.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1456 Sep 24 09:56 edid-87dc847fa05875edc2167b88fd762d14.icc
-rw-rw-rw- 1 gdm gdm 1368 Oct 11 21:29 edid-c7ddff2fafbd2c8b321981bd1b81be57.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1552 Oct 15  2020 edid-c8d6ee064dcb88dcc9770e6ecadd5d68.icc
-rw-r--r-- 1 gdm gdm 1492 May 16  2019 edid-f68bc34a968ea20ff8ea7a6bdc56fe7c.icc

where I manually modified permissions from the original octal 644 to 666.

All the above files are also found in ~/.local/share/icc/.

So following the Wiki subsection on Early KMS start, it looks like the host already had the proper configuration in place for early Kernel mode-setting.  However it does not function and shows a permission error.

I am stumped one more time.

Last edited by Cbhihe (2022-10-11 19:57:22)


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#20 2022-10-11 20:17:15

cfr
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Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

Have you checked you need intel_agp using lsmod?


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#21 2022-10-11 20:30:05

seth
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Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,992

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

If mkinitcpio indeed succeeded, you should now get the module from:

sudo lsinitcpio -v /boot/initramfs-linux.img | grep i915

Still the boot log show the entry:

This looks like a race condition but is not necessary related to any early KMS situation (and I guess it's not)
Please post the complete journal.

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#22 2022-10-12 20:38:40

Cbhihe
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Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

@cfr:
Adding 'intel_agp' as the first module was a change I implemented on that host about a year ago. As documented by me at the time adding "intel_agp" was the solution to resume from hibernation after change in display config. The main user had a routine where he would hibernate his machine unplug it from his display at work, go home for the weekend and connect a different external display, before waking the host up.
Curiously that module does not show in the output of > lsmod -v. The alphanumeric sort of the output is at: http://0x0.st/ovbd.txt

@seth:
At this juncture sudo lsinitcpio -v /boot/initramfs-linux.img | grep i915 still yields nothing.
Are you asking for the complete journal with the rebuild of initramfs ?  If so, it is at: http://0x0.st/ovbY.txt

Last edited by Cbhihe (2022-10-13 07:57:06)


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#23 2022-10-12 20:53:49

seth
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Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,992

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

Please *never* use "-x" for journalctl, it's effectively spam.
That being said, the i9145 module still shows up late (after avahi) so there's no way it's in the initramfs and your grep confirms that.
Can you please post the full ouput of mkinitcpio?

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#24 2022-10-13 08:13:02

Cbhihe
Member
Registered: 2017-04-09
Posts: 219

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

Yes, I agree. The wordy output of journalctl -x does not actually help.

Full output of > mkinitcpio -P is at: http://0x0.st/ovMG.txt

where the "preset" is completely standard.

> cat /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset
# mkinitcpio preset file for the 'linux' package

ALL_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf"
ALL_kver="/boot/vmlinuz-linux"

PRESETS=('default' 'fallback')

#default_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf"
default_image="/boot/initramfs-linux.img"
#default_options=""

#fallback_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf"
fallback_image="/boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img"
fallback_options="-S autodetect"

I snooped around the web looking for mentions of possible race condition in an early kernel mode setting context and found little I could go on. Maybe this is of interest, on the subject of vertical blanking, but it's kernel shop talk and it's over my head.

Last edited by Cbhihe (2022-10-13 08:15:33)


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#25 2022-10-13 08:22:52

seth
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Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,992

Re: [SOLVED] Init sequence at boot with one-time slow screen flicker

Please post your mkinitcpio.conf, I suspect there're two MODULE lines.

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