Arch Linux

grndrush

Member

From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Registered: 2003-12-28

Posts: 136

Website

X won't start after -Syu upgraded kernel headers

I did a 'pacman -Syu' early this AM. The only updates which appear relevant to my problem were kernel-headers 2.6.30.1-1 -> 2.6.30.5-1 and, possibly, glibc 2.10.1-3 -> 2.10.1-4 (the kernel itself was previously updated to 2.6.30.5-1 w/no problem). Running i686 ATM.

Now, X dies with:

Fatal server error:
Caught signal 11.  Server aborting

From the kernel log:

Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: MTRR default type: uncachable
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: MTRR fixed ranges enabled:
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 00000-9FFFF write-back
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: A0000-EFFFF uncachable
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: F0000-FFFFF write-protect
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: MTRR variable ranges enabled:
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 0 base 0000000000 mask FF80000000 write-back
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 1 base 00DC000000 mask FFFC000000 write-combining
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 2 disabled
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 3 disabled
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 4 disabled
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 5 disabled
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 6 disabled
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: 7 disabled
Aug 24 06:50:24 arch32 kernel: x86 PAT enabled: cpu 0, old 0x7040600070406, new 0x7010600070106

<snip>

Aug 24 06:51:51 arch32 kernel: agpgart-amd64 0000:00:00.0: AGP 3.0 bridge
Aug 24 06:51:51 arch32 kernel: agpgart: BIOS bug. AGP bridge claims to only support x4 rateFixing up support for x2 & x1
Aug 24 06:51:51 arch32 kernel: agpgart-amd64 0000:00:00.0: bridge is in legacy mode, falling back to 2.x
Aug 24 06:51:51 arch32 kernel: agpgart-amd64 0000:00:00.0: putting AGP V2 device into 4x mode
Aug 24 06:51:51 arch32 kernel: nvidia 0000:01:00.0: putting AGP V2 device into 4x mode
Aug 24 06:51:52 arch32 kernel: X:4200 conflicting memory types c8000000-c84b0000 uncached-minus<->write-combining
Aug 24 06:51:52 arch32 kernel: reserve_memtype failed 0xc8000000-0xc84b0000, track uncached-minus, req write-combining
Aug 24 06:51:52 arch32 kernel: X:4200 conflicting memory types c8000000-c84b0000 uncached-minus<->write-combining
Aug 24 06:51:52 arch32 kernel: reserve_memtype failed 0xc8000000-0xc84b0000, track uncached-minus, req write-combining

I found this report: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=538309 - same messages, similar hardware (Prior report was using kernel 2.6.29.1-3 and a GF4 MX/440, I have a newer kernel per above, and a GF2 MX/400). I also found numerous other reports of the same problem on numerous other distros, usually but not always involving older Nvidia H/W (usually GF2/4, but I found at least one report WRT an ATI card, as well). All occurred just after a kernel upgrade, starting as far back as 2.6.27; no prior kernels have caused this problem in my case (this install is mature; I went through 2.6.27 and most stops in between w/o a problem, and I tend to stay quite current).

Adding "nopat" to my kernel boot parameters, as suggested in the report above (and elsewhere) does fix the problem, but it is, of course, a hack. I can't elegantly revert the kernel-headers, as the current glibc requires the current kernel-headers, and I'd much prefer to avoid reverting the glibc upgrade. Ideas?

arkham

Member

From: Stockholm

Registered: 2008-10-26

Posts: 516

Website

Re: X won't start after -Syu upgraded kernel headers

My idea is keep 'nopat' and file a bug report when the bug system comes back.

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"I'm Winston Wolfe. I solve problems."

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