Arch Linux

LK001

Member

Registered: 2018-08-29

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Hello, after yesterday update I have the same problem, freezing on boot, on either regular or fallback image. Problem disappear if I boot with acpi=off parameter.

Architecture: x86_64, CPU(s): 4, CPU family: 6, Model: 23
Model name: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9550 @ 2.83GHz

BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=d64fe3c3-a144-4b79-b463-75fb0c5e025f rw acpi=off

Linux 4.18.5-arch1-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Fri Aug 24 12:48:58 UTC 2018 x86_64 GNU/Linux

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 23,189

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

So many much better options have been found in this thread and you go for disabling the kitchen sink? Does changing the clocksource not suffice for your case?

benoliver999

Member

From: Sheffield

Registered: 2014-02-01

Posts: 39

Website

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Is everyone suffering from this on an x200 running libreboot?

nic3-14159

Member

Registered: 2018-08-20

Posts: 18

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Is everyone suffering from this on an x200 running libreboot?

Nope. Running a Dell Latitude E6400 with the normal Dell BIOS.
Also have seen a Lenovo SL500, Dell M4400, Dell E6500, and a HP G61 on this thread. But there does seem to be quite a few people using x200s

gregfrankenstein

Member

Registered: 2015-09-12

Posts: 26

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

I can boot on the kernel 4.18.5 if I add nosmp to the boot parameters, however, my laptop only recognizes 1 cpu when running nproc. I also get a message about my bios being broken (libreboot), but I think I have been getting this message since changing over to libreboot. When I tried using the acpi=off boot parameter, the laptop boots, but I cannot log in because the keyboard stops working.

From one Libreboot user to another, you can fix the "bios is broken" message by adding the intremap=off parameter.

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=205008

LK001

Member

Registered: 2018-08-29

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

So many much better options have been found in this thread and you go for disabling the kitchen sink? Does changing the clocksource not suffice for your case?

Yes, works:

clocksource=tsc -> boot freeze

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clocksource=hpet -> boot ok

cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/current_clocksource
hpet

cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/available_clocksource
hpet acpi_pm

---

clocksource=acpi_pm -> boot ok

cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/current_clocksource
acpi_pm

cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/available_clocksource
hpet acpi_pm

---

acpi=off -> boot ok

cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/current_clocksource
tsc

cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/available_clocksource
tsc hpet

hamelg

Member

From: France

Registered: 2008-06-19

Posts: 129

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

.Looking at the hardware from the users in this thread, I have the impression that the problem seems to occur with old Intel Core 2 Duo and related CPUs (I have a Core 2 Duo E8400). Therefore I looked for related changes in the kernel version 4.18 and I found out that there were at least these changes regarding the boot process on x86:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/ke … 7578ec1a71

I've just seen this issue on phoronix.
I have the same CPU and don't have the issue. My system is using the clocksource tsc.

$ head /proc/cpuinfo 
processor       : 0
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 23
model name      : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU     E8400  @ 3.00GHz
stepping        : 10
microcode       : 0xa0b
cpu MHz         : 2201.065
cache size      : 6144 KB
physical id     : 0
$ cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/current_clocksource
tsc

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,037

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=200957#c4 at least the response was quick.

MrLinuxFish

Member

Registered: 2016-11-23

Posts: 23

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

My computer is using hpet as the clock source. I have no idea if this is something which needs to be changed... For the time being, I've downgraded to kernel 4.17.14-arch1-1-ARCH as it is the newest kernel which recognizes both cores on my laptop. (It's nearly impossible to use firefox with only one cpu core.

NiceGuy

Member

Registered: 2018-02-19

Posts: 50

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

E-Mails have been sent to the kernel developers and LKML.
Should not take long before it gets fixed.

I also wanted to mention that if a new issue on the kernel.org bugzilla is submitted,
the bugtracker will notify the subsystem maintainers per e-mail automatically.

So, there is not just an idle bugzilla entry, at least in our case, which we knew was related to 'timers'.

progandy

Member

Registered: 2012-05-17

Posts: 5,259

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

E-Mails have been sent to the kernel developers and LKML.

Here is the mail: https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/8/30/341

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LK001

Member

Registered: 2018-08-29

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

E-Mails have been sent to the kernel developers and LKML.

Here is the mail: https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/8/30/341

Subject REGRESSION: boot stalls on several old dual core Intel CPUs

Hmm, I have quad core (Q9550).

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 23,189

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Still likely to be the same/similar underlying core architecture, so it's unsurprising you are affected as well.

LK001

Member

Registered: 2018-08-29

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Yes, I meant with my post that probably better would be to describe it as "Core 2" problem instead of "old dual core" for clarity reasons. But may be it is sufficient for them.

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,037

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Depends if the kernel developers are able to reproduce the issue https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/2018083013 … s-ass.net/

latalante1

Member

Registered: 2018-08-30

Posts: 110

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Booting and works properly.

$ uname -srv
Linux 4.18.5-arch1-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Fri Aug 24 12:48:58 UTC 2018

$ lscpu
Model name:          Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU         T5300  @ 1.73GHz

$ cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/current_clocksource
tsc

phi_delta

Member

Registered: 2018-08-30

Posts: 1

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Is everyone suffering from this on an x200 running libreboot?

Nope. Running a Dell Latitude E6400 with the normal Dell BIOS.
Also have seen a Lenovo SL500, Dell M4400, Dell E6500, and a HP G61 on this thread. But there does seem to be quite a few people using x200s

You may add the Dell Latitude XT2 with ye olde Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU U9600 @ 1.60GHz to that list. No bueno in 4.18.5 (and .4) except for fallback mode.

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,037

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Those affected are you using intel-ucode.img and what flags does lscpu show?

progandy

Member

Registered: 2012-05-17

Posts: 5,259

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Since the fallback image boots fine, maybe you can try different compression algorithms for the image?

The weirdest thing about this bug is that the same kernel works fine with the fallback image but fails with the default.
Edit: Maybe loqs is onto something. I don't have a Core 2 and no bug either, but I remembered that I only added intel-ucode to my default boot entry. The fallback option does not load the microcode.

Last edited by progandy (2018-08-30 16:19:26)

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LK001

Member

Registered: 2018-08-29

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

NO, fallback image doesnt work for me as I already posted. Also delete microcode image from cmdline in grub doesnt work for me.

in addition from 'journalctl --boot':
microcode: microcode updated early to revision 0xa0b, date = 2010-09-28

Last edited by LK001 (2018-08-30 16:45:50)

NiceGuy

Member

Registered: 2018-02-19

Posts: 50

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

microcode: intel-ucode loaded and used: yes

journalctl:
microcode: microcode updated early to revision 0x60f, date = 2010-09-29
microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.2
microcode: sig=0x10676, pf=0x1, revision=0x60f

lscpu Flags:
fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm sse4_1 lahf_lm pti tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

Last edited by NiceGuy (2018-08-30 17:36:37)

NiceGuy

Member

Registered: 2018-02-19

Posts: 50

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

I tested without the microcode package intel-ucode, made sure it's also completely removed by pacman.

In all cases with 4.18.5 I have to use "clocksource=hpet" or "clocksource=acpi_pm" with both normal and fallback initrd or it is stalling.
"clocksource=tsc" also stalls and does not work for me.

NiceGuy

Member

Registered: 2018-02-19

Posts: 50

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

I'm also intrigued to do a test install of Fedora 29; different distribution, different .config for the kernel also at version 4.18.5.
I report back if this issue persists across distributions. Might be far fetched, but I'm willing to try.

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,037

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Do the boot options tsc=unstable or tsc=reliable have any effect?

NiceGuy

Member

Registered: 2018-02-19

Posts: 50

Re: [SOLVED] CPU stall on boot, Intel Core 2 Processors

Indeed: tsc=unstable works, tsc=reliable fails to boot and stalls.