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#1 2022-07-28 09:44:02

TomHu
Member
Registered: 2016-01-24
Posts: 9

[SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

Hi all,

I recently reinstalled my arch desktop on a thinkpad x270 (because I wanted to change the encryption to BTRFS on top of LUKS) as per this manual from the wiki. I deviated very little from what the instructions suggested.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/User:A … ch_Install

I also switched from awesome wm to i3.

However with the new installation I experienced short X11 freezes. It seems everything input related freezes for a few seconds (2-5s). Sound and video continue to operate though.

The intervals don’t seem to be static, however similiar within a few minutes. I have yet to measure them.

The awkward thing is, there is nothing in the logs when an input freeze occurs. I follow the kernel message buffer, the systemd journal and the Xorg log continously – to no avail.

I start Xorg via startx, also tried via sddm – no difference.

This is a snipped I use in xorg.conf.d, perhaps related.

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "system-keyboard"
        MatchIsKeyboard "on"
        Option "XkbLayout" "de"
        Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
        Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
	Option "XkbOptions" "compose:prsc"
EndSection

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "touchpad"
	MatchIsTouchpad "on"
	Driver "libinput"
	Option "SendEventsMode" "disabled-on-external-mouse"
	Option "Tapping" "1"
#	#Option "Ignore" "on"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Identifier      "Evdev Mouse"
  Driver          "evdev"
  Option          "Name" "Logitech Wireless Mouse M560"
  Option          "evBits"  "+1-2"
  Option          "keyBits" "~272-287"
  Option          "relBits" "~0-2 ~6 ~8"
  Option          "Pass"    "3"
  Option          "CorePointer"
EndSection

I’m not a newbie to unix and a very happy arch user for many years, but I have run out of ideas, where to look. I hope anyone might have an idea, where and how to investigate further.

Last edited by TomHu (2022-08-04 15:03:41)

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#2 2022-07-28 14:15:48

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

Let's check one possible cause.  When this is occurring, what it your memory allocation situation.  Post the output of free


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
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#3 2022-07-28 16:34:40

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,974

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

It seems everything input related freezes for a few seconds (2-5s).

"Everything" or "my wireless mouse"?

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#4 2022-07-28 17:29:38

TomHu
Member
Registered: 2016-01-24
Posts: 9

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

I have watched vmstat -s and free -m for a while and have noticed no spike or increase.

$ free -m
              gesamt       benutzt     frei      gemns.  Puffer/Cache verfügbar
Speicher:       7830        1925        3570         461        2334        5198
Swap:              0           0           0
$ vmstat -s
      8018292 K Gesamtspeicher
      2047616 K benutzter Speicher
       855716 K aktiver Speicher
      2889456 K inaktiver Speicher
      3594184 K freier Speicher
         7656 K Pufferspeicher
      2368836 K Auslagerungsspeicher-Cache
            0 K Gesamt-Auslagerungsspeicher
            0 K benutzter Auslagerungsspeicher
            0 K freier Auslagerungsspeicher
       209962 non-nice user cpu ticks
            0 nice user cpu ticks
        70892 System-CPU-Ticks
      5279265 Untätig-CPU-Ticks
         4391 E/A-Warten-CPU-Ticks
        10276 IRQ-CPU-Ticks
         6110 softirq cpu ticks
            0 stolen cpu ticks
      1502000 pages paged in
      1754312 pages paged out
            0 pages swapped in
            0 pages swapped out
      8965022 Interrupts
     25006541 CPU context switches
   1659014695 boot time
        15009 Forks

Seth, such subtle disdain… Cheers!

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#5 2022-07-28 17:45:15

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,974

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

I was actually serious about that.
"Everything input" is keyboard and mouse and the most prominent thing to notice lags first is gonna be the mouse.
And if there's no obvious reason for the stall (and it notably doesn't extend to output, ie. video) it's not unlikely that a wireless mouse doesn't wake of of its battery saving nap.

Trace "libinput debug-events" and/or "evtest" and see whether the input stall is reflected there as well.

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#6 2022-07-28 17:55:33

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

And it does not seem to be because the system is thrashing (memory is fine)


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

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#7 2022-07-28 18:16:45

TomHu
Member
Registered: 2016-01-24
Posts: 9

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

Seth, I know, and I know how to blend that with a hint of advice to disarm my victim gently, so it may choose to submit his self esteem in exchange for my help voluntarily. The shoals of IT support… I remember them.

The libinput debug-events and evtest on some devices reveal nothing, but a pause in input events, but no differing events.

I will try and watch the horrid output of the webcam and see, if it also stalls and hope evtest might reveal something there.

I have also suspected some cache issue with the encryption, but the intervals don’t correspond to anything I could imagine there.

Intervals today: 8', 6", 9", 30', 5", 2" Jumping the stopwatch to document this, multiplies how annoying it is.

I’ve noticed, I could try and switch to wayland temporarily, since i3 has a port that may share the configuration. I don’t know though, what that might entail.

Last edited by TomHu (2022-07-28 18:22:25)

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#8 2022-07-28 18:34:17

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,974

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

The libinput debug-events and evtest on some devices reveal nothing, but a pause in input events, but no differing events.

So you're not getting any input from the kernel device - wayland won't help you, based on the vague descriptions you've provided so far.

watch the horrid output of the webcam

disarm my victim gently, so it may choose to submit his self esteem in exchange for my help voluntarily

What the fuck are you talking about?

You've so far not specified "everything input related" and notably not whether it's in any way shape or form related to some specific input device.
If it isn't, you might experience a general usb autosuspend or ASPM issue or something™ is blocking the bus.
I'd start by removing all external USB devices and disable the webcam in the BIOS if you can and rfkill bluetooth if present and see whether the issue remains.
If yes, disable usb autosuspend and ultimately also ASPM.

Also valuable information would be if the input during the stall gets replayed w/ delay or simply dropped.

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#9 2022-08-01 13:29:31

TomHu
Member
Registered: 2016-01-24
Posts: 9

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

I deemed it completely sensible for "anything input related" to not be about a specific input device. I don’t care, if the fingerprint reader is affected too. The phrase, most probably, would include the mouse, touchpad, keyboard and, since I mentioned it to be a thinkpad, the trackpoint too. I think they are all handled by libinput. I don’t know if the microfone is affected. As mentioned, sound output is fine at all times.

Input is not lost, only delayed.

Disabled usb autosuspend, no change.

echo "-1" > /sys/module/usbcore/parameters/autosuspend

Disabled aspm, no change.

# efibootmgr -d /dev/nvme0n1 -p 1 -c --index 0000 -L "Arch" -l /vmlinuz-linux -u "initrd=intel-ucode.img initrd=initramfs-linux.img rd.luks.name=_=arch root=UUID=_ rw rootflags=subvol=@root pcie_aspm=off"

I disabled the webcam, fingerprint reader, even hyperthreading via BIOS. Disconnected all USB devices, not many after all.

I get this error message with bluetooth, but it doesn’t seem to hamper bluetooth functionality, I regularly use a headset.
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=276815
This error disappears when the bluetooth device is disabled in BIOS, but it doesn’t affect the issue.

Last edited by TomHu (2022-08-01 15:45:16)

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#10 2022-08-04 15:02:03

TomHu
Member
Registered: 2016-01-24
Posts: 9

Re: [SOLVED] recurring, short X11 freezes

Disabling panel self refresh solved the issue.

i915.enable_psr=0

Crikey! How is that still a problem?

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