Arch Linux

yuuna

Member

Registered: 2024-07-08

Posts: 2

[SOLVED]System freezes under heavy load

Hello,

As the title suggests, my system(laptop) freezes whenever I put it under heavy load, whenever I do any video editing, compiling or running virutal machines (qemu,kvm & virt-manager) my system completely freezes.

My system specifications:
Kernel: 6.9.8-hardened
Xorg
intel-media-driver
Microcode and linux-firmware are installed
I have in /etc/mkinicpio.conf MODULES array
MODULES=(i915)

When the freeze happens, the last 3-5 seconds of the audio I was playing (if I was playing music or a video) would loop and the screen would freeze. Keyboard and touchpad would stop responding. Sometimes, the capslock light would flicker on and off, it would stay like this until I reboot it by pressing the power button. Since I'm pressing the power button, there is nothing in the logs.

I have done the following trying to fix it:

• I removed tlp but the freezes still occurred.

• I had intel-undervolt, I set values to default, removed the service and the package but freeze still occurred..

• I switched to linux 6.9.8 and freezes occur here as well.

• I downgraded the linux & linux-hardened to 6.9.7 and the freezes occur there as well.

• Added the following kernel parameters: intel_idle.max_cstate=1 i915.enable_dc=0 ahci.mobile_lpm_policy=1 (From Crash/freeze on low power Intel CPUs) THIS STOPS the system from freezing but it drains the battery very quickly.

• Removing everything except intel_idle_max_cstate=1 ALSO STOPS the system freezes but the battery gets drained quickly as well.

• Switching to the LTS kernel and the freezes don't occur, this fixes it as well.

I was hoping someone might have an idea of how I could mitigate this issue without using intel_idle_max_cstate=1 or running the lts kernel. I'm fine running the LTS kernel for now but won't this eventually affect the LTS later on as well?.

Thank you for your time

EDIT: Tried a few of the older kernels, 6.8.9 does not freeze the system but the ones after it do,

Last edited by yuuna (2024-08-15 15:46:51)

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,638

Re: [SOLVED]System freezes under heavy load

In your symptoms, you are describing a kernel panic  (blinking keyboard lights and looping audio are a dead giveaway)

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Kernel#Kernel_panics

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seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 75,939

Re: [SOLVED]System freezes under heavy load

So heavy load causes this but also higher c-states?
What if you disable the turbo-boost, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CPU_fr … y_boosting ?

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yuuna

Member

Registered: 2024-07-08

Posts: 2

Re: [SOLVED]System freezes under heavy load

Thank you ewaller, after you mentioned kernel panics I was able to find this post, where the person asking for help had kernel panics happening they mentioned lower clock speeds decrease the frequency of crashes. Based on seth's suggestion, I disabled turbo boost and the kernel panics no longer occur.

I thought about why this may be and assumed that maybe higher clock speeds when boosting caused the freeze due to the lower voltage values set by me undervolting?. So I disabled the intel-undervolt service and removed it again.

This time thought the kernel panics no longer happen.

So either its some weird black magic where I have to disable-enable-disable or I'm crazy. Not sure which.

I did not experience any more kernel panics, even after stress testing, doing the things I did before to reproduces the freezes.

Thank you both so much for your help.

Last edited by yuuna (2024-07-10 14:28:16)