Booting problem after system update

[Joey73]

Hello,

I hope someone can help me.

I installed Kubuntu Version 6.06 about 2 months ago. Last weekend I finally found some time to "play" with it. I installed all updates which were recommended in the Package Manager Adept.

Afterwards I wanted to reboot my laptop, but the boot froze at this level:

Booting 'Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-27-386'

root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-27-386 root=/dev/hda1 ro quiet splash
[Linux-bzImage, setup=0x1c00, size=0x157856]
initird /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-27-386
[Linux-initrd @ 0x1396a000, 0x6759fa bytes]
savedefault
boot
Uncompressing Linux... Ok, booting the kernel.

What worries me even more is, that sometimes the system boots, sometimes it doesn't. I really don't see a pattern as much as I try to. I tried disconnecting it plus removing the battery ... that worked only once ... it didn't today.

Sounds like a hard drive problem, right? But I never had a problem before the system update.

I hope someone can help me with this.

Thank you very much in advance.

Joey

PS:
My Laptop:
IBM ThinkPad X20
Intel Mobile Pentium III (Coppermine) 600 MHz
Chipset: Intel Corporation 440BX/ZX - 82443BX/ZX
Memory: 320MB RAM, 100 MHz, non-parity, 64-bit SDRAM SO DIMM memory
Intel Corporation 82371AB PIIX4
ATI Rage Mobility M with 4MB
Hard disk: 20 GB IBM ATA DISK, IBM-DJSA-220
Soundcard: Crystal SoundFusion CS 4281
PCMCIA: Ricoh Co Ltd RL5c476 II

[penguin.ch]

Re: Booting problem after system update

Joey,

I have to admit that I experienced a similar phenomenon while trying to run Ubuntu on an old IBM NetVista, and I'm still wondering what happend. (For other reasons, I replaced the "real" by another "virtual" machine). However, with your laptop we are supposed to be in luck - at least "core" Debian seems to go well with a Thinkpad, as I've learned from http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/ibm.html

O.k., then ... first of all, I would suggest to reboot the system and, when GRUB shows up, select the kernel you're going to use and remove splash silent from the according entry's list of boot parameters. This way, you will get a lot of information about what's really going on while the "silenced" display only shows "Uncompressing Linux... Ok, booting the kernel.". And hopefully you will see what part of the boot process causes your system to hang (may be a failure to load some of the more "delicate" stuff, like the bluetooth module or the like).

If this "quick & dirty" approach does not lead to the results we are hoping for, a more "systematic" way to go could be to (re-) build a boot protocol you will be able to analyze unhurriedly as well as to post it here in order to give others a change to help you on ... further details on how to do this are to be found in these notes.

HTH
Birdy

--

Postscript: reference updated

[Joey73]

Re: Booting problem after system update

Hi Birdy,

again, thank you very much for your help.

I removed spash silent from the according entry´s list of boot parameters.

Here are the last few lines I see before the boot process freezes:

[4294671.192000] **** SET: Misaligned resource pointer: d3c49122 Type 00 Len 42
[4294671.193000] pnp: Device 00:0a activated.
[4294671.193000] 00:0a: ttyS0 at I/O 0x3f8 (irq = 4) is a 16550A
[4294671.194000] **** SET: Misaligned resource pointer: d3c49122 Type 07 Len 0
[4294671.195000] ACPI : PCI Interrupt Link [LNKC] enabled at IRQ 11
[4294671.195000] ACPI : PCI Interrupt 0000 :00 :0a.1[A] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11


When I add acpi=off to the second line of the boot parameters, the boot process freezes here:

[ 39.933289] pnp: Device 00:0f activated.
[ 39.933727] 00:0f : ttyS0 at I/O 0x3f8 (irq = 4) is a 16550A
[ 39.934288] PCI : Found IRQ 11 for device 0000:00:0a.1
[ 39.934363] PCI : Sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:0a.0


Sharing IRQ sounds like the problem, right?

Joey

[penguin.ch]

Re: Booting problem after system update

Joey,

I'd dare saying that this doesn't look all too bad :P

As next step, I would suggest adding irqpoll as boot parameter and give it another try.

Furthermore, since apparently IRQ 11 causes trouble, a look at your laptop's BIOS might prove helpful - depending on the interface, you may get some information on the way the IRQs are assigned or may even be allowed to change the relevant settings (there I have to guess, for I cannot afford an IBM laptop ).

HTH
Birdy

[Joey73]

Re: Booting problem after system update

Hi Birdy,

I added irqpoll as boot parameter and tried both with and without acpi=off.
Comparing the output-lines before the system freezes with the ones of my previos post, I didn´t see a difference.

I checked the Bios and found the IRQ 11 within Config - PCI:
1st PCI IRQ [11]
2nd PCI IRQ [11]
3rd PCI IRQ [11]
4th PCI IRQ [11]

As I mentioned already, sometimes (unfortunately not very often) Kubuntu boots without a problem.
So, I used the last chance to copy some information which might be of some help. This is the information the Infocenter gave me:

Iterrupts:
==========
0: 297878 XT-PIC timer
1: 41 XT-PIC i8042
2: 0 XT-PIC cascade
7: 2 XT-PIC parport0
8: 3 XT-PIC rtc
9: 3890 XT-PIC acpi
11: 1076 XT-PIC uhci_hcd:usb1, yenta, yenta, CS4281, eth0
12: 5503 XT-PIC ide0
14: 0
NMI: 0
LOC: 0
ERR: 0
MIS: 0

PCI (dots in between the lines replace several lines):
===
...
0000:00:07:0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 USB(rev 01)(prog-if 00 [UHCI])
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 64, IRQ 11
...
0000:00:08.0 CardBus bridge: Ricoh Co Ltd RL5c476 II (rev 80)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad A/T/X Series
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 168, IRQ 11
...
0000:00:08.1 CardBus bridge: Ricoh Co Ltd RL5c476 II (rev 80)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad A/T/X Series
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 168, IRQ 11
...
0000:00:0a.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82557/8/9 [Ethernet Pro 100] (rev 09)
Subsystem: Intel Corporation EtherExpress PRO/100+ MiniPCI
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 66, IRQ 11
...
0000:00:0a.1 Serial controller: Xircom Mini-PCI V.90 56k Modem (prog-if 02 [16550])
Subsystem: Intel Corporation: Unknown device 2408
Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 11
...
0000:00:0b.0 Multimedia audio controller: Cirrus Logic Crystal CS4281 PCI Audio (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM: Unknown device 0183
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 64, IRQ 11
...
0000:01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Rage Mobility P/M AGP 2x (rev 64) (prog-if 00 [VGA])
Subsystem: IBM: Unknown device 0182
Flags: bus master, stepping, medium devsel, latency 66, IRQ 11
...

I hope you still have enough energy to help me with this problem

Thank you again.

Joey

[penguin.ch]

Re: Booting problem after system update

I added irqpoll as boot parameter [...] I didn´t see a difference.

Then there may be none ... hey, I'm only guessing anyway

Interrupts: 11: 1076 XT-PIC uhci_hcd:usb1, yenta, yenta, CS4281, eth0

Four "devices" against one poor little interrupt? That's what I call nasty :P

Assuming that you're not willing to abandon neither the dock station (which makes for the two "yentas", as far as I know) nor the sound system (aka "CS4281"), I would think that you're in need of a possibility to change some of the IRQs assignments ...

My problem there is that I know next to nothing about hardware - in this regard, I'm a real "softie" but maybe the IBM / Lenovo Online Support is able to help you with this (they are supposed to, after all ...).

Birdy

[Joey73]

Re: Booting problem after system update

Hi Birdy,

I chose the shortcut and reinstalled the system.
It starts without a problem now.

It would be nice to find out which of the updates I installed last time caused the trouble.
If I find some time the following weeks, I will make an update again. Maybe it will be possible to find out a little more about that.

If I do, I will let you (and you all) know.

Thanks for now.

Joey

[penguin.ch]

Re: Booting problem after system update

Joey,

if you can spare enough disk space (maybe on another machine), I would suggest to backup the whole system prior to updating - I do the very same by creating an image of the system partition prior to invoking apt-get upgrade (for further details on the way I'm backing things up, please refer to these notes).

Birdy