# Kernel crashing with no error messages

## bourane

Hi folks !

I just bought a Fitpc2 (some tiny computer based on intel atom and the crappy GMA500). After severals unsuccesfuls tries to make the graphics working under ubuntu, I decided to try with mi favorite distro, Gentoo. Actualy ubuntu tutorials was just "click and u dunno what you do" so it was pretty hard to understand what weren't working.

Anyway, my problem is about the kernel config. I folowed Compulab's config http://www.compulab.co.il/workspace/mediawiki/index.php5/SBC-FITPC2:_Linux:_Kernel#Patches_for_Linux_kernel_earlier_than_2.6.32 to configure the 2.6.37-gentoo-r4 linux sources. 

The filesystem and SCH pata drivers are builtin.

I copied the bzImage and finaly tried to boot with grub.

my kernel is booting well, the root fs (ext4) mounts, i got the message "xxxkb of unused memory freeded" and then, the comuter just reboots without any error message nor panic.

there is some things weird:

1-root file system is /dev/sdb1 when using gentoo's live cd (on usb stick) but in grub I wrote 

```
hd(0,0)
```

 and  

```
root=/dev/sda1"
```

 because I remove the usb stick to try

2-every 

```
make && make modules_install
```

 is building the whole kernel, regardless of allready compiled files (taking about half a day!)

3-genkernel hangs complaining of missing firmwares (so i builded my own kernel)

4-booting in rescue mode  

```
init=/bin/dd
```

 gaves me a prompt but with rootfs readonly, /dev and /proc empty

during the three last day I tried different things about the bios with no succes.

any ideas ?

----------

## dE_logics

Looks like a KMS problem.

----------

## bourane

thanks for the reply de_logics !

i had the folowing confog:

 *Quote:*   

> DRM_I915=m DRM_I915_KMS=y FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y

 

that whas near the fatal combo !

 *Quote:*   

> Here is the fatal combo: DRM_I915=m DRM_I915_KMS=y FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=m

 

so y made DRM_I915 builtin and will see with i915.modesetting otherwise.

make is again compiling the whole kernel. I may have miss something when i chrooted.

I'll try as soon as i get back.

B.

----------

## dE_logics

Try setting kms to no or set the following options to kernel - 

i915.modeset=0

----------

## bourane

I tried options "i915.modeset=" and "nomodeset" with no luck

I tried to disable i915_KMS as you sugested but no more luck.

Still investigating...

edit:

well, i removed almost everything in the kernel to avoid such conflicts, kms and frame buffer are no longer in my image.

after mounting rootfs evdev was complaining about inotify missing and then, the computer was rebooting.

i added inotify builtin:

after mounting rootfs and detecting my usb keyboard, same thing: rebooting...

that's frustating not beeing able to see whatever appens, it's rebooting in less than a second !

----------

## dE_logics

You might also like to try Debian sources - 

That way we can see if it's a userspace problem or not - 

https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=137203

Alternatively uncheck DRM, are you sure you have FB device support enabled?

----------

## bourane

DRM was allready disabled, FB as well.

Trying again with FB enable (with only vesa) gave me the same thing

Ubuntu, Geexbox and Gentoo's live cd are booting well... Except last Gentoo's minimal  :Crying or Very sad: 

Is that a good practice to copy the gentoo's live cd image and modules to my root ? 

I could have done it but i prefer doing distro compliant actions like not executing .run installs. ( debian former addict side effects   :Wink:   )

I have not seen any debian sources in portage. is that in an overlay ?

I'm begining to regret this computer. UPS just asked me to pay about 70€ for duty fees, VAT. i had paid about 30€ for shipping and missed the small caracters : 

 *Quote:*   

> +shipping, duty & VAT

 

ps: Thanks beeing this patient de_logics !

----------

## dE_logics

 *Quote:*   

> ps: Thanks beeing this patient de_logics !

 

People helped me lot more to get my first Gentoo install   :Smile: 

That's just an ebuild in the bugzilla... you can manually install that ebuild by making your own overlay locally... you need to read portage man page and docs for that. 

Anyway, I think you should try other method, cause it might turn out difficult making your own overlay.

Boot a generic distro which works and post and use the output of  - 

lspci -k 

This'll show the kernel modules in use, so you can tally what's missing.

Another technique is to copy the generic kernel config, usually in /boot/config* from a working distro and make a kernel around it (using 'oldconfig' first instead of menuconfig, this will sort out the difference between the config version you copied and the kernel version you're using).

----------

## bourane

 *Quote:*   

> lspci -k

 

i didn't knew that option. what i had missed ! 

```
Gentoo-11 ~ # lspci -k

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) Graphics Controller (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) HD Audio Controller (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

   Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel

   Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 07)

   Kernel modules: shpchp

00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) USB UHCI #1 (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

   Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd

   Kernel modules: uhci-hcd

00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) USB UHCI #2 (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

   Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd

   Kernel modules: uhci-hcd

00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) USB UHCI #3 (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

   Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd

   Kernel modules: uhci-hcd

00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) USB EHCI #1 (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

   Kernel driver in use: ehci_hcd

   Kernel modules: ehci-hcd

00:1e.0 SD Host controller: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) SDIO Controller #1 (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

   Kernel driver in use: sdhci-pci

   Kernel modules: sdhci-pci

00:1e.1 SD Host controller: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) SDIO Controller #2 (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

   Kernel driver in use: sdhci-pci

   Kernel modules: sdhci-pci

00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) LPC Bridge (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) LPC Bridge

   Kernel driver in use: lpc_sch

   Kernel modules: lpc_sch

00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) IDE Controller (rev 07)

   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 8119

   Kernel driver in use: pata_sch

   Kernel modules: pata_sch

02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller (rev 03)

   Subsystem: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller

   Kernel driver in use: r8169

   Kernel modules: r8169

```

cpuinfo

```
Gentoo-11 ~ # cat /proc/cpuinfo 

processor   : 0

vendor_id   : GenuineIntel

cpu family   : 6

model      : 28

model name   : Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU Z510   @ 1.10GHz

stepping   : 2

cpu MHz      : 1097.021

cache size   : 512 KB

fdiv_bug   : no

hlt_bug      : no

f00f_bug   : no

coma_bug   : no

fpu      : yes

fpu_exception   : yes

cpuid level   : 10

wp      : yes

flags      : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss tm pbe nx constant_tsc up arch_perfmon pebs bts aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl est tm2 ssse3 xtpr pdcm movbe lahf_lm dts

bogomips   : 2194.04

clflush size   : 64

cache_alignment   : 64

address sizes   : 32 bits physical, 32 bits virtual

power management:

```

dmidecode

```

[...]

Handle 0x0004, DMI type 4, 40 bytes

Processor Information

   Socket Designation: U3E1

   Type: Central Processor

   Family: Other

   Manufacturer: Intel

   ID: C2 06 01 00 FF FB E9 AF

   Version: A0

   Voltage: 1.8 V

   External Clock: Unknown

[b]   Max Speed: 2666 MHz

   Current Speed: 1100 MHz[/b]

   Status: Populated, Enabled

   Upgrade: ZIF Socket

   L1 Cache Handle: 0x0005

   L2 Cache Handle: 0x0006

   L3 Cache Handle: Not Provided

   Serial Number: Not Specified

   Asset Tag: Not Specified

   Part Number: Not Specified

   Core Count: 1

   Core Enabled: 1

   Thread Count: 1

   Characteristics: None

[...]

Handle 0x0016, DMI type 23, 13 bytes

System Reset

   [b]Status: Enabled[/b]

   Watchdog Timer: Present

   Boot Option: Do Not Reboot

   Boot Option On Limit: Do Not Reboot

   Reset Count: Unknown

   Reset Limit: Unknown

   Timer Interval: Unknown

   Timeout: Unknown

```

there is somthing witch may be weird about cpu frequency and the watchdog.

will try some tomorrow, i've got my day off !

----------

## bourane

Well, I finally got it working using genkernel by disableing firmware stuffs in menuconfig.

So i have not found the problem and have a BIG kernel (but at least working).

then, I compiled intel's emgb drm driver and figured out that it needs drivers for Xorg to make it working. The xorg's drivers are provided as well but in binaries packages for Meego and FedoraCore. 

I tried others distros (some suposed to make this messy GMA500 work) but with no success:

Gentoo, Ubuntu and Debian are clipping a lot with no Direct Rendering (using vesa)

Joli os (with embedeed poulsbo drivers) got stuck at loading flooding syslog with dmesg errors (using the old psb driver)

Geexbox is working with no clipping but nor DR (using vesa), i have made a package for emgb drm drivers if someone is interested. I'ts useless without xorg emgb proprietary driver...

All my problems seems to come from the GMA500. I have found severals drivers but the only place i heard of an opensource driver is there :

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportComponentsVideoCardsPoulsbo

I had bought this device to make a multimedia platform but without DR it gonna be hard !

Thanks for the help anyway !

ps de_logics, you could add Intel and PowerVR in your boycotted companies list  :Wink: 

----------

## dE_logics

With the amount of contribution Intel has on Linux... it's impossible.

----------

## bourane

I was joking ! Before this, I never had any problem with intel hardware and have always avoid ATI/Nvidia graphics chipset. 

The problem here is that they have used PowerVR's Hardware and i bet PowerVR just gave them binary drivers...

For my previous problem about the kernel crash, i have seen something interesting in MeeGo: during the boot process, it warn:

 *Quote:*   

> conflict, drm/i915 need intel_agp

 

i'll check this out in my custom gentoo's kernel.

on an other hand i have tried to install EMGD in MeeGo. Dmesg gave me something an i'm just trying to configure it (intel's doc is not uptodate and the are dealing with files that do not exists, checked the whole file system)

by the way that's another story and i have seen some gentooers talking about the old poulsbo driver running on 2.6.37... Still considering Gentoo  :Wink: 

----------

