# Debugging Emperor Penguing GNU/Linux Notebook

## Matias Jose Seco

Greetings,

i'm actually attempting to solve some issues encountered via dmesg for the entitled Notebook Model 

Hardware information:

lspci.info

lshw.info

dmidecode.info

Configurations information:

emerge.info

Kernel .config

Mainly, i've found relevant the following ones:

```
[    0.509961] drivers/rtc/hctosys.c: unable to open rtc device (rtc0)
```

[OK] Resolved following this.

```
[    1.555241] mtrr: no more MTRRs available

[    1.555245] [drm] MTRR allocation failed.  Graphics performance may suffer.
```

I've tried a solution from GentooWikiCom & LinuxQuestions, but it seems that simply none mtrrs are available.

[OK] With Linux Kernel 3.7.10 this allocation does not fail anymore.

```
[    0.493606] intel_idle: does not run on family 6 model 58
```

This seems to be implemented in Linux 3.6

[OK] Confirmed functionality for 3.7.10:

```
[    0.607436] intel_idle: MWAIT substates: 0x21120

[    0.607436] intel_idle: v0.4 model 0x3A

[    0.607437] intel_idle: lapic_timer_reliable_states 0xffffffff
```

```
[Firmware Bug]: ACPI: No _BQC method, cannot determine initial brightness
```

I prefer not messing with workarounds. Fortunately this seems fixed in Linux 3.5.2 . 

(EDIT)  Still persistent on 3.7.10.

 *Quote:*   

> Blank screen after boot

 

Workaround using nomodeset as a kernel boot option.

[OK] nomodeset option is not needed! To fix blank screen after boot read this.

```
[    1.485216] microcode: CPU0 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x10, revision=0x12

[    1.485219] microcode: Missing Free firmware

[    1.503980] microcode: CPU1 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x10, revision=0x12

[    1.503983] microcode: Missing Free firmware

[    1.504880] microcode: CPU2 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x10, revision=0x12

[    1.504883] microcode: Missing Free firmware

[    1.506004] microcode: CPU3 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x10, revision=0x12

[    1.506008] microcode: Missing Free firmware

[    1.506705] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.00 <tigran@aivazian.fsnet.co.uk>, Peter Oruba
```

Is this preventing to get some feature? I thought Intel released open near every software aspect for Ivy Bridge Support

[OK] I have maybe resolved this in the correct manner.

```
\_SB_.PCI0: _OSC invalid UUID

_OSC request data: 1 1f 1f

pci0000:00: ACPI _OSC notification failed, disabling PCIe ASPM

pci0000:00: Unable to request _OSC control (_OSC support mask: 0x08)

```

Here i found what does the 4th means, but it just warns that there is something wrong.

It could be related to PCIe ASPM, as i already get this message:

```
ACPI FADT declares the system doesn't support PCIe ASPM, so disable it
```

(EDIT)  Still persistent on 3.7.10.

```
[    1.694664] [Firmware Bug]: battery: (dis)charge rate invalid.

```

Tried using Native SMBus driver instead of ACPI's one, but that just creates an SystemIO Conflict:

```
ACPI Warning: SystemIO conflicts with Region \_SB_.PCI0.SBUS.SMBI 

 If an acpi driver is available for this device, you should use it instead of the native driver
```

[OK] Nevertheless, i found that it appears when i boot with laptop plugged to the wall, without it, it doesn't appear.

```
[    0.459340] system 00:0a: [mem 0xff010000-0xffffffff] could not be reserved

[    0.459442] system 00:0a: [mem 0xfee00000-0xfeefffff] could not be reserved
```

Not an issueLast edited by Matias Jose Seco on Fri Apr 05, 2013 4:35 pm; edited 4 times in total

----------

## wcg

Perhaps consult the linux-pci mailing list?

To subscribe/unsubscribe:

http://vger.kernel.org/vger-lists.html

An archive:

http://marc.info/?l=linux-pci

I would search an archive first for any mention of your

computer/mb model.

----------

## Matias Jose Seco

 *wcg wrote:*   

> Perhaps consult the linux-pci mailing list?
> 
> To subscribe/unsubscribe:
> 
> http://vger.kernel.org/vger-lists.html
> ...

 

Thanks for the tip, i'll look at it.

Nevertheless, i've noted that i've enabled "Development/Incomplete Drivers" option. So now i've disable it (hiding+disabling several options), and i've got rid of "Missing Free Firmware" and "battery (dis)charge bug" messages (letting me use native SMBus option without I/O Conflict).

About brightness issue, i've attemped to test an all-built-in kernel,succeding to get native resolution, but it just panic's or hungs at "wating fo uevents" phase.

As so i've tried only building-in Agp and Drm drivers, but it results in BQC's bug again:

dmesg-2

config-2

A note: when building kernel i've encountered the following complaints:

```
warning: (DRM) selects DMA_SHARED_BUFFER which has unmet direct dependencies (EXPERIMENTAL)

warning: (ACPI_HOTPLUG_CPU) selects ACPI_CONTAINER which has unmet direct dependencies (ACPI && EXPERIMENTAL)

warning: (DRM) selects DMA_SHARED_BUFFER which has unmet direct dependencies (EXPERIMENTAL)

warning: (ACPI_HOTPLUG_CPU) selects ACPI_CONTAINER which has unmet direct dependencies (ACPI && EXPERIMENTAL)
```

```
  CC      fs/ext4/file.o

arch/x86/kernel/microcode_intel.c: In function 'request_microcode_fw':

arch/x86/kernel/microcode_intel.c:416:3: warning: too many arguments for format

  LD      arch/x86/kernel/built-in.o
```

```
 CC      security/commoncap.o

fs/ext4/resize.c: In function 'ext4_update_super':

fs/ext4/resize.c:1144:9: warning: unused variable 'ret'

  CC      kernel/utsname_sysctl.o
```

build-2

Are this issues relevant ?

----------

## Ant P.

 *Matias Jose Seco wrote:*   

> A note: when building kernel i've encountered the following complaints:
> 
> ```
> warning: (DRM) selects DMA_SHARED_BUFFER which has unmet direct dependencies (EXPERIMENTAL)
> 
> ...

 

Only if you want 3D graphics card support or working suspend-to-RAM.

----------

## Matias Jose Seco

 *Ant P. wrote:*   

> Only if you want 3D graphics card support or working suspend-to-RAM.

 

From build log, i see it compiled 'drivers/acpi/container.o', and (possibly) for the latter 'drivers/base/dma-buf.o': 

so this means that it compiled them even if i haven't enabled Experimental Drivers? (if so it shouldn't impact, right?)

-----------------

 *Matias Jose Seco wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Nevertheless, i've noted that i've enabled "Development/Incomplete Drivers" option. So now i've disable it (hiding+disabling several options), and i've got rid of "Missing Free Firmware" and "battery (dis)charge bug" messages (letting me use native SMBus option without I/O Conflict). 

 

This guess was just wrong: because i didn't performed 'make clean' before re-compiling, no modules where loading anymore (modprobing it feedbacks 'invalid module format'), as so battery (dis)charge was not issued, and same for IO Conflict (Resolved Switching again back to ACPI SMBus Option).

Fortunately, "Free firmware missing" warns didn't appear anymore, probably because i builted in microcode support (which was Modularized)

-----------------

IMPORTANT:

About brightness issue, blank screen after boot is fixed by builting-in every needed Graphics Related Option:

- Drivers Graphics Section

- Power Management/ACPI Section

- HW Monitoring Support

- Volt. & Curr. Regulator Section

- And Maybe some others (eg. X86 Platform Specific Drivers Section)

[nevertheless, if a fetaure is needed all the time, is better builted-in than listing all modules to load]

So although i still have this warning:

```
ACPI: No _BQC method, cannot determine initial brightness
```

i915 modesetting is working without back-light issues

-----------------

Between rc boot notifications (not dmesg ones), i see some errors that i can't get over rc.log (neither over daemon.log,user.log,debug,messages,etc).

How could i get them? (I cant read them in time and maybe i can find in there further informations for dmesg errors)

----------

## Matias Jose Seco

UPDATE:

 Updating to Linux Kernel 3.7.10 i've got ridden of the majoriy of dmesg alarms.

Nevertheless, i get new messages:

```
[drm:__gen6_gt_force_wake_mt_get] *ERROR* Timed out waiting for forcewake old ack to clear.
```

(Note: It doesn't appears on every boot)

```
[    3.007888] EXT4-fs (sda1): couldn't mount as ext3 due to feature incompatibilities

[    3.008735] EXT4-fs (sda1): couldn't mount as ext2 due to feature incompatibilities

[    3.016458] EXT4-fs (sda1): mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. Opts: (null)
```

Note: I haven't build ext2/3 support.

----------

