Re: [LAU] [SOLVED] hdsp not happy with recent kernels

From: Peter Lutek <peter@peterlutek.com>
Date: Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:17:49 -0400 (EDT)

> From: Micha©© Koziarski <koshimazaki@fastmail.fm>
> Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2012 22:40:56 +0100
>
>> On Thu, Sep 13, 2012, at 17:29, Peter Lutek wrote:
>>> greetings!
>>>
>>> perhaps some of you use RME hdsp hardware. i'm wondering if you're
>>> running into
>>> issues like mine with recent kernels....
>>>
>>> i've got an hdsp multiface hanging off an expresscard adapter in a T520
>>> thinkpad.
>>> here's what's going on:
>>>
>>> hdspmixer locks up soon after starting, saying, "HwDep ioctl failed.
>>> Metering
>>> stopped"
>>>
>>> once that has happened, if i try to start jack, i get this:
>>>
>>> plutek@palnote:~$ jackd -dalsa -D -Phw:0,0 -Chw:0,0
>>> jackdmp 1.9.9
>>> Copyright 2001-2005 Paul Davis and others.
>>> Copyright 2004-2012 Grame.
>>> jackdmp comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
>>> This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
>>> under certain conditions; see the file COPYING for details
>>> JACK server starting in realtime mode with priority 10
>>> control device hw:0
>>> control device hw:0
>>> audio_reservation_init
>>> Acquire audio card Audio0
>>> creating alsa driver ...
>>> hw:0,0|hw:0,0|1024|2|48000|0|0|nomon|swmeter|-|32bit
>>> control device hw:0
>>> ALSA: Cannot open PCM device alsa_pcm for playback. Falling back to
>>> capture-only mode
>>> Cannot initialize driver
>>> JackServer::Open failed with -1
>>> Failed to open server
>>>
>>> alternately, if i start jack after a reboot *without* first starting
>>> hdspmixer,
>>> it runs for a few minutes (variable), then fails thusly:
>>>
>>> plutek@palnote:~$ jackd -dalsa -D -Phw:0,0 -Chw:0,0
>>> jackdmp 1.9.9
>>> Copyright 2001-2005 Paul Davis and others.
>>> Copyright 2004-2012 Grame.
>>> jackdmp comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
>>> This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
>>> under certain conditions; see the file COPYING for details
>>> JACK server starting in realtime mode with priority 10
>>> control device hw:0
>>> control device hw:0
>>> audio_reservation_init
>>> Acquire audio card Audio0
>>> creating alsa driver ...
>>> hw:0,0|hw:0,0|1024|2|48000|0|0|nomon|swmeter|-|32bit
>>> control device hw:0
>>> configuring for 48000Hz, period = 1024 frames (21.3 ms), buffer = 2
>>> periods
>>> ALSA: final selected sample format for capture: 32bit integer
>>> little-endian
>>> ALSA: use 2 periods for capture
>>> ALSA: final selected sample format for playback: 32bit integer
>>> little-endian
>>> ALSA: use 2 periods for playback
>>> ALSA: poll time out, polled for 31999183 usecs
>>> JackAudioDriver::ProcessAsync: read error, stopping...
>>>
>>> i'm on the aptosid distribution.
>>> alsa-tools-gui is 1.0.25-2
>>> although running jackd says "jackdmp 1.9.9", my installed debian package
>>> is
>>> jackd2 1.9.8~dfsg.4+20120529git007cdc37-4
>>> alsa is 1.0.23+dfsg-4
>>>
>>> and here's the clincher:
>>>
>>> kernels up to and including 3.1-6 make it all work fine (with the same
>>> versions
>>> of other things as listed above). however, kernels 3.2.0-3 and higher all
>>> cause
>>> the issues reported above.
>>>
>>> so, i guess the bottom-line question is whether other folks are running
>>> hdsp
>>> hardware successfully on 3.2 or more recent kernels, or whether we're all
>>> stuck
>>> at 3.1 for now?
>>>
>>> amusing side-note: i'm trying to use a wacom tablet, which is fine with
>>> the 3.2
>>> and higher kernels, but not with the 3.1 -- haha!!
>>>
>>> please let me know if you have any relevant observations on this; it'd be
>>> nice to
>>> have some reassurance that my multiface isn't seeing the beginning of the
>>> end!
>>>
>>> thanks in advance.... cheers!
>>> .pltk.
>>
>> Peter, do you have PCI Express power management turned on in the BIOS on
>> your Thinkpad? I'm using a Multiface with the HDSPe expresscard on a
>> Thinkpad X220, working fine now. I had to turn that power management
>> option off because it was causing trouble. My issues were more severe
>> though. The whole system would be extremely slow to start up and then
>> respond to any of my actions with the expresscard plugged in. The exact
>> behaviour might be different from machine to machine though and I
>> believe it has to do with some incompatibility between the Thinkpad PCIe
>> implementation and the RME card. Seen these issues mentioned on RME
>> forums.
>>
>> That you're having issues with newer kernels might somewhat support the
>> power management theory because Linux behaviour regarding PCIe ASPM
>> (active state power management) has changed at some point, 3.2 I think -
>> it is now supposed to better detect whether the system supports ASPM and
>> enable it to save power, whereas before it would not enable it on many
>> systems (info from phoronix,
>> http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_aspm_solution&num=1).
>> Strange though that your self-compiled 3.0 has the problem as well.
>>
>> Long post and might not even have anything to do with your problem but
>> worth a try I guess.
>>
>> Micha©©
>
> wow... thanks very much for this! indeed, *sometimes* my system behaves as you are describing on start-up, and pulling out the ExpressCard adapter returns it to normal. so, maybe this is heading in the right direction. it does make sense!
>
> so, i've disabled ExpressCard power management in BIOS, and i'm watching jack run with my most recent kernel (Aptosid 3.5.4). so far, he hasn't fallen over...... ;-)
>
> i'll let y'all know!
>
> cheers!
> .pltk.

jackd has run long enough (at 2.9ms latency, on a non-rt kernel) that i am now convinced this is the solution to my problems. hdspmixer also runs fine now.

so, bottom line: anybody running RME hardware on the RME ExpressCard adapter in a recent ThinkPad would do well to turn off ExpressCard power management in BIOS!!

again, huge thanks to Micha©© Koziarski for the solution! i owe you quite a few beers (or other beverage of choice!!), if i'm ever in your neighbourhood!

cheers!
.pltk.
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Received on Tue Oct 2 00:15:02 2012