[gentoo-user] Xorg and KDE on Gentoo going crazy with my laptop display.

[Erik]

I have a laptop (Dell INSPIRON | 8600) with a LCD. It has worked before, 
but since a few months it is going haywire. There are some really 
strange interactions between the power cable and the display. It could 
be caused by Linux, udev, acpid, xorg, KDE or something else. I have no 
Idea. I just want the display to be off after 1 minute of inactivity and 
when the lid is closed and then stay off until I touch the keyboard or 
pointing device. But that seems to be really difficult to achieve in 
Gentoo. For example if the display is off and I connect or disconnect 
the power cable, (only) the backlight of the display is turned on. This 
behaviour is completely useless and will obviously make the laptop shut 
down sooner in the case of a power outage. The backlight must never be 
on when the display itself is off. Sometimes when the display should 
have been off, it even dares to show some kind of idle animation. It is 
a strange looking X at random position and size, on black background. I 
have certainly never configured it to do that. Why is it shown? How do I 
remove it? Sometimes the display just stays on forever as if it has 
completely forgotten that it should shut off after 1 minute. I always 
have kcontrol->Peripherals->Display->Power Control open, because 
changing a setting, changing it back and pressing Apply fixes the 
problem, but only for a little while. I really need to put an end to all 
this craziness now!

System information
==================

Package settings:
[ebuild   R   ] sys-kernel/gentoo-sources-2.6.18-r5  USE="-build 
-symlink (-ultra1)" 0 kB
[ebuild   R   ] sys-fs/udev-103  USE="(-selinux)" 0 kB
[ebuild   R   ] sys-power/acpid-1.0.4-r3  USE="doc -logrotate" 0 kB
[ebuild   R   ] x11-base/xorg-server-1.1.1-r3  USE="dri ipv6 nptl sdl 
xorg -3dfx -aiglx -debug -dmx -kdrive -minimal -xprint" 
INPUT_DEVICES="keyboard mouse -acecad -aiptek -calcomp -citron 
-digitaledge -dmc -dynapro -elo2300 -elographics -evdev -fpit -hyperpen 
-jamstudio -joystick -magellan -microtouch -mutouch -palmax -penmount 
-spaceorb -summa -synaptics -tek4957 -ur98 -vmmouse -void -wacom" 
VIDEO_CARDS="radeon -apm -ark -chips -cirrus -cyrix -dummy -epson -fbdev 
-fglrx -glint -i128 -i740 -i810 (-impact) -imstt -mach64 -mga -neomagic 
(-newport) -nsc -nv -nvidia -r128 -rendition -s3 -s3virge -savage 
-siliconmotion -sis -sisusb (-sunbw2) (-suncg14) (-suncg3) (-suncg6) 
(-sunffb) (-sunleo) (-suntcx) -tdfx -tga -trident -tseng -v4l -vesa -vga 
-via -vmware -voodoo" 0 kB
[ebuild   R   ] kde-base/kdelibs-3.5.5-r7  USE="acl alsa arts cups doc 
fam jpeg2k kdeenablefinal kdehiddenvisibility kerberos openexr spell ssl 
tiff xinerama zeroconf -avahi -debug -legacyssl -lua -utempter" 
LINGUAS="-he" 0 kB
[ebuild   R   ] kde-base/kcontrol-3.5.5  USE="arts kdeenablefinal 
kdehiddenvisibility opengl ssl xinerama -debug -ieee1394 
-logitech-mouse" 0 kB

"/usr/src/linux" points to "linux-2.6.17-gentoo-r8". acpid is in 
runlevel default.

Log output after disconnecting the power cable:
Oct  4 22:08:20 localhost logger: ACPI group ac_adapter / action 
ac_adapter is
not defined
Oct  4 22:08:20 localhost logger: ACPI group battery / action battery is not
defined
Oct  4 22:08:20 localhost logger: ACPI group processor / action processor is
not defined
Oct  4 22:08:23 localhost logger: ACPI group battery / action battery is not
defined
Oct  4 22:08:23 localhost logger: ACPI group battery / action battery is not
defined

Log output after connecting the power cable:
Oct  4 22:08:36 localhost logger: ACPI group processor / action processor is
not defined
Oct  4 22:08:36 localhost logger: ACPI group ac_adapter / action 
ac_adapter is
not defined
Oct  4 22:08:36 localhost logger: ACPI group battery / action battery is not
defined
Oct  4 22:08:40 localhost logger: ACPI group battery / action battery is not
defined
Oct  4 22:08:40 localhost logger: ACPI group battery / action battery is not
defined

When I press the lid button I get the following in /var/log/acpid:
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:53 2006] received event "button/lid LID 00000080 0000000e"
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:53 2006] notifying client 6176[0:0]
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:53 2006] executing action "/etc/acpi/default.sh button/lid
LID 00000080 0000000e"
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:53 2006] BEGIN HANDLER MESSAGES
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:53 2006] END HANDLER MESSAGES
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:53 2006] action exited with status 0
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:53 2006] executing action "/etc/acpi/actions/lm_lid.sh
button/lid LID 00000080 0000000e"
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:53 2006] BEGIN HANDLER MESSAGES
Laptop mode disabled, not active [unchanged].
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:54 2006] END HANDLER MESSAGES
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:54 2006] action exited with status 0
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:54 2006] completed event "button/lid LID 00000080 
0000000e"

When I release it again I get this:
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] received event "button/lid LID 00000080 0000000f"
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] notifying client 6176[0:0]
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] executing action "/etc/acpi/default.sh button/lid
LID 00000080 0000000f"
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] BEGIN HANDLER MESSAGES
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] END HANDLER MESSAGES
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] action exited with status 0
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] executing action "/etc/acpi/actions/lm_lid.sh
button/lid LID 00000080 0000000f"
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] BEGIN HANDLER MESSAGES
Laptop mode disabled, not active [unchanged].
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] END HANDLER MESSAGES
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] action exited with status 0
[Tue Dec 19 01:20:56 2006] completed event "button/lid LID 00000080 
0000000f"


The last number (0000000e when pressed and 0000000f when released) is just a
(hexadecimal) counter that is incremented each time the button is pressed or
released, so on the next press it will be 00000010. I looked what "client
6176[0:0]" could possibly meand and "ps ax|grep 6176" shows /usr/bin/X, 
so X is
notified, but it simply does not obey.

In /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID/state the state of the lid button can be 
observed
as "state:      open" or "state:      closed".

Setting in /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
Section "ServerFlags"
        Option "off time" "1"
EndSection

Settings in kcontrol->Peripherals->Display->Power Control:
[X] Enable display power management
Standby after: Disabled
Suspend after: Disabled
Power off after: 1 min

Settings in kcontrol->Power Control->Battery->Laptop Battery->Battery:
[X] Show battery monitor
[ ] Notify me whenever my battery becomes fully charged
[ ] Use blank screen saver when running on battery
Check status every: 20 sec

Kernel configuraion:
--- Power Management support
[ ]   Legacy Power Management API
[ ]   Power Management Debug Support
[*]   Software Suspend

[*] ACPI Support
 [*]   Sleep States
 [ ]     /proc/acpi/sleep (deprecated)
 <M>   AC Adapter
 <M>   Battery
 <M>   Button
 <M>   Video
 < >   Generic Hotkey (EXPERIMENTAL)
 <M>   Fan
 < >   Dock
 <*>   Processor
 <*>     Thermal Zone
 < >   ASUS/Medion Laptop Extras
 < >   IBM ThinkPad Laptop Extras
 < >   Toshiba Laptop Extras
 (0)   Disable ACPI for systems before Jan 1st this year
 [ ]   Debug Statements
 < >   ACPI0004,PNP0A05 and PNP0A06 Container Driver (EXPERIMENTAL)
 < >   Smart Battery System (EXPERIMENTAL)

# cat --number Xorg.0.log|egrep "\(EE\)|\(WW\)|acpid|OffTime"
    13          (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) 
unknown.
    32  (**) Option "OffTime" "1"
    33  (II) Open ACPI successful (/var/run/acpid.socket)
   522  (WW) RADEON(0): Bad V_BIOS checksum
   565  (WW) RADEON(0): Unknown DDCType 6 found
   566  (WW) RADEON(0): LCD DDC Info Table found!
   590  (WW) RADEON(0): Failed to detect secondary monitor, 
MergedFB/Clone mode
disabled
   783  (WW) RADEON(0): DRI init changed memory map, adjusting ...
   784  (WW) RADEON(0):   MC_FB_LOCATION  was: 0xd7ffd000 is: 0xd7ffd000
   785  (WW) RADEON(0):   MC_AGP_LOCATION was: 0xffffffc0 is: 0xe07fe000
   849  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x23
   850  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x24
   851  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x25
   852  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x26
   853  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x27
   854  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x28
   855  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x29
   856  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x2a
   857  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x2b
   858  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x2c
   859  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x2d
   860  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x2e
   861  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x2f
   862  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x30
   863  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x31
   864  (WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x32
   917  (II) Open ACPI successful (/var/run/acpid.socket)

# grep button /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6
button

# lsmod|grep button
button                  4880  0

# uname -a
Linux localhost 2.6.18-gentoo-r4 #2 Tue Dec 19 00:42:42 CET 2006 i686 
Intel(R)
Pentium(R) M processor 1.60GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux


Link to bug: http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=150028
-- 
gentoo-user@g.o mailing list