Problem with Redhat kernel update

I have Redhat v8.0 installed. I upgraded from kernel version 2.4.18-27.8.0 to version 2.4.20-13.8 this last weekend.

I have noticed strange things since doing so. I went back to kernel version 2.4.18-27.8.0 and the strangeness stopped.

While I was using it, I noticed that the screen would blank rather than go into my screen saver when logged into my non-root account. When logged in as root it blanked sooner than normal. If I moved the mouse or pressed any key soon after the screen blanked, the desktop would re-appear. If I waited longer then the screen would stay blank no matter what I did. When this happened I had to restart the computer. By the way, I had the blanking setting in the screen saver set to 720 minutes.

Then I noticed that when logged into my non-root account if I opened the screen saver dialog box it would lock up my workstation. I tried a number of keyboard combos and single key presses, but nothing would unlock it. I could not go into my terminal window to issue a kill command. Again, as in the blank screen, I had to restart my computer to get out of it.

As I mentioned in the beginning, after going back to the previous kernel revision these problems disappeared.

Has anyone had a similar problem with RH kernel revision 2.4.20-13.8? Maybe I did something wrong, or possibly a bad install?????

Thanks, Dean

Hey, I had the same problem, I posted it to these boards, but I thought it was something to do with support for my Sis card in the new kernel, but maybe not.... if you run tuxracer or some other 3D app, do you find it runs attrociously slow??

And as for the screensaver, I had the problem with the locking up, the wierdest thing about it appeared that it was something to do with the fps counter... I went in my config file (~/.xscreensaver) and removed -fps from the screensaver I was using and it then would open the screensaver configuration just fine!!

Dean7 - what's your video card's make/model and did you install the OpenGL drivers for it (if there are any)? Some of the screen savers, especially those that ship with Red Hat, require OpenGL to run properly.

theFish - do other graphical thingies (apps, 2d games, X windows system, etc.) run ok for you, and, if so, did you install OpenGL drivers for your vid card?

It's sort of odd that a kernel upgrade would break support for hardware, but it happens. Also, I'm thinking the kernel was rushed to fix that ugly root vulnerability that came out the day after the IIS fiasco.... I haven't bothered with the upgrade, tbh.

Ctb... everything runs fine (a little slow but thats cos ive got a crap card!!) for me in the older version of the kernel, but the newer kernel seems to slow at least 3D things down...

I haven't tried it with 2D games in the new kernel, but if you think that this might give a better indication then I can do...

I have drivers installed from the only website I can find that has Sis 630 drivers for linux, and as I say, they seem OK in the old kernel. Would the new kernel use different drivers?? (the drivers I downloaded were copied over the old ones in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri and /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers)

The only thing i can think is maybe something to do with frame-buffer support perhaps?

I've been sick the last two days, so this addition to the thread may never be read. But just in case I've tried to answer questions posed by theFish, and Ctb. I've lumped my answers to these questions together and have not indicated who's questions they are.

Answers to questions:

I checked ~/.xscreensaver and there was no "-fps" in this file.

No, I don't run tuxracer or other 3D apps, but 3D apps are on my schedule of things to do.

My video card is an ATI Radeon 7000 with 32Mb of RAM. I did have problems when I first installed this card after having an nVidea TNT2 installed. The mouse pointer kept wanting to go to the top of the screen. I corrected this by inserting "Load "dri"" in the /etc/X11/XF86Config file, under "Section "Module"" heading.

There are Radeon drivers in both ...module/dri and modules/drivers. They are the original drivers from the initial RH Linux 8.0 install. This has remained that way, in spite of 5 kernel upgrades.

As far as I can tell, I do not have OpenGL drivers installed. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place. Perhaps you can tell me where to look. However, my problem is not with certain screen savers working, but the screen saver configuration window causing a workstation lock up when I go to Preferences/Screen saver and open it.

If I log in as root and open the screensaver dialog box, it works, and does not lock up the workstation.

If I log in under my non-root/su account it does lock up.

I wondered about the fact that I'm using Gnome as the GUI. So, I logged back in with KDE as a non-root/su, and when I went to their screen saver dialog/configuration window in the Control Center utility, there was no workstation lock up.

Under root login I did have the blank screen problem as I did when logged into my non-root account. That is, the screen would blank and after a period of time, I could not restore my screen back to the desk top. I had to reset the computer to get out of the lock up. Again I had the time set for 720 minutes (12 hours) before the screen should have blanked. Actually the screen should not blank at all but the screen saver I selected should start.

Root has no problem under Gnome or KDE. Do you think that something may have changed regarding permissions to files? Also, it may be striclty a Gnome issue. But again, Gnome works fine under 2.4.18. I hope this does not turn out to be a only a screensaver issue. If it does, I'm not sure how to restore things.

The problems mentioned were all under kernel version 2.4.20-13.8.

Again, under 2.4.18-27.8 I had no problems at all. For now I'll be using kernel verson 2.4.18-27.8.

FYI.

FLASH! Just after I posted this, I went into KDE and the Screensaver dialog locked up my workstation under kernel 2.4.20. Unlike the screen saver configuration window in Gnome, it did not lock up right away. What happened is it seems to lock up when I highlighted a "GL" screensaver in the Screen Saver pick list. I assume this is OpenGL and may point to the fact that I don't have OpenGL installed. But the question still hangs in the air, why doesn't kernel version 2.4.18 have this problem?

Thank you again,

Dean