Ubuntu Session – Is ACPI GPE Storm Normal?

acpifreezekernel

In a previous question (What is an ACPI GPE storm?), I asked about ACPI GPE storm.
Looking closer to my kern.log file in /var/log/, I notice that in every session at some point (usually withing 20' after startup) a GPE storm is triggered. When I open kern.log immediately after startup, and wait for a storm to come up, I see that it can be triggered by anything (a copy-action, the opening of an app like Firefox or Thunderbird, etc…). This worries me, since the answer I got for my previous question confirms this can threaten stability and might be a sign of hardware malfunction.
Looking for other ACPI related events in kern.log, I find the error messages below. I hope someone can give some advice:

Jun 10 16:33:20 Guy-VAIO kernel: [    0.724505] ACPI FADT declares the system doesn't support PCIe ASPM, so disable it
Jun 10 16:33:20 Guy-VAIO kernel: [    0.795205] [Firmware Bug]: ACPI: BIOS _OSI(Linux) query ignored
Jun 10 16:33:20 Guy-VAIO kernel: [    1.024009] ACPI: Deprecated procfs I/F for battery is loaded, please retry with CONFIG_ACPI_PROCFS_POWER cleared
Jun 10 16:33:20 Guy-VAIO kernel: [   23.140259] [Firmware Bug]: ACPI(VGA) defines _DOD but not _DOS

I'm experiencing frequent (several times /d) application crashes, that seem random so not in particular apps, and less frequent (once a week or so) complete system freezes where the system becomes unresponsive to keyboard, mouse or touchpad input and the only solution is a hard reboot (press start button).

My questions:

  1. what about the Firmware Bugs in ACPI?
  2. how and where do I have to 'clear CONFIG_ACPI_PROCFS_POWER'?

Ubuntu 12.04, 64-bit, 3.2.0-25-generic Kernel, Intel® Core™ i5-2430M CPU @ 2.40GHz × 4

Best Answer

No, an ACPI GPE storm is not normal.

Here's a line-by-line explanation of the messages you saw, along with inline solutions which may help you:

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

    • The FADT is an ACPI table containing power management info.
    • All the message means is that your computer doesn't support PCI-Express Active State Power Management, one of the ways to slightly reduce power usage when a PCI-e device isn't being actively used.
    • This shouldn't cause stability problems.

  2. [Firmware Bug]: ACPI: BIOS _OSI(Linux) query ignored

    • In trying to identify the OS, the BIOS asked the kernel "Are you Linux?" and the kernel did not respond (this is normal behavior).
    • BIOSes can use this query to enable or disable functionality based on the running operating system, but they shouldn't.
    • You can try adding the boot parameter acpi_osi=Linux to make the kernel respond with "Yes", and see if this helps your GPE storm problem. (More info)

  3. ACPI: Deprecated procfs I/F for battery is loaded...

    • This is a harmless notification that the old, backwards-compatible /proc/acpi/... interface is also present, along with the new sysfs interface.
    • If you think that your manufacturer-specific kernel modules (e.g. sony-laptop, etc.) are somehow mis-handling the legacy /proc/acpi interface, you can try disabling it, but the only way to do so is to build a custom kernel with the ACPI_PROCFS_POWER option disabled.
    • Scroll down to the end for the complete description from the kernel docs.
    • Removing this may have some minor side effects, e.g. the powertop utility won't fully work.

  4. ACPI(VGA) defines _DOD but not _DOS

    • The BIOS uses the _DOD to tell ACPI if it has more than one display, and if so, how many.
    • _DOS is used to tell ACPI that the BIOS supports video switching, i.e. from one display to the other.
    • So ACPI is confused when your computer tells it it has two or more displays, but that it can't switch between them!
    • This warning appears in varied contexts -- can you try these boot options and see if stability improves: acpi=off, noapic, nolapic?

Full description of ACPI_PROCFS_POWER

Deprecated power /proc/acpi directories (ACPI_PROCFS_POWER)

CONFIG_ACPI_PROCFS_POWER:

For backwards compatibility, this option allows
deprecated power /proc/acpi/ directories to exist, even when
they have been replaced by functions in /sys.
The deprecated directories (and their replacements) include:
/proc/acpi/battery/* (/sys/class/power_supply/*)
/proc/acpi/ac_adapter/* (sys/class/power_supply/*)
This option has no effect on /proc/acpi/ directories
and functions, which do not yet exist in /sys
This option, together with the proc directories, will be
deleted in 2.6.39.

Say N to delete power /proc/acpi/ directories that have moved to /sys/

Symbol: ACPI_PROCFS_POWER [=y]
Type : boolean
Prompt: Deprecated power /proc/acpi directories
Defined at drivers/acpi/Kconfig:59
Depends on: ACPI [=y] && PROC_FS [=y]
Location:
-> Power management and ACPI options
-> ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) Support (ACPI [=y])
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