ALSA - pnp OS bios option

ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Nick Warne]

Hi all,

On New Years eve my CPU (Athlon 1200 ams3b) died.  I managed to get a 
replacement off e-bay.  During my diagnosis of what happened, I reset BIOS, 
so obviously when I got the replacement I had to set it all up again.


Info: 2.6.15, on base Slack 10 (updated a lot from source).

PCI:

00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8363/8365 [KT133/KM133] (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8363/8365 [KT133/KM133 AGP]
00:07.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super South] (rev 
22)
00:07.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. 
VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C/VT8235 PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 10)
00:07.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6202 [USB 2.0 controller] 
(rev 10)
00:07.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6202 [USB 2.0 controller] 
(rev 10)
00:07.4 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super ACPI] (rev 
30)
00:09.0 Ethernet controller: 3Com Corporation 3c905C-TX/TX-M [Tornado] (rev 
78)
00:0f.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1 (rev 07)
00:0f.1 Input device controller: Creative Labs SB Live! MIDI/Game Port (rev 
07)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV17 [GeForce4 MX 440] 
(rev a3)



If I turn OFF PNP OS, when I boot, 'alsactl restore' (run from rc.local) 
squinnies:

Set_Control:894 Name mismatch ... Control #47
896: Index mismatch (0/0) for Control #47
1008: Bad control.47.value

Then I messed with alsamixer/aslactl store~restore etc. and all appeared OK in 
console - but sound is all messed as if no restore was done.  And I get the 
same error on boot again.

Turn ON PNP OS in BIOS, and all works again, alsactl restore works fine.

Now, after the issue I had with my CPU dying, I hate keep rebooting to test 
this, but the tests I done appear as above.

So, is this something else?  Or do I need to set PNP OS in BIOS for ALSA?

Nick
-- 
"Person who say it cannot be done should not interrupt person doing it."
-Chinese Proverb

Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Clemens Ladisch]

Nick Warne wrote:
> 00:0f.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1
>
> If I turn OFF PNP OS, when I boot, 'alsactl restore' (run from
> rc.local) squinnies:
>
> Set_Control:894 Name mismatch ... Control #47
> 896: Index mismatch (0/0) for Control #47
> 1008: Bad control.47.value

This usually happens when you use a different driver version that has
different mixer controls so that the saved state in /etc/asound.state
doesn't match.

I don't know why the "PNP OS" setting should affect which mixer
controls are available.  What are the differences in /etc/asound.state
after "alsactl store" in both cases?


Clemens

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Takashi Iwai]

At Tue, 10 Jan 2006 10:01:33 +0100,
Clemens Ladisch wrote:
> 
> Nick Warne wrote:
> > 00:0f.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1
> >
> > If I turn OFF PNP OS, when I boot, 'alsactl restore' (run from
> > rc.local) squinnies:
> >
> > Set_Control:894 Name mismatch ... Control #47
> > 896: Index mismatch (0/0) for Control #47
> > 1008: Bad control.47.value
> 
> This usually happens when you use a different driver version that has
> different mixer controls so that the saved state in /etc/asound.state
> doesn't match.

Use -F option for alsactl in your init script.


Takashi

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Nick Warne]

On Tuesday 10 January 2006 11:27, Takashi Iwai wrote:

> > > Set_Control:894 Name mismatch ... Control #47
> > > 896: Index mismatch (0/0) for Control #47
> > > 1008: Bad control.47.value
> >
> > This usually happens when you use a different driver version that has
> > different mixer controls so that the saved state in /etc/asound.state
> > doesn't match.
>
> Use -F option for alsactl in your init script.

I see - specify the asound.state file to use.

So bios pnp OS ON/OFF both use different alsa drivers (or parts _of_ the 
driver) then - which in turn require different asound.state files?

Nick
-- 
"Person who say it cannot be done should not interrupt person doing it."
-Chinese Proverb

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Takashi Iwai]

At Tue, 10 Jan 2006 17:59:20 +0000,
Nick Warne wrote:
> 
> On Tuesday 10 January 2006 11:27, Takashi Iwai wrote:
> 
> > > > Set_Control:894 Name mismatch ... Control #47
> > > > 896: Index mismatch (0/0) for Control #47
> > > > 1008: Bad control.47.value
> > >
> > > This usually happens when you use a different driver version that has
> > > different mixer controls so that the saved state in /etc/asound.state
> > > doesn't match.
> >
> > Use -F option for alsactl in your init script.
> 
> I see - specify the asound.state file to use.
> 
> So bios pnp OS ON/OFF both use different alsa drivers (or parts _of_ the 
> driver) then - which in turn require different asound.state files?

No, I meant -F (a capical F), which means to force to set up the
controls even the number id mismatches.  This avoid the errors like
above.  (The default behavior of alsactl is a bit too strict.)

But, anyway, it's better to do the following:

- Boot with PnP ON, run "alsactl -f state-with-pnp store"
- Boot with PnP OFF, run "alsactl -f state-wo-pnp store"

then compare these two files.


Takashi

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Nick Warne]

On Tuesday 10 January 2006 18:12, Takashi Iwai wrote:

> > So bios pnp OS ON/OFF both use different alsa drivers (or parts _of_ the
> > driver) then - which in turn require different asound.state files?
>
> No, I meant -F (a capical F), which means to force to set up the
> controls even the number id mismatches.  This avoid the errors like
> above.  (The default behavior of alsactl is a bit too strict.)
>
> But, anyway, it's better to do the following:
>
> - Boot with PnP ON, run "alsactl -f state-with-pnp store"
> - Boot with PnP OFF, run "alsactl -f state-wo-pnp store"
>
> then compare these two files.

OK, sorry for a delay in reply - I haven't rebooted since last mail.

I have something _really_ peculiar ongoing on here (ignoring PnP - this isn't 
my issue now, I feel).

Info (lspci):
00:0f.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1 (rev 07)
00:0f.1 Input device controller: Creative Labs SB Live! MIDI/Game Port (rev 
07)


This morning I built and installed 2.6.15.4.  On reboot, I got control errors 
again ('alsactl restore' is run from rc.local):


Sorting SB Live! sound (alsactl restore)...
alsactl: set_control:894: warning: name mismatch (Sigmatel Surround Playback 
Volume/Sigmatel Surround Playback Switch) for control #47
alsactl: set_control:896: warning: index mismatch (0/0) for control #47
alsactl: set_control:1008: bad control.47.value index


Ummm.  At the command line, same errors also.  So I deleted /etc/asound.state 
and reconfigured alsamixer from scratch.  Then following 'alsactl store', 
'alsactl restore' completes without issue (i.e. works clean).

If I then reboot, the same damn control #47 errors happen again.  It's as if 
something changes my asound.state file at boot time time?

Ideas?  This is driving me potty.

Nick
-- 
"Person who say it cannot be done should not interrupt person doing it."
-Chinese Proverb

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Nick]

> Ummm.  At the command line, same errors also.  So I deleted /etc/asound.state
> and reconfigured alsamixer from scratch.  Then following 'alsactl store',
> 'alsactl restore' completes without issue (i.e. works clean).
>
> If I then reboot, the same damn control #47 errors happen again.  It's as if
> something changes my asound.state file at boot time time?
>
> Ideas?  This is driving me potty.
>

OK, talking to myself (testing, testing, 1-2-3) - I have resolved this
issue after spending 2 hours trying to get my Mic to work again in
Teamspeak (why is there _so_ many frigging mixers
(alsamixer/amixer/aumix/kmix/arts) that all seem to do different
things...

I updated alsa-lib and alsa-utils to1.0.11rc3/rc2   This fixed my issues.

Now the question - there have been a lot of alsa changes (since my
alsa-tools was built Slack 10) - do we need to keep the alsa tools and
stuff current too?

Nick

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Lee Revell]

On Sat, 2006-02-11 at 10:54 +0000, Nick Warne wrote:
> Sorting SB Live! sound (alsactl restore)...
> alsactl: set_control:894: warning: name mismatch (Sigmatel Surround
> Playback 
> Volume/Sigmatel Surround Playback Switch) for control #47
> alsactl: set_control:896: warning: index mismatch (0/0) for control
> #47
> alsactl: set_control:1008: bad control.47.value index
> 
> 

Harmless

> Ummm.  At the command line, same errors also.  So I
> deleted /etc/asound.state 
> and reconfigured alsamixer from scratch.  Then following 'alsactl
> store', 
> 'alsactl restore' completes without issue (i.e. works clean).
> 
> If I then reboot, the same damn control #47 errors happen again.  It's
> as if 
> something changes my asound.state file at boot time time?
> 

Probably you have two different alsactl's installed, one that's
hardcoded to save the state in /etc/asound.state, and a distro version
that wants to save it in /var/lib/whatever.  It sounds like one is being
run at boot and a different one at shutdown.

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Lee Revell]

On Sat, 2006-02-11 at 13:56 +0000, Nick wrote:
> > Ummm.  At the command line, same errors also.  So I deleted /etc/asound.state
> > and reconfigured alsamixer from scratch.  Then following 'alsactl store',
> > 'alsactl restore' completes without issue (i.e. works clean).
> >
> > If I then reboot, the same damn control #47 errors happen again.  It's as if
> > something changes my asound.state file at boot time time?
> >
> > Ideas?  This is driving me potty.
> >
> 
> OK, talking to myself (testing, testing, 1-2-3) - I have resolved this
> issue after spending 2 hours trying to get my Mic to work again in
> Teamspeak (why is there _so_ many frigging mixers
> (alsamixer/amixer/aumix/kmix/arts) that all seem to do different
> things...

Because people keep writing half-assed mixers, rather than fixing the
existing ones, and distros inexplicably include 5 of them.  Half the
mixers out there only speak OSS, and distros ship them anyway.

Lee

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Lee Revell]

On Sat, 2006-02-11 at 13:56 +0000, Nick wrote:
> Now the question - there have been a lot of alsa changes (since my
> alsa-tools was built Slack 10) - do we need to keep the alsa tools and
> stuff current too? 

Yes - kernel upgrades should depend on alsa-lib upgrades (many distros
seem to get this wrong).  This should be fixed in the future, but it's
been this way for some time.

Lee

Re: [Alsa-devel] Re: ALSA - pnp OS bios option

[Nick Warne]

On Saturday 11 February 2006 19:44, Lee Revell wrote:
> > If I then reboot, the same damn control #47 errors happen again.  It's
> > as if
> > something changes my asound.state file at boot time time?
>
> Probably you have two different alsactl's installed, one that's
> hardcoded to save the state in /etc/asound.state, and a distro version
> that wants to save it in /var/lib/whatever.  It sounds like one is being
> run at boot and a different one at shutdown.

First thing I thought of - Slackware is a 'clean, straight' distro though, and 
the only asound.state file I had was in /etc/ and only one alsactl in 
default /usr/sbin

On Saturday 11 February 2006 22:07, Lee Revell wrote:
> > do we need to keep the alsa tools and
> > stuff current too?
>
> Yes - kernel upgrades should depend on alsa-lib upgrades (many distros
> seem to get this wrong).  This should be fixed in the future, but it's
> been this way for some time.

Well, it appears to have fixed the issues I had.  Several reboots since and no 
problems now.

Looking back, originally I had a 2.4.x kernel - I have since upgraded to 2.6.x 
series, plus built a lot of new tools and such from source - all except alsa 
stuff, of course - so it does make sense and I kick myself for not thinking 
about this in the beginning.  One to remember.

Thanks,

Nick
-- 
"Person who say it cannot be done should not interrupt person doing it."
-Chinese Proverb