[needs EXA] - x-server crash with compiz using ati X300

Hi,
after booting today Compiz was deactivated. I activated and had after about half an hour freeze, only the Mouse can be moved. When trying to restart X with strg+alt+back the mouse immediately freezes also, then nothing helps but strg+alt+Sysq. (This procedure takes place every freeze)
The last message in Xorg.0.log is (II) XAA: Evicting pixmaps.

I should add, yesterday I'd started compiz in the terminal, before shutdown I closed the terminal. No else messages were add in the output which is posted above.
In about five hours after starting compiz in the terminal no freeze, that was after I've removed all the .xml files. I've triggered by opening flash, totem and other apps.
After rebooting today since the last freeze I had no freeze since 90 minutes. I will trigger now again by opening different apps and report later.

Hi,
ok I give up, had two crashes about every hour. The last one 10 minutes ago and interesting on this one was, that while watching a stream with vlc (totem before had a segfault while playing a youtube video), I wanted to close the playlist window, nothing happened.
I could still move the mouse and hear the stream. No shortcuts help so I did again strg+alt+sysq.
After reboot compiz was still activated and the mouse was kind of wobbling, I deactivated and switch now to metacity, which I've never had a crash with.

Hi,
since I've read all the filed bugs #108527 + #195051 and some include option settings, I attach my xorg.conf, because it didn't change since Jan.07
Maybe I just miss some settings, because I didn't have compiz.real at this time of course.
Would be kind if someone could take a look and maybe has a hint for me. Thanks.

Update:
since I have a new monitor I attach the new Xorg.0.log, crashes remain. (The xorg.conf didn't change after installing the new monitor, everything was automatically recognized without any problems, great work btw.)

But according to the testing script from here
http://forlong.blogage.de/article/pages/Compiz-Check
Compiz should work fine, this is of course confusing.

#chmod +x compiz-check
#./compiz-check
Gathering information about your system...

 Distribution: Ubuntu 8.04
 Desktop environment: GNOME
 Graphics chip: ATI Technologies Inc RV370 5B60 [Radeon X300 (PCIE)]
 Driver in use: radeon
 Rendering method: AIGLX

Checking if it's possible to run Compiz on your system...

 Checking for texture_from_pixmap... [ OK ]
 Checking for non power of two support... [ OK ]
 Checking for composite extension... [ OK ]
 Checking for FBConfig... [ OK ]
 Checking for hardware/setup problems... [ OK ]

Update:
Good news, since three days I've added in the xorg.conf to device section
Option "AccelMethod" "EXA"
and had no crash using compiz.real

Hi,
since I received this message:
[** Changed in: xorg (Ubuntu)
Sourcepackagename: None => xorg]
I provide the package description again:
xorg 1:7.3+10ubuntu10 X.Org X Window System

Still no crash since eleven days now and this only by adding one option in the xorg.conf
For the record, the new configuration relating to the new monitor ( see last Xorg.0.log) does not appear in the xorg.conf e.g. other modelines, Ubuntu configures wherever automatically, how amazing.

Thanks for reporting this bug to help make Ubuntu better, unfortunately there's not enough information to troubleshoot it. You mention that this bug results in an Xorg crash if you aren't specifying EXA in xorg.conf; does this crash still occur on Hardy? If so, could you please collect a full backtrace (see http://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Backtracing for directions).

Hi Bryce,
thanks a lot for the reply.
As mentioned in the entry the crash has happened with System: amd_64 Hardy 8.04
Since adding the "EXA option" in my xorg.conf, crashes are gone, and it looks like for good.

So my guess, it has nothing to do with the open driver, it has something to do with Xorg on one hand, on the other hand not directly, because I've read somewhere the "EXA option" is available, but not as default, as one can see in my last Xorg.0.log the EXA modules are being loaded without downloading any further packages or changing configurations by also running a default configurated system, means no changes in systemfiles.
So when only by adding this option the problem is solved here, this seems for me, the driver is ok, xorg is ok, the options which are available can be activated or not, means one can configure the system easily, one only has to know how and reading bug files, since there appears no popup telling one what option to add and how to do that.

package: xorg 1:7.3+10ubuntu10 X.Org X Window System

Hmm, well we'll be switching to EXA by default at some point for -ati, so the bug could be closed at that point.

Fwiw, generally even XAA/EXA issues can be driver bugs since most of the code for implementing those two acceleration articles lives within that driver.

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. In the development cycle for Intrepid there have been some vast improvements in the open source ati video driver and we could use your help testing them. Could you please download the latest Alpha CD image of Intrepid and test this particular bug just using the Live CD? You can find the latest image at http://www.ubuntu.com/testing . Your testing can help make Ubuntu and the open source ati driver even better! Thanks in advance.

Hi Brian,
thanks for the confidence, but I wouldn't consider me as a user with moderate skills in linux, as recommended on testuser wiki.
However, I've downloaded the .iso file, burned it, checked it, left it inside and restarted, but it didn't boot with the Live CD and without distress I'll not mess with my BIOS settings, since I'm working on a single productive system which is functioning well since Edgy.
I've to apologize for that.

When booting your system and the BIOS is running / loading on most systems you can press "F2" or "F12" to access a one-time boot menu. This will allow you to boot from the CD drive just once and you won't have to go into the actual BIOS menu and risk harming anything.

No success with F2, F12, F6.

Hi Brian,
success with F11, attach Xorg.0.log and xsession.errors right away.
Compiz was enabled "Normal", cube or other plugins are obviously not available.
Only two workspaces can be activated.

Hi again,
while I was supposed to make another test (#184907 and it happened #251910, but put these aside), regarding this bug here I had to boot the LiveCD twice since every time I had to turn off the machine because of a complete freeze, none of the common rescue key short cuts worked, mouse was moveable.
It just happens sporadicly when opening a menu in Totem or Firefox. In example the first session when the freeze occured with Totem the workspace switcher disappeared also from the panel.
I suppose this doesn't help you very much because I can't provide any logs from the Live CD sessions and have no idea if it has something to do with compiz or the driver, sorry.

This bug was fixed in the package xserver-xorg-video-ati - 1:6.9.0+git20081003.f9826a56-0ubuntu6

---------------
xserver-xorg-video-ati (1:6.9.0+git20081003.f9826a56-0ubuntu6) jaunty; urgency=low

  * Add 104_use_exa.patch: Switches to EXA acceleration by default.
    + See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Blueprints/RadeonXaaToExa
    + Should close the following bugs (please reopen if not):
      LP: #227936, #269357, 68224 110384 132707

 -- Bryce Harrington <email address hidden> Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:46:27 -0800