Ubuntu 8.04 Freeze when downloading from bittorent

I am running Hardy beta, and I use only Transmission as a bittorent client. I put transmission as the package i found the bug in, as it is the default ubuntu client.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=587561

However If you follow the link above, you will see that this bug affects all kinds of bittorent clients, and hardware configurations. Someone suggested on the forums that libtorrent might be the cause. Is there any way to verify that?

It's unlikely to be caused by libtorrent as very few bittorrent clients use libtorrent (transmission, deluge, azureus and ktorrent all don't use it).

From reading the forum it sounds more like a networking problem than a bittorrent problem, based on the variety of clients that are mentioned. Bittorrent can stress the network a lot, so it might cause such problems to arise. Or all the forum posters are reporting different issues with each client, but they all cause freezes. That's unlikely though.

What information can we post that would help find the bug?

Deluge uses a customized version of libtorrent. Anways, i have the same issue.
Happens with Gutsy (default kernel), Gutsy with Hardy kernel, and 3 different Hardy kernel upgrades, Hardy with Hardy kernel.

Clients affected: Deluge, Ktorrent, Azureus, Miro, MLDonkey, and Rtorrent.

I'm using an atheros based Wireless card.

Not sure about the stress related suggestion, as sometimes itll freeze just removing a torrent. Even when all torrents are stopped.

I've also seen it freeze like this, downloading a torrent at 200k, for half an hour, when it gets to 100% it freezes.

I've seen deluge halt the system, just by opening it and closing it, with no torrent qued.

If the program just crashed it wouldn't be so bad, but halting the system is unacceptable.

Since this spans multiple clients, I'm not sure this makes sense to be classified as a Transmission ticket...

Btw, this seems to be an ungoing problem for quite a few people.

http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-665158.html
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/suse-linux-help/67790-p2p-torrent-hangs-suse-10-10-1-a.html
http://www.sharkyforums.com/showthread.php?s=9051d44d1bd3141d28c7a005205f2bdf&t=282364#post2264895

And there's tons more, searching for torrent halt linux, torrent freeze linux, etc.

Same problem here with Kubuntu Gutsy. The whole system would freeze on me after a while and a reset is necessary.

Strangely the error does not occur while I am working with the PC. Could this have anything to do with the screensaver?

Mine occurs while im watching it, plus i don't even have xcreensaver or gnome-screensaver installed

<<Since this spans multiple clients, I'm not sure this makes sense to be classified as a Transmission ticket...>>

Then where should it go?

Switching to a current windows driver for my atheros with current ndiswrapper for hardy, solved my issue. Which means, atleast in my case; the Atheros 802.11 driver included with Gutsy and Hardy is biffed.

It has been reported on the forums that using ndiswrapper solves the issue. I think it should be considered a network problem instead of just a bittorent one, as suggested by Cameron Dale.

It's definitely a network issue.

Latest Hardy fixes it. Just did the upgrade. No more freezes here.

Ya but now the realtime kernel is broke.

PC locked up on me over night. Left it running for testing purposes. The X server froze and I had to ctrl+alt+backspace my way out.

Good news is no more kernel freezes. Just X.

I installed stock azureus to my home-dir yesterday and had two freezes. Now, after my third freeze today, fifth over all, found this bug-report. I'm using ubuntustudio RC updated. Mine freezes totally (no ctrl+alt+backspace, nor reisub just hard reset). I have no atheros-NIC, just two intel (gb-ethernet and 54-wifi). I'm using ethernet.

I'm using e1000 and iwl3945 and the generic-kernel (2.6.24-16).

here the Apport-report

didnt work...

I have this problem too.
Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron

When running a bittorent client Ubuntu will freeze after random amount of time. I can still move the mouse pointer but clicking has no effect, de keyboard seems totally unresponsive, though <alt><sysreq>reisub does still work.

I have seen this happening after almost any kind of action, clicking, scrolling, selecting, moving a window etc. I do not think the problem is tied to any particular user action. It appears that after some time of running a bittorent client, the system gets into a state in which any user input freezes makes it freeze.

Is this still a problem with the new version in Intrepid?

While occasionally the network manager looks like the wifi connection was disconnected, the system hasn't frozen when using bittorrent software with Intrepid.

No problems for me since upgrading :-)

This bug report is being closed due to your last comment regarding this being fixed with an update. For future reference you can manage the status of your own bugs by clicking on the current status in the yellow line and then choosing a new status in the revealed drop down box. You can learn more about bug statuses at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Status . Thank you again for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Feel free to submit any future bugs you may find.

So the bug remains unfixed in hardy?

2008/11/18 Hew McLachlan <email address hidden>

> This bug report is being closed due to your last comment regarding this
> being fixed with an update. For future reference you can manage the
> status of your own bugs by clicking on the current status in the yellow
> line and then choosing a new status in the revealed drop down box. You
> can learn more about bug statuses at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Status
> . Thank you again for taking the time to report this bug and helping to
> make Ubuntu better. Feel free to submit any future bugs you may find.
>
> ** Changed in: transmission (Ubuntu)
> Status: Incomplete => Invalid
>
> --
> Ubuntu 8.04 Freeze when downloading from bittorent
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/211026
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

The bug had been reported when using Gutsy and Hardy, but the above comment indicates the problem has gone with Intrepid. A previous comment mentioned that an update to Hardy also fixed the issue. Can you reproduce the issue with up-to-date Intrepid, and/or Hardy?

The bug was closed since it is reportedly no longer present in the development release. If the problem has disappeared in Intrepid but still exists in Hardy, a patch would need to undergo the SRU procedure https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates , and at this stage there is very little information on the bug, which makes a fix unlikely.

I have not upgraded to Intrepid, but do have an up-to-date Hardy and the problem is still there. I understand that it is pretty unlikely that the exact cause of this problem will ever be found; my guess would be "something" with the network driver...

It have had it happen that the computer remained responsive for over a day while having Azureus running, but usually it freezes within a few hours after Azureus is started.

This bug will remain closed as there are still no reports that this bug exists in the latest release. Unless someone is able to identify what is causing the problem, I can't see this being fixed with a SRU. If someone knows the sourcepackage at fault or is still getting the freeze in Intrepid or Jaunty, feel free to reopen the bug.

I have closed the new task for transmission. For some reason someone added it when one for Ubuntu already exists. This is clearly not a bug specific to transmission.

I don't know if this is related, but I've been running Intrepid for a while (the entire life of my machine) and I never had a problem with transmission until recently, when my friend decided to update via the package manager.
Ever since then if I run transmission, after a random amount of time (but it happens every time) my computer freezes up, and I have to go to shell and kill transmission to make the computer unfreeze. However, sometimes it will freeze up for a bit, and then the computer will run, but slower than my old 386...
any Ideas?
Thanks!

I still have the kernel panic when using transmission with Ubuntu 9.04 fully upgraded...

I am unsure if this is still an open bug as the last post was a year ago, but I have recently moved from being a lifelong Windows user to Ubuntu 10.10 64 bit. Using Utorrent with both Windows XP for years and more recently Windows 7 always occurred without incident.

Following a severe number of full-blown laptop freezes (the same laptop as before mind) using Transmission 2.04 caused Google to lead me here.

Is there been a fix found for this torrent freezing issue or is it something I am going to have to move back to Windows when I want to use?

Thanks

Sorry - unsure if this is relevant, but thought I'd add that when the laptop freezes the light next to the Caps Lock key repeatedly flashes.

Might be important to someone who knows about these things ha ha

Thanks

This bug is closed - you can tell by the "invalid" status. If you have a similar issue it's best to report it as a new bug. Thanks!