Hi all, bit of a weird issue…
I’ve been using my laptop in a ‘docked’ configuration for a while, with various devices connected. At seemingly random intervals the built in display will stop updating (being stuck showing the last thing it was displaying) and will only work again after a reboot.
Devices connected are as follows:
- usb-c –> power/ethernet adaptor –> network cable & usb power supply
- usb-c –> usb-a kvm hub with mouse and keyboard attached
- hdmi –> kvm hub (same device) –> hdmi –> acer 27” display
Anyone have any pointers on where I might look to diagnose this? I’m fairly tech literate but this is just odd. I’ve included the relevant info below from the posting template, please let me know if I should provide any more info.
Which Linux distro are you using? Fedora
Which release version? 42 (Workstation edition)
(if rolling release without a release version, skip this question)
(If rolling release, last date updated?)
Which kernel are you using? Linux 6.15.9-201.fc42.x86_64
Which BIOS version are you using? Version: 03.09 Release Date: 04/22/2025
Which Framework Laptop 13 model are you using? AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series
Sounds like this suspected amdgpu driver bug.
Edit: Short term, adding amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10 to your kernel command line will work around it.
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Thanks very much for the info! (I’ve been at work all day so only just got the chance to try this out.) I’ve added in the kernel argument you suggested and will see if it prevents this happening again, though it’s hard to judge with such sporadic issues. I did read that this change will “tank your battery life” but now I’m wondering just how much more power it will use. Not so much of an issue at the moment as I’m mostly docked (being busy at work) but when I have more free time it will be more relevant.
Is there any info on a fix for this somewhere? I understand it’s an AMD driver issue, not fedora or the linux kernel?
Thanks again for the workaround, I’ll update here if anything changes on my end!
The gitlab thread above has lately veered a bit towards the possibility that this is caused, or more correctly triggered by, specific mesa library changes in addition to/combination with the amdgpu driver (which does live in the kernel). Note also that there are variations in the “flavor” of (some parts of ?) mesa you run depending on whether you’ve enabled the RPMFustion repositories (I haven’t).
I’ve been running with amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10 for months now and am also docked virtually all the time. When I did run the laptop on battery on a few occasions I can’t say I noticed any meaningful increase in power consumption.
That’s interesting, it sounds like I won’t really need to worry about the battery life reduction then. On a related note you mentioned running mostly docked; do you perchance use a wired network connection while docked? I mention because whenever I switch from wired to wireless (or more accurately whenever I unplug or replug the usb-c eth adaptor) there seems to be a complete system freeze for a moment (between 1 and 5 minutes) though it does recover. Not game breaking as it were, just inconvenient.
Other than that I must say my overall experience with linux on the framework laptop has been pretty good, with a few things surprisingly good like the trackpad.
As it happens I did start using a wired connection yesterday, via the dock’s built-in (but still USB-based) interface:
$ lsusb
...
Bus 008 Device 009: ID 0bda:8156 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. USB 10/100/1G/2.5G LAN
The dock itself is a Kensington 5780T TB4/USB4 dock.
I haven’t seen any freezes or other issues so far.
Just a quick update as I haven’t had loads of time to test out the workaround (not easy to do when reproducing the error is akin to ‘consulting the bones’) but since adding to the kernel command line I can’t say I’ve noticed the same error recurring. Battery life seems ‘ok’ depending on what I’m doing; I was adjusting some home assistant scripts earlier today in my workshop (downstairs from flat, in car park) so it was useful to have the laptop there and the battery seemed to last ok.
Still having the freeze when unplugging from the dock but that’s tolerable.