[Libreboot] [Libreboot T60 from Gluglug] Sometimes my Qualcomm Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter drops the connection to never reestablish it again (until reboot)

[Jorge Araya Navarro]

Hello!

I bought my Libreboot T60 from Gluglug in December of last year, and I'm very 
happy with a machine
which works with 100% Free Software!

Since a couple of months ago is happening something strange to my wifi card, I 
first thought the
issue was caused by a kernel update but I was wrong. What happens is that at 
any random moment every
many or so weeks the wifi will drop the connection to never re-establish it 
again, until reboot, and
after that sometimes the issue continues with the wifi card dropping the 
connection once every 60
seconds.

Yesterday this thing happened again, so I decided to fire Emacs and takes some 
notes and output with
org-mode. The first interesting thing is this from `dmesg`:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
nov 12 12:43:43 abril.charola kernel: snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1b.0: IRQ timing 
workaround is activated for card #0. Suggest a bigger bdl_pos_adj.
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Failed to stop TX DMA, 
queues=0x00a!
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: DMA failed to stop in 10 ms 
AR_CR=0xffffffff AR_DIAG_SW=0xffffffff DMADBG_7=0xffffffff
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Could not stop RX, we could be 
confusing the DMA engine when we start RX up
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Chip reset failed
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Unable to reset channel, reset 
status -22
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: DMA failed to stop in 10 ms 
AR_CR=0xffffffff AR_DIAG_SW=0xffffffff DMADBG_7=0xffffffff
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Could not stop RX, we could be 
confusing the DMA engine when we start RX up
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Chip reset failed
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Unable to reset channel, reset 
status -22
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: DMA failed to stop in 10 ms 
AR_CR=0xffffffff AR_DIAG_SW=0xffffffff DMADBG_7=0xffffffff
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Could not stop RX, we could be 
confusing the DMA engine when we start RX up
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Chip reset failed
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Unable to reset channel, reset 
status -22
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: DMA failed to stop in 10 ms 
AR_CR=0xffffffff AR_DIAG_SW=0xffffffff DMADBG_7=0xffffffff
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Could not stop RX, we could be 
confusing the DMA engine when we start RX up
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Chip reset failed
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Unable to reset channel, reset 
status -22
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: DMA failed to stop in 10 ms 
AR_CR=0xffffffff AR_DIAG_SW=0xffffffff DMADBG_7=0xffffffff
nov 12 12:43:44 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Could not stop RX, we could be 
confusing the DMA engine when we start RX up
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Chip reset failed
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Unable to reset channel, reset 
status -22
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: DMA failed to stop in 10 ms 
AR_CR=0xffffffff AR_DIAG_SW=0xffffffff DMADBG_7=0xffffffff
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Could not stop RX, we could be 
confusing the DMA engine when we start RX up
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Chip reset failed
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Unable to reset channel, reset 
status -22
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola NetworkManager[445]: <warn>  Connection 
disconnected (reason -4)
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola NetworkManager[445]: <info>  (wlp2s0): supplicant 
interface state: completed -> disconnected
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: cfg80211: Exceeded CRDA call max 
attempts. Not calling CRDA
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: DMA failed to stop in 10 ms 
AR_CR=0xffffffff AR_DIAG_SW=0xffffffff DMADBG_7=0xffffffff
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola kernel: ath: phy0: Could not stop RX, we could be 
confusing the DMA engine when we start RX up
nov 12 12:43:45 abril.charola NetworkManager[445]: <info>  (wlp2s0): supplicant 
interface state: disconnected -> scanning
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

As I don't understand anything with such error messages, my guess is that it is 
something
serious. after trying to unload the modules related to my wifi driver (ath 
(which is impossible
because other modules requiring it are being use)) and typing `ifconfig wlp2s0 
down` and what not, I
just gave up and restart my laptop. At some point journald register something 
interesting:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel: irq 17: nobody cared (try booting with 
the "irqpoll" option)
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel: CPU: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 
4.1.11-gnu-1-lts #1
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel: Hardware name: LENOVO 1951F8G/1951F8G, 
BIOS CBET4000 79ETE7WW (2.27 ) 05/18/2015
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  c1609907 4a9301f9 00000000 f5035f54 
c14a49ec f53d0e9c f5035f74 c10abbac
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  c1575cc0 00000011 f5035f70 f85611db 
f53d0e40 00000000 f5035f98 c10abf22
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  c1329d4a 0003ab5e 00000000 4a9301f9 
f53d0e40 c1676e00 00000000 f5035fd4
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel: Call Trace:
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c14a49ec>] dump_stack+0x41/0x52
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c10abbac>] __report_bad_irq+0x2c/0xd0
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<f85611db>] ? 
ath9k_hw_intrpend+0x5b/0x70 [ath9k_hw]
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c10abf22>] note_interrupt+0x212/0x250
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c1329d4a>] ? 
add_interrupt_randomness+0x16a/0x1a0
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c10a99a2>] 
handle_irq_event_percpu+0x122/0x190
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c10a99a2>] ? 
handle_irq_event_percpu+0x122/0x190
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c10a9a3a>] handle_irq_event+0x2a/0x50
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c10ac520>] ? handle_edge_irq+0xe0/0xe0
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c10ac589>] 
handle_fasteoi_irq+0x69/0x100
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c1004906>] handle_irq+0x56/0x90
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  <IRQ>  [<c14aa60c>] do_IRQ+0x3c/0xd0
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c14a9c33>] common_interrupt+0x33/0x38
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c138a553>] ? 
cpuidle_enter_state+0x83/0x240
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c138a744>] cpuidle_enter+0x14/0x20
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c108fe89>] 
cpu_startup_entry+0x299/0x3a0
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c14a1f67>] rest_init+0x67/0x70
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c167eb51>] start_kernel+0x3c9/0x3e2
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel:  [<c167e2e3>] i386_start_kernel+0x91/0x95
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel: handlers:
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel: [<f81083c0>] usb_hcd_irq [usbcore]
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel: [<f860a890>] ath_isr [ath9k]
nov 12 12:44:00 abril.charola kernel: Disabling IRQ #17
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

Again, I don't know what it says but seems very serious. I'll attach the full 
logs in case what I
provide is not enough. Hope someone can help me with this.

P.S.: I haven't clean my laptop from dust since I bought it, and it seems it 
have some inside, this
sporadic issue can be caused by the dust, too.

shackra-t60.log
Description: my logs

-- 
👋 Pax et bonum.
Jorge Araya Navarro
https://es.gravatar.com/shackra