On Thursday 10 February 2005 06:56, Martin Steigerwald wrote: > Hello, > > For a customer I installed a Linux Scan Workstation with > Debian Sarge. It is some Wortmann Terra Server with SiS 661 > chipset with a motherboard that seems to be from ASUS (lspci > output at the end of the mail). > > It all worked pretty well despite one problem: > > When the user logs into KDE 3.3.2 using KDM, and then logs > out again with rebooting the machine, on the next start the > BIOS of the machine (an American Megatrends one) complains > that it cannot read the CMOS settings anymore. > > This doesn't happen when the user just boots into KDM and > then uses KDM's menu to reboot the machine, i.e. when he > doesn't log into KDE. > > This also doesn't happen when the user use the "safe" > session (dunno the exact english name in KDM) which only > gives an xterm. > > And it also doesn't happen when the user is not a member of > the group "nvram" although even when he is, a "lsmod | grep > nvram" after KDE was started gives no result. > > But it does also happen, when the user does not log out > normally but just switches off the machine and switches it > on again then. > > Currently I removed the user from the group "nvram" as a > work-around, without knowing the exact cause of the problem. > > I am almost ready to file this under esoteric problems with > non properly supported hardware, but I still would like to > know what the heck is happening here. Who at all is > accessing nvram during start of KDE? I de-installed > "klaptopdaemon" which didn't make a difference. > > Any hints where to search? I am about to file this as a bug > report, but before I would like to get some feedback on it. > Maybe someone has an idea. > > I am using a standard Debian kernel 2.6.10-1-686 on that > machine.
[Snip] I noticed a new (I believe it was experimental) kernel option that enabled the use of the "supposedly" unused portion of the CMOS ram. I "think" that came out with the 2.6.10 kernel, but I am unsure as to exactly which releases have it. It sounds like that option is enabled in the kernel you are using, and somehow KDE is corrupting the CMOS ram data. I don't understand why that option would be enabled in any standard kernel. Removing the user (all users, perhaps) from nvram (non-volatile ram) seems like the proper solution. I wouldn't call it a work-around at all. Unless I completely misunderstand what's going on, I don't think that kernel option should be enabled in the first place, and if it is, most, if not all users, should not be members of the nvram group. N.P. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
