Tails

#6 Updated by intrigeri 2013-12-06 02:09:17

Workaround’ed in 0.22 (Bug #6462) but we still have to fix this on the long run.

#10 Updated by intrigeri 2013-12-23 01:34:21

One should retry:

• with Linux 3.12.6-1 from sid
• passing vga=current to the kexec’d kernel (with and without --reset-vga in the tails-kexec initscript)

#11 Updated by intrigeri 2013-12-23 02:02:12

This might be related to https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1257338, that is fixed by the “PCI: Disable Bus Master only on kexec reboot” commit in Linux 3.13-rc4.

#12 Updated by intrigeri 2013-12-26 06:19:54

Another check that could be useful would be to remove the quiet boot parameter for the kexec’d kernel.

#13 Updated by intrigeri 2014-01-01 05:02:26

On a MacBook Pro 8,1, the kexec’d kernel freezes just the same with Linux 3.13-rc6 as it does with 3.11.

#14 Updated by alant 2014-01-04 03:15:28

Tried yesterday’s experimental (476ade7) with the following graphics hardware, which do not expose the problem:

- QEMU with QXL graphics

- QEMU with cirrus graphics

- QEMU with VGA graphics

- QEMU with VMVGA graphics

- bare metal with Intel Corporation 82915G/GV/910GL graphics (i915)
- bare metal with Intel Corporation Mobile 945GME graphics (i915)

#15 Updated by intrigeri 2014-01-04 03:54:39

On today’s experimental (with 3.13-rc6) and a ThinkPad X220 (SandyBridge), the kexec’d kernel freezes.

Disabling KMS (i915.modeset=0 nomodeset) does not help.

Removing the quiet kernel parameter makes the “normal” kernel a tiny bit more verbose, but the kexec’d one still does not say anything at all.

I suspect a kexec failure, rather than a (later) boot failure in the kexec’d kernel.

#16 Updated by intrigeri 2014-01-04 04:34:56

ThinkPad X230 (IvyBridge):

• On today’s feature/wheezy (with 3.12.6-2 32-bit), the kexec’d kernel reboots so the memory has probably not been erased. Disabling KMS (i915.modeset=0 nomodeset) does not help.
• On today’s experimental (with 3.13-rc6 64-bit), both in Legacy BIOS mode and in UEFI mode, memory erasure works fine.

#17 Updated by akuckartz 2014-01-06 02:30:48

Lenovo ThinkPad X130e
tails-i386-feature_uefi-0.23-20140104T0920Z-3305611.iso

Automatic memory wiping seems to fail, no power off even after several minutes.

Two acpi_evalf() falures are reported: AE_NOT_FOUND

The last line of the displayed log says “Starting new kernel”

#19 Updated by intrigeri 2014-01-10 02:14:18

sajolida reports, with Tails 0.22.1~rc1 just before the freeze (linux-image-3.12-1-486 version 3.12.6-2, 32-bit):

• success with Thinkpad X61: it starts the memory wipe and shuts down.
• failure with Thinkpad X40: starts the memory wipe but never shuts down.

#20 Updated by sajolida 2014-02-26 19:34:17

Also reported on:

• Hewlett-Packard HP Compaq nx6110
  • Bug report d015fcc61352b49724a8fde6df1d9479
  • Press the button and choose shutdown. Doesn’t show snow on display and doesn’t eject DVD, suggesting memory wiping may have failed. Tails 0.22 and previous showed snow on display and ejected DVD.
• ASUSTeK K50IJ
  • Bug report c26d821e7b24914ca69d3cbe381ebbd4
  • Follow normal shutdown procedure Tails 0.22.1. Tails fails to shutdown after USB stick removal, retains data in memory that is accessible on reboot. All previous builds running on this hardware followed the same shutdown pattern — screen distorts and then machine powers down. Cold reboot examination of memory using custom low level tools reveals that besides hanging and refusing to power down machine, info is left in memory from last tails session.

#25 Updated by intrigeri 2014-02-28 10:30:27

Call for testing sent to tails-dev.

#26 Updated by winterfairy 2014-02-28 16:56:21

Tried “tails-i386-devel-0.23-20140228T0804Z-0d3192c.iso”:

3 out of 3 shutdown attempts succeeded.
The delay suggests memory wiping is working as it should.

Roughtly 60% of shutdowns fail on Tails 0.22.1.

I do believe it was fixed I while before this however,
as experimental images before this branch also have
survived 3 out of 3 shutdown attempts
(maybe kernel upgrade or amd64 fixed it).
And lsmod does not report any “mei” modules for my
computer in Tails 0.22.1.

#27 Updated by intrigeri 2014-03-03 21:50:09

As reported by Alan:

• On thinkpad X200
  • 0.22.1 reboot instead of shutting down thrice on 3 attempts
  • exeprimental @53f0fdf shuts down thrice on 3 attempts

• On thinkpad X200s
  • 0.22.1 reboot instead of shutting down twice on 3 attempts
  • exeprimental @53f0fdf shuts down thrice on 3 attempts

• On thinkpad X32
  • 0.22.1 shuts down twice on 2 attempts
  • exeprimental @53f0fdf shuts down twice on 2 attempts