LINUX Viewer freezing when two avatars close

Better explain my setup first. Two Linux boxes, networked through an ipcop firwall box.

Box (1) Pentium 4 32bit single core, ASRock P4i65G, 2GB ram, GeForce 7600 GS 512MB agp, Mandriva 2008

This one works fine with no problems what so ever. Except for age and no in world movies; so what's new?

Box (2) AMD Athlon 64 x2, ASRock AM2NF6G-VSTA (latest bios update), 4GB ram, GeForce 8800 GT 512MB pci-e, Kubuntu 8.04.1

Box (2) Works perfectly, but with one excruciatingly annoying problem.

This applies the the latest Release Candidate viewer and the stable standard one.

When my AV gets close to another AV, the viewer will freeze. First for a few seconds at a time, then with increasing frequency until chat becomes almost impossible. Move away from the other AV and things start to work again (not always easy when everything has frozen solid). As I am a hugger (and other things *grin*) this is a show stopper for me.

When it happens, the receive light on the modem stops flickering, so the lack of data is causing the freezing. But why does the 32bit box work fine, and only the 64bit box does this? I have tried replacing the on board NIC with a pci one: no difference. I have even tried another mobo with a Pentium 64bit dual core but still no difference. I have also tried reducing the network speed setting in the viewer to very low setting to very high, it makes not a jot of difference.

On the same Box (2) I have tried the 64 bit kubuntu but couldn't even get the viewer to fire up, even with the 32 bit libraries installed. I have also tried the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Mandriva: result: the same!

I normally use the Release candidate viewer, but I have also tried the standard one, Restrained life V1.12.3, and stable Cool SL viewer. All exhibit the same problem.

I can't blame SL, as Box (1) works fine, and I can't blame my firewall. I cant blame the viewers as they work fine on Box (1) as well. Unless all ASRock 64bit mobo's have a common fault which I can't quite see happening.

The only common factor is a 64bit dual core processor. Not an AMD or Pentium or mobo problem, as it's common to both?

Is there anyone out there that can suggest what the hell maybe causing me so much grief. I really DO NOT want to be forced into going back to using Windows if I can possibly help it.

In passing, I have come across one other person that has been having almost identical symptoms independent of my AV being present, but using Vista on 64bit hardware (no other details). You can imagine the cursing that was going on at the time when we where in close proximity. Only common factor here was Virgin Media Cable, me on 10Mb she on 20Mb, both of us in the UK. But again, switch to Box (1) and all in the garden is rosy again at least for me.

Vb

I hat similar (noth the same) problems with the latest NVIDIA driver (177.80)

Nvidia 177.80 doesn't work at all for me. Well, it does, but only for the first 30 seconds or so. After that framerates start to stutter and then get stuck at 1 fps. The last videocard driver that was working for me was 177.13 or 177.67, I don't quite remember anymore. It was the one where Nvidia claimed to have done some memory handling tweaking that didn't anymore and started to show the described behaviour. I guess i should install 177.80 again and send off a bug-report.log...

-Asriazh

Well .. risking to be off-topic here, since I have nothing helpful to report to the original poster...





I had that installed. Downgraded to 173.14(.09) and returned to my usual framerate.

I also noticed 177.80 generated artefacts on the SLscreen while switching to other desktop applications in KDE.

File that together with that bug report your sending ..... don't bother upgrading..

For anyone else that wants to be helpful. I did state that this only occurs when my AV and another AV are in close proximity to touching. Otherwise I can wander round in world all day with no problems, I guess a 6 hours is not unusual.

The only other time I have noticed something similar, is when close to a lot of poseballs or something with scripts running, it can SOMETIMES happen, but not often enough to be significant. the 'freezing in close proximity' is persistent, and repeatable ad nauseam.

The actual Graphics card driver is the stock Ubuntu kernel driver, nvidia-glx-new 169.12 + 2.6.24.13-19.45

There is a note on the nvidia downloads site about using nvidia's own driver with Linux Ubuntu/kubuntu as these distros have deviated away for the norm.
http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=72490

Incidentally severe sound glitching and stuttering graphics in SL when moving the mouse over the kde desktop interface, were eliminated after fitting an old Yamaha pci sound card and disabling the onboard sound.

Vb

That may well be your problem right there, as your problem sounds related to the one I had with v1.20.x.x and newer viewers.

The solution is to remove nvidia-glx-new and install nvidia-glx-new-envy. This will install the newer 173 driver, and all should be well again. I can even run around with my graphics settings set to "Ultra" and AA turned on, and still maintain framerates in excess of 15FPS on my laptop's NVidia 8600M-GS.

Thanks, I will try that (again). The last time I tried, the envy driver screwed something up and killed the Xserver.

However I can't quiet see the connection between the sound driver and the graphics driver? They are two different kernel modules. The onboard chipset is common, but I am using a separate graphics card and sound card, with the on board graphics and sound disabled.

Disabling the on board sound made the graphics stable, in fact very stable, which would suggest to me that it's the on board chipset that is the center of the problem.

And can any one tell me why or how a graphics card and or driver, would cause the downstream modem light to show NO data transfer.

I have overloaded lesser cards before, and things will slow down and eventually the viewer will freeze, but the data is still downloading.

When I freeze there is nothing graphics intensive going on. It can happen in a deserted flat barren class 5 sim with just me and another AV, first thing I checked. Get within a metre of the other AV and the symptoms start to show, build up, and eventually data transfer stops. That sounds like a viewer problem, except the viewers work fine on 32 bit hardware, and all the different viewers I have tried show the same symptoms on the 64bit hardware.

I have no problem with frame rates, off the scale on a good day, usually 20 to 30 on average, 15 if things are very busy, 0 packet loss, and Lag Meter is behaving quite normally, showing no permanent red lights, mostly green. All graphics settings are at Ultra. AA is and always has been set at 4, setting it higher with the driver settings kills the viewer. Try in to set it higher in the viewer doesn't work either. Setting graphics to normal or lower makes no difference to the problem

Today for some reason I was able to actually hug two AV's in different sims and nothing froze. Also noticed if I can switch to mouse view between the freezes the problem sometimes reduces? I have altered nothing on my system. Only checked all hardware NIC settings and anything else I can possibly think of. Everything is as it should be???

If this turns out to be an SL problem. I will kill someone............!!!!

Vb

Posting this in the hope it may help someone else.

As this problem showed no signs of going away, In desperation I have been running the graphics settings at minimum, which alleviates the problem (almost). This is a joke with the kit I have!

I have found by a process of elimination, that the culprit seems to be the 'Avatars:' setting in the advanced graphics settings. With the all settings maxed out, but the Avatars slider at minimum, all works fine with no freezes. increase it and the symptoms return. no other sliders seem to have any other impact on the problem.

Means other AV's look crap at modest distances, but I can live with that, and still trying to find a higher setting that is a compromise that works.

Hope that is of some use.
Vb

Are you running Compiz or Beryl with your system? Which distro and version is it?

See first post in thread for full details.

Not running Compiz or Beryl.

AMD Athlon 64 x2, ASRock AM2NF6G-VSTA (latest bios update), 4GB ram, GeForce 8800 GT 512MB pci-e, Kubuntu 8.04.1 (32bit), Kde3.whatever.

Vb

This sounds like a networking problem rather that a video problem. Have you tried setting up custom ports for each instance of SL? Edit->preferences->network-> Custom Port Try changing the number between 0-50 for each instance and try that. This was a huge problem with SL back in the day yo but modern routers don't have as much problem with it as older ones did.

Thanks for the reply,

I haven't, but I will, if you can elaborate on what you mean by 'each instance' of SL, and also what port number range are we talking about, 13000 to 13050, or something else?

Vb

Well, if you are using two computers, each running a single copy of SL then you can try setting a custom port on each "instance" of SL with a different value between 13000 and 13050. You can have multiple copies of SL running on a single computer or across a local network, each copy is an "instance" of SL. With a single copy running it is easy to change the port number through the preferences menu, if you have multiple copies running on a single machine you have a more complicated process to go through. Modern routers don't really need this but I don't know about your equipment. I haven't needed to do this in years but it is something to try.

Did try it, Unfortunately it's not made any difference.

I am trying it now with two PC's both running identical versions of Kubuntu 8.04 on the same network side by side, one with a borrowed AV from a friend. So i can see from both viewpoints simultaneously on two monitors side by side, which is interesting in it's own right.

The only difference now is the hardware, both AMD64 processors. One is a higher spec with faster ram and a higher spec graphics card (see the first post in the thread), the other has a slower processor and ram and 7000 series Nvidia card with the same amount of ram.

The latter PC has to have ALL the Graphics Preference settings at minimum, to avoid the freezing altogether. The more powerful PC I can run on Graphics High sittings, but have to have the Avatars slider one stop off minimum if I am close to another AV.

Both respond to the Avatars slider, which can restore movement if the whole screen freezes, thats if the freeze breaks long enough for me to move the AV's apart, so I can actually open the preferences menu and grab the slider.

Only two conclusions! hardware or drivers..... Or try to over-clock the the living daylights out of the things and pray!.

Vb