I was running happily along with the latest kernel (2.6.8-1.528) and the latest xorg updates about 3 weeks ago (just before the last round of xorg updates?). In addition, I was running the nvidia video driver version 6106. I was experiencing *no* hangs from the X server since upgrading to this nvidia release.
Then, when the last xorg updates came through, I also upgraded to the 6111 nvidia driver, *AND* I turned on pre-linking. After restarting X, it froze up on me about 3 days later (after a prlonged idle period: the screensaver hangs, the keyboard gets ignored, the mouse doesn't work, and if I go to another computer and ssh in, I see that "X" is consuming all the cpu cycles it can get its hands on.) The only way to recover is to "telinit 3", then kill the running X server and wait for it to clean up. At this point, I still don't have mouse or keyboard control, until I issue "telinit 5" and the X server restarts. Then the console keyboard and mouse work again.
I tried backing the nvidia driver back to 6106, but I experienced another hang 2-3 days later, so I'm pretty sure its not the nvidia driver.
I am now beginning to suspect that its the pre-link stuff I installed and started up. Here's the big question: Can I just un-install the prelink RPM? What about all of the binaries that have already been pre-linked? Any way to restore them to their "pre" pre-linked states?
I suspect that I'll rebuild the nvidia module again after I remove prelink (anyways), and report back here if I get another hang....
The perfomance of X and the high amount of breakage within the server is getting out of hand. I have trouble with two different cards currently.
I don't know if the xorg-x11 and XFree86 split is the cause of the malfunctioning with shuffling of personell and priorities.
Anyway, the only probable solution is to hold back on newer versions of xorg-x11 until the problems are fixed and submit or add to a bug report for xorg-x11. You ought to try the nv driver first and if this locks up also. Being that the nvidia driver is not supported, due to its closed source nature, bugs will only be addressed if the problem is reproducable with the open source driver. Otherwise, nvidia should be made aware of the problem with the later version for correction.
Good Luck,
Jim
-- "If I have trouble installing Linux, something is wrong. Very wrong."
- Linus Torvalds
