EQR5 random freezing with Ubuntu 24.04

gnarfle

I set up an EQR5 last weekend and so far it has locked up twice in the middle of the night. When it does this, there are no errors in any of the system log files, just an abrupt stop to log entries. The power light is still on but it’s unresponsive and the fan is not running, I have to unplug it to reboot. I installed Ubuntu 24.04 and presumably using stock drivers for everything.

I have checked the hard drive smart status and it reports no problems. I have looked through all the system logs and see no unusual errors or log entries. I ran memtest86 for two hours with no issues. I ran stress-ng for an hour with 100% cpu load and the system remained stable. I’m at a loss as to what else could be wrong other than an intermittent hardware failure, but I’m curious if there are any alternative drivers I should try installing or BIOS changes.

support1

Power Supply/Electrical Issues
Suspect: A failing PSU or unstable power delivery can cause abrupt lockups, especially under idle/low-load conditions (common at night).

Test: Swap the PSU with a known-good unit if possible.

Check: Ensure all power cables (motherboard, CPU, GPU) are securely connected. Look for capacitor bulges/leaks on the motherboard.

Kernel/Driver Issues
Kernel Updates: Ubuntu 24.04’s stock kernel (likely 6.8.x) might have compatibility gaps.

Try upgrading to a mainline kernel (e.g., 6.9 or newer) via Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer.

Check for firmware updates (sudo fwupdmgr update).

Proprietary Drivers: Install vendor-specific drivers (e.g., GPU, chipset) instead of generic ones. Use ubuntu-drivers list and ubuntu-drivers install.

Power Management & BIOS
Disable Aggressive Power Saving:

OS: Disable CPU idle states:

bash
sudo sed -i ‘s/^GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="/&processor.max_cstate=1 intel_idle.max_cstate=0 /’ /etc/default/grub
sudo update-grub
Prevent USB/SATA autosuspend:

bash
echo ‘ACTION==“add”, SUBSYSTEM==“usb”, TEST==“power/control”, ATTR{power/control}=“on”’ | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/50-usb-power.rules
Update BIOS:Please press delete key as soon as you turn on the PC, so that you can go to BIOS. Please send us a picture of the Main page.
We will check if you need to update the BIOS.

Overheating/Idle-State Bugs
Monitor Thermals: Use sensors or psensor to log temperatures. Even if stress tests pass, idle-state cooling bugs (e.g., fans stopping prematurely) might cause lockups.

Adjust Fan Curves: Use BIOS or fancontrol (part of lm-sensors) to ensure fans don’t shut off at low temps.

Storage Firmware/Configuration
Update Drive Firmware: Even with clean SMART data, firmware bugs can cause hangs. Check manufacturer tools (e.g., Samsung Magician, Intel MAS).

Filesystem Check: Run fsck on the root filesystem after a crash to rule out corruption.

Scheduled Tasks/Background Processes
Audit Cron/Systemd Timers: Check for tasks running overnight:

bash
systemctl list-timers
crontab -l
Disable Non-Essential Services: Temporarily stop services like snapd, apt-daily, or backups to test.

Advanced Logging
Enable Persistent Journal:

bash
sudo mkdir -p /var/log/journal
sudo systemctl restart systemd-journald
Check Kernel Ring Buffer (post-crash):

Hardware Isolation
Test Minimal Configuration: Remove non-essential hardware (discrete GPU, extra drives, RAM sticks) to identify conflicts.

Replace Cables/Ports: Faulty SATA/USB cables/ports can cause instability.

Check for Known Issues
Ubuntu 24.04 Bugs: Search Launchpad or forums for similar lockups (e.g., Ask Ubuntu).
Advanced Diagnostics
Kernel Crash Dump: Enable kdump to capture crash context:

bash
sudo apt install linux-crashdump
sudo kdump-config show
Network Monitoring: Use netdata or grafana to track system metrics leading up to crashes.