[3.2rc2] Pulseaudio 100% CPU load at dom0

Eva Star

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Aug 31, 2016, 7:16:08 AM8/31/16

to qubes-users

3.2rc2 - clean install (on 3.2rc1 with updates I do not have this problem)

At dom0 pulseaudio proccess always eat 100% of CPU.
If I kill it, then it starts again!
Please, help. Hot to fix this issue or how to disable pulseaudio start after kill.

entr0py

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Aug 31, 2016, 2:14:58 PM8/31/16

to Eva Star, qubes-users

Eva Star:

Had similar symptoms on Qubes 3.1. If you have multiple audio adapters (ie Onboard + HDMI), disable one. (On KDE, it was PulseAudio Volume Control > Configuration. Don't know XFCE.)

David Hobach

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Sep 2, 2016, 12:36:56 PM9/2/16

to entr0py, Eva Star, qubes-users

On 08/31/2016 08:14 PM, entr0py wrote:
> Eva Star:
>> 3.2rc2 - clean install (on 3.2rc1 with updates I do not have this problem)
>>
>> At dom0 pulseaudio proccess always eat 100% of CPU.
>> If I kill it, then it starts again!
>> Please, help. Hot to fix this issue or how to disable pulseaudio start after kill.

Same problem here, only by updating though.

> Had similar symptoms on Qubes 3.1. If you have multiple audio adapters (ie Onboard + HDMI), disable one. (On KDE, it was PulseAudio Volume Control > Configuration. Don't know XFCE.)

I also have multiple (incl. external). Disconnecting the external one
does not appear to help though.

Pulseaudio child processes constantly die and get started again, i.e.
the PID is changing every 1-2s. I guess that's not normal? Sound in VMs
is stuttering.

rsyslogd also eats quite a lot of CPU, but I bet it's due to the pulse logs.

Sample log and /etc/pulse/default.pa attached.

Anyone got an idea?

default.pa

sample-log.txt

entr0py

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Sep 2, 2016, 1:11:32 PM9/2/16

to David Hobach, qubes-users

David Hobach:

In my case, the Onboard and HDMI adapters kept trying to connect, kicking out the other adapter. The machine would basically lock up every few seconds and CPU would max out. Same symptoms as you describe with the PIDs.

What I did specifically was go to Configuration tab and set Profile to 'Off'. One of the dom0 updates caused this setting to revert to its default. Perhaps you've got another adapter besides the USB, or the machine keeps looking for the disconnected adapter?

David Hobach

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Sep 3, 2016, 5:45:23 AM9/3/16

to entr0py, qubes-users

You were 100% right.

In my case I had connected a new GPU which had registered itself as new
audio output device (HDMI) and apparently kept pulseaudio busy.

For reference:
Non-KDE users can pop up a dom0 console and use the "systemsettings"
command to get into the GUI. There you can go to Multimedia -> Audio
Hardware setup and switch the unneeded sound cards off (Profile = off).

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