Bug 106037 - Libreoffice freezes the whole computer upon mouse scroll wheel activity (see comment 8)
Summary: Libreoffice freezes the whole computer upon mouse scroll wheel activity (see ...
Status: VERIFIED WORKSFORME
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Calc (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
5.1.4.2 release
Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64) Linux (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2017-02-16 06:21 UTC by matthewnote
Modified: 2018-07-05 12:02 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

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Crash report or crash signature:


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Description matthewnote 2017-02-16 06:21:32 UTC
New Shuttle XS pc, two screens (one HDMI, one 48 inch DP at 3840x2160 ultra). Light Ubuntu 4.4.0-62-generic (x86_64), Threads CPU 4, UI Render default.
with ARandR to use both monitors.
LO Build ID 1:5.1.4-0ubuntu1.

Cancer research using five or six sheets, about twenty XY scatter plots, 150 rows, 150 columns per sheet approximately 8 Mb total.  Wonderful! LibreOffice is extraordinary and marvellous!  Last year, one absolutely huge file was used for number crunching in tens of thousands of rows and all but one of all available columns. The quad core PC is only 2GHz, so at it's limits for science, yet LO did the jobs, three hour calculation and 400 000 plots on a scatter diagram.  Simply amazing. 

Progress is hampered with the more usual small files with multiple graphics as Calc crashed every hour or so in 2016, particularly when changing a graphic line or area colour transparency or moving a graphic on the sheet.  Linux PC restart is necessary (off - on).  The LO recovery starts well, yet often offers to repair a version of the document precisely two versions earlier than the one that crashed.  Accepting the offer causes messages about inadequate permissions, inability to open, offer to save to a default folder. Once running, it's possible to find the actual working document in "recently used" and take things from there.

In 2017 it was noticed, just by luck, that a tablette on WiFi in the same building using the same ADSL box for internet, lost access at precisely the same moments as LibreOffice on the PC freezes (crash).  The LO PC is cable LAN (rarely used), no network drives, no Samba, yet is important when placing research data from the Web on the HDMI screen and working it out on the DP screen using Calc.  It doesn't matter if an application for the internet is opened or not and there are no applications with internet background activity, no Skype, no email programs, nothing, just barebones for working.  Only the Ubuntu is known to look at the LAN for System Updates.  One network printer is used about once a month for ten minutes, yet otherwise stays off.

The hourly crashes was a very painful experience.  In 2017,with the LAN cable physically disconnected, all is useable and a huge relief.  Early on, lower video resolutions were tried and more memory allocated for Calc objects, without changes to the Calc bugging, neither better nor worse. Single screen without ARandR was tried.  Same crashes, about every hour, yet can be after one minute or one slide of the mouse.

It seems LO Calc may be stumbling into LAN memory space (or vice versa) or colliding with Software Updates manager of Ubuntu.  It's presumed that LO is without internet needs nor online options such as spell checking with remote dictionaries, yet I'm unfamiliar with it's full capacity.  It's also presumed that Lubuntu is without malware, keyboard loggers or any other data gathering gadget.  It's unknown why the LO PC crash would stress and distract the ADSL modem router, rather than just drop off quietly without disturbing the router.

For the moment, the system is used stand-alone, LAN cable disconnected.  Ability to look at internet and use Calc simultaneously and stable would help enormously.

Bug 99763 seems to discuss memory leak with similar effects, without the LAN clue.
Comment 1 Xisco Faulí 2017-02-16 11:01:37 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 2 Julien Nabet 2017-02-16 23:08:19 UTC
I don't know "light Ubuntu" but you may declare LO ppa repository (see https://launchpad.net/~libreoffice/+archive/ubuntu/ppa) and give a try to a more recent version.

It may be useful to retrieve a backtrace (see https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/BugReport/Debug_Information#GNU.2FLinux:_How_to_get_a_backtrace)
Comment 3 matthewnote 2017-02-17 21:30:38 UTC
Thankyou for the advice;  

First change. System upgraded, kernel 4.4.0, glibc, freetype 2.6.1, GTK 3.18.9, 
Second change. Then using ppa for LibreOffice fresh - which visited glib again.  Seems Light Ubuntu supports all dependencies.
LO is now at 5.3.0 Build ID: 1:5.3.0~rc3-0ubuntu1~xenial1.1

LAN cable reconnected and machine in use.
Eight hours continuous use.  No problems at all.
  
Testing should show the effect within four days or so at this work rate; it's more thinking than doing at this stage.  If a problem occurs with 5.3.0, I'll do all that's possible with backtrace, bearing in mind that the mouse and keyboard were unusable before, log files only.
 
I'll revisit a few previous studies too, much larger files, to see what happens, noting the Status or replying to you.


best regards from France
Matthew Walker
Comment 4 Julien Nabet 2017-02-17 22:18:09 UTC
It's a good start! :-)
Another piece of advice (but perhaps you already do this), do a backup of your files with horodating before changing them ; it may help.

eg: research.ods
research_20170217.ods
Keep at least the 2 or 3 last backup of a file just to be sure.
Of course, make copies of your backup files on network or on an usb key, just in case (hard disk may crash sometimes)
Comment 5 matthewnote 2017-02-17 22:49:31 UTC
Thankyou, to advise anyone to do horodating (anyone else reading here - please do).  You're right, I do already, about every move or column modification.  The disk is a huge SSD with two USB memory sticks.  It's quite useful actually, to learn to be so prudent.  A very detailled work journal indeed!

First thing I noticed today about 5.3.0 after 10 seconds was that the file save icon no longer changes from the floppy diskette symbol to green arrow down when clicked and finished.  My routine is to use "save as" menu to give a new datehourminute but I used to click that icon every five minutes as well because it was blue again.  A user tick rather than trick. I solemnly swear I will read and learn all about autosave in an attempt to understand it.

Matthew
Comment 6 Julien Nabet 2017-02-18 07:29:41 UTC
Let's put this one to WFM.

Matthew: don't hesitate to reopen this tracker if you still reproduce the problem.
Comment 7 matthewnote 2017-05-17 06:10:06 UTC
Hello, something new learnt

Starting new cancer research analyses, the problem returns, the same as before, freezing LO Calc and Linux -reboot required.  The recovery process works very well (needed about five to ten times per day whether the document is 1.7 or up to 8.3 Mbytes). Light Ubuntu offers version 5.3.3.2 build 1:5.3.3~rc2-0ubuntu0.16.04.1~lo0.  Upgrade done, same effects.  This machine is Linux only.  All other software (navigators, pdf viewers etc) stay stable.

The problem seemed to be induced by data entry with much scrolling.  The Calc sheets are on an UHD 4k monitor with much copy from .csv, then paste then sorting.  The lockup freeze doesn't always occur during the wheel mouse scroll, nor specifically when using scrollbar.  It can happen when entering data too.  However it seems to be always after intense mouse wheel movement during the previous ten minutes, as if a corruption has occurred that will, sooner or later, manifest in a different way (cumulative).  

The mouse is an apparently ordinary, most simple Microsoft Wheel mouse Optical USB.  Linux is with parameters for pointer speed, yet not for scroll wheel. Forums mention problems in the past for dual-boot systems and unplugging-plugging such pointers to escape mouse freezing (rather than software crashes).

The test here is to get on with the research using a Lenovo optical wheel USB mouse with a cranky heavy wheel ratchet.  Immediate relief, zero crashes, day after day since one week.  Computer left running all hours to see if something accumulates.  No problem.

LibreOffice calc seems to be uniquely vulnerable to parsing (some) wheel mouse accelerations or how Linux handles it includes passing on errors or a working area buffer overflows.  It were preferable to use a Linux "certified" mouse, yet as far as I know only Roccat products have received attention with drivers written by a volunteer.

It may, only may be a Microsoft interpretation in the mouse itself, yet I doubt it.  It seems to be possibly more authentic about the user command in click rate terms, LO Calc unable to realise it on screen.   The files are typically 300 rows, 100 columns per sheet. The Lenovo product makes a helluvah noise but works perfectly.  

I reopen the bug because anyone with any new product (UHD screen or not) may fall into the pit.  I feel it's up to software to buffer and self-protect rather than ban certain hardware.  Everything's well here, yet dual-boot users may not agree.
Comment 8 matthewnote 2017-05-30 10:29:00 UTC
After ten days trouble free, the LO Calc did freeze the PC, immediately after three clicks on the new Lenovo mouse scroll wheel.  Only once.  It may all depend on whether the calc has graphics.  It's difficult to trap this precisely, yet there's an impression that new files with only numbers and text seem to be invulnerable to this problem.

Overall, it seems the original LAN symptom is only an indication, yet it's always mouse wheel activity that builds up a pressure on the software, perhaps worse because the graphics are at 4K ultraHD.  However, graphical presentation seems flawless.  Occasionally there are small ticks and lines in black which are wiped as soon as scrolled off the working screen area.

The difference between the Microsoft Wheel mouse and Lenovo is extreme.  I have also put all radiating devices away (as far as possible) like mobile telephones.  The two mice are certified CE against interference, but you never know.

Does the bug title remain the same (LAN symptom) or does it change (to Mouse scroll cause)?

Matthew
Comment 9 Buovjaga 2017-06-04 18:23:14 UTC
I wonder, if this is because of LibreOffice or Linux drivers or desktop environment or graphics server?
Comment 10 Kevin Suo 2017-11-04 11:27:29 UTC
I have read most of the long bug reports and comments information, and realized that to get this bug fixed, Matthew need to get a backtrace by himself, as no one else can easily reproduce this.  Without the backtrace or reproducible steps it is very hard for devs to solve this issue.

To get a backtrace you need a libreoffice version with debug symbols enabled. The best way I would suggest is to use one of the dbg build from http://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/master/. 
Once downloaded, extract the tarball somewhere on your disk, cd to the directory and do the following:
1. run "./opt/program/soffice --backtrace".
2. Try to reproduce the freeze/crash, and attach the backtrace log file to this bug report.
Comment 11 Xisco Faulí 2018-01-04 10:14:40 UTC
Putting to NEEDINFO as per comment 10
Comment 12 matthewnote 2018-01-04 11:20:54 UTC
Hi, I will do a backtrace to help.  All work here is postponed due to triple fracture of my right shoulder.  Back to action in March 2018 probably.  Regards, Matthew.
Comment 13 Xisco Faulí 2018-01-10 10:19:58 UTC
(In reply to matthewnote from comment #12)
> Hi, I will do a backtrace to help.  All work here is postponed due to triple
> fracture of my right shoulder.  Back to action in March 2018 probably. 
> Regards, Matthew.

Ok, put it back to UNCONFIRMED once the backtrace is added. Get better soon
Comment 14 matthewnote 2018-07-05 11:55:29 UTC
I'm back to work.  Shoulder fixed (but using a Logitech Trackball rather than mouse).  There were two days more of freezing when scrolling the wheel (middle finger rather than thumb) on  Calc page full of data and complex graphics (every fifteen minutes or so), then . . . .

Ubuntu offered an automatic major update of Ubuntu and Libre Office one week ago.  Once installed, the symptom is gone.  I don't know who to thank!  I didn't realise it was such a huge stress -until it was gone.

I don't yet know how to look up the software log of June.  I see only a couple of days.  Ubuntu may have added some modules since, but here's the status that runs perrrrrfectly.

Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS
Compiled #156-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jun 14 08:53 2018
Kernel Linux 4.4.0-130-generic (x86_64)

with

Libre Office 6.0.5.2
Build  1:6.0.5~rc2-0ubuntu0.16.04.1~lo1

It all came updating together.  One week very intensive use with every possible manipulation here runs without freezing.  Two monitor, one on Display Port UHD, the other on HDMI HD.  Great.  

Kevin, I regret not having started work to do backtrace first.  I went straight to this Cancer analysis and . . . .I'm just over the moon!
Comment 15 Julien Nabet 2018-07-05 12:02:40 UTC
matthewnote: thank you for these great news! :-)
Let's put it at VERIFIED and remove wantbacktrace keyword.