Troubleshoot Radeon HD 6630M

[Epox Skipper]

Hello everybody.
I have one interesting, old laptop - Sony VAIO from 2011 or 2012.
It is a dual GPU model, one HD 3000 and other HD 6630M. I'm thinking to setup Debian 10 on it, but having trouble with radeon card. Basically as soon, as radeon module is activated, the computer freeze with black screen and eventually shut itself down, after few minutes. This happens after installing package "firmware-amd-graphics" which contains required firmware. If I don't install firmware, the card is not activated/available and radeon driver complains in dmesg.
So I think this is either driver or firmware related bug, but I'm not sure how to proceed.
Any advice how to go around this or anything to try is welcome. I'm also open to test software patch, if someone is still interested in that technology and eventually can provide solution. But it has to happen in next 10 days, because this is my brother laptop and got to return it.
As a whole, don't feel obligated in any way.

What else I have tried:
Neptune65-Plasma5-20200707, Pop!_OS 20.04, Fedora 32. They freeze directly, because firmware is included.
In Fedora I remember to activate nomodeset and it loads - without radeon card available after install.
Hardware switch position doesn't matter.

Basic hardware description:

Model: Sony VAIO VPCSE2L9E
- also labeled PCG-41414M on the back
CPU: Intel Core i7-2640M CPU @ 2.80GHz
GPU1: Intel HD Graphics 3000
GPU2: AMD Radeon HD 6630M
RAM: 8GB
Chipset: Intel HM67
Switching: Has hardware switch above keyboard with "Stamina" and "Speed" position.
Originally Radeon card is available only in Speed position. Switch also affect CPU in some way,
not sure what and how. As far as I can tell, switch also works in Linux for CPU part.

Radeon details (from hwinfo):

PCI 100.0: 0300 VGA compatible controller (VGA)
[Created at pci.386]
Unique ID: VCu0.172Un_q4T56
Parent ID: vSkL.F6JxlpC7ff5
SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0/0000:01:00.0
SysFS BusID: 0000:01:00.0
Hardware Class: graphics card
Model: "Sony Radeon HD 6630M"
Vendor: pci 0x1002 "ATI Technologies Inc"
Device: pci 0x6741 "Whistler [Radeon HD 6630M/6650M/6750M/7670M/7690M]"
SubVendor: pci 0x104d "Sony Corporation"
SubDevice: pci 0x907b "Radeon HD 6630M"
Memory Range: 0xa0000000-0xafffffff (ro,non-prefetchable,disabled)
Memory Range: 0xc8400000-0xc841ffff (rw,non-prefetchable,disabled)
I/O Ports: 0x7000-0x7fff (rw,disabled)
Memory Range: 0xc8420000-0xc843ffff (ro,non-prefetchable,disabled)
IRQ: 7 (no events)
Module Alias: "pci:v00001002d00006741sv0000104Dsd0000907Bbc03sc0 0i00"
Driver Info #0:
Driver Status: radeon is active
Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe radeon"
Config Status: cfg=new, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown
Attached to: #18 (PCI bridge)

P: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0/0000:01:00.0
L: 0
E: DEVPATH=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0/0000:01:00.0
E: SUBSYSTEM=pci
E: PCI_CLASS=30000
E: PCI_ID=1002:6741
E: PCI_SUBSYS_ID=104D:907B
E: PCI_SLOT_NAME=0000:01:00.0
E: MODALIAS=pci:v00001002d00006741sv0000104Dsd0000907 Bbc03sc00i00
E: USEC_INITIALIZED=9606525
E: ID_PCI_CLASS_FROM_DATABASE=Display controller
E: ID_PCI_SUBCLASS_FROM_DATABASE=VGA compatible controller
E: ID_PCI_INTERFACE_FROM_DATABASE=VGA controller
E: ID_VENDOR_FROM_DATABASE=Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]
E: ID_MODEL_FROM_DATABASE=Whistler [Radeon HD 6630M/6650M/6750M/7670M/7690M] (Radeon HD 6630M)

Lspci entry:

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Whistler [Radeon HD 6630M/6650M/6750M/7670M/7690M]

Interesting snips from dmesg:

[ 0.000000] Linux version 4.19.0-9-amd64 ([email protected]) (gcc version 8.3.0 (Debian 8.3.0-6)) #1 SMP Debian 4.19.118-2+deb10u1 (2020-06-07)
[ 1.839138] [drm] radeon kernel modesetting enabled.
[ 1.839156] vga_switcheroo: detected switching method \_SB_.PCI0.GFX0.ATPX handle
[ 1.839234] ATPX version 1, functions 0x00000032
[ 1.839302] [drm:radeon_pci_probe [radeon]] *ERROR* radeon kernel modesetting for R600 or later requires firmware installed
[ 1.839361] See https://wiki.debian.org/Firmware for information about missing firmware
[ 1.859271] [drm] Replacing VGA console driver
[ 1.859666] Console: switching to colour dummy device 80x25
[ 2.023371] [Firmware Bug]: Duplicate ACPI video bus devices for the same VGA controller, please try module parameter "video.allow_duplicates=1"if the current driver doesn't work.
[ 2.023385] [Firmware Bug]: Duplicate ACPI video bus devices for the same VGA controller, please try module parameter "video.allow_duplicates=1"if the current driver doesn't work.
[ 2.023390] [Firmware Bug]: Duplicate ACPI video bus devices for the same VGA controller, please try module parameter "video.allow_duplicates=1"if the current driver doesn't work.
[ 2.023396] [Firmware Bug]: Duplicate ACPI video bus devices for the same VGA controller, please try module parameter "video.allow_duplicates=1"if the current driver doesn't work.
[ 2.023401] [Firmware Bug]: Duplicate ACPI video bus devices for the same VGA controller, please try module parameter "video.allow_duplicates=1"if the current driver doesn't work.
[ 2.023405] [Firmware Bug]: Duplicate ACPI video bus devices for the same VGA controller, please try module parameter "video.allow_duplicates=1"if the current driver doesn't work.
[ 2.023410] [Firmware Bug]: Duplicate ACPI video bus devices for the same VGA controller, please try module parameter "video.allow_duplicates=1"if the current driver doesn't work.

[agd5f]

Does appending radeon.runpm=0 on the kernel command line in grub help?

[Epox Skipper]

Does appending radeon.runpm=0 on the kernel command line in grub help?

Hi,agd5f. Unfortunately, no. Tested twice.
Do you know if I can test firmware initialization only, or radeon-driver and gpu-firmware always come together?


Note for future troubleshooters:
You can append "nomodeset" option, or even better "radeon.modeset=0" in order to start system normally.
Also, firmware files have to be integrated in initrd image from "/lib/firmware/". In Debian 10 this is down automatically, but if in doubt, you can trigger update manually with "update-initramfs -c -k 4.19.0-9-amd64". This can help in case you have several kernels. I get exact name from "uname -a".

[agd5f]

I'd need to see your full dmesg output. I'd suggest filing a bug (https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/drm/amd/-/issues).

[Epox Skipper]

I'd need to see your full dmesg output. I'd suggest filing a bug (https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/drm/amd/-/issues).

OK, I done it. Full dmesg is provided there.

[Epox Skipper]

Hi again. Yesterday I do some more tinkering. I believe this time got a bit more useful info.
Basically the idea was to try old version of firmware and see what happens. I use Slackware repository to get trough versions back enough. In the end this didn't help much, because there is only one useful version of firmware files and it is identical everywhere with Debian 10 ones. But got to give credits to Slackware team, them library is so conscious and pleasant to use.
However in the process I did notice something. I was able to skip some files and see when computer freeze. After some test I established that if "SUMO_uvd.bin" file is erased, the computer start normally. The other related files was BTC_rlc.bin, TURKS_mc.bin, TURKS_me.bin, TURKS_pfp.bin, TURKS_smc.bin. All based on Debian 10 firmware files. Best of all, I got some, hopefully useful logs and Radeon video card appears in xrandr!

Xrandr listproviders:

Providers: number : 2
Provider 0: id: 0x6d cap: 0xf, Source Output, Sink Output, Source Offload, Sink Offload crtcs: 2 outputs: 6 associated providers: 0 name:modesetting
Provider 1: id: 0x45 cap: 0x0 crtcs: 6 outputs: 0 associated providers: 0 name:TURKS @ pci:0000:01:00.0

Dmesg snip:

[    1.809362] [drm] radeon kernel modesetting enabled.
[    1.809382] vga_switcheroo: detected switching method \_SB_.PCI0.GFX0.ATPX handle
[ 1.809557] radeon 0000:01:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0003)
[ 1.809749] [drm] initializing kernel modesetting (TURKS 0x1002:0x6741 0x104D:0x907B 0x00).
[ 1.834291] [drm] Replacing VGA console driver
[ 1.853159] vga_switcheroo: enabled
[ 1.857774] ATOM BIOS: Sony
[ 1.857891] radeon 0000:01:00.0: vgaarb: changed VGA decodes: olddecodes=io+mem,decodes=none:owns=none
[ 1.857893] i915 0000:00:02.0: vgaarb: changed VGA decodes: olddecodes=io+mem,decodes=none:owns=io+mem
[ 1.857926] radeon 0000:01:00.0: VRAM: 1024M 0x0000000000000000 - 0x000000003FFFFFFF (1024M used)
[ 1.857928] radeon 0000:01:00.0: GTT: 1024M 0x0000000040000000 - 0x000000007FFFFFFF
[ 1.857932] [drm] Detected VRAM RAM=1024M, BAR=256M
[ 1.857933] [drm] RAM width 128bits DDR
[ 1.858018] [TTM] Zone kernel: Available graphics memory: 4041480 kiB
[ 1.858019] [TTM] Zone dma32: Available graphics memory: 2097152 kiB
[ 1.858019] [TTM] Initializing pool allocator
[ 1.858022] [TTM] Initializing DMA pool allocator
[ 1.858035] [drm] radeon: 1024M of VRAM memory ready
[ 1.858036] [drm] radeon: 1024M of GTT memory ready.
[ 1.858041] [drm] Loading TURKS Microcode
[ 1.858062] radeon 0000:01:00.0: firmware: direct-loading firmware radeon/TURKS_pfp.bin
[ 1.858073] radeon 0000:01:00.0: firmware: direct-loading firmware radeon/TURKS_me.bin
[ 1.858081] radeon 0000:01:00.0: firmware: direct-loading firmware radeon/BTC_rlc.bin
[ 1.858092] radeon 0000:01:00.0: firmware: direct-loading firmware radeon/TURKS_mc.bin
[ 1.858106] radeon 0000:01:00.0: firmware: direct-loading firmware radeon/TURKS_smc.bin
[ 1.858109] [drm] Internal thermal controller without fan control
[ 1.862405] [drm] radeon: dpm initialized
[ 1.862426] radeon 0000:01:00.0: firmware: failed to load radeon/SUMO_uvd.bin (-2)
[ 1.862442] firmware_class: See https://wiki.debian.org/Firmware for information about missing firmware
[ 1.862445] radeon 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for radeon/SUMO_uvd.bin failed with error -2
[ 1.862447] radeon 0000:01:00.0: radeon_uvd: Can't load firmware "radeon/SUMO_uvd.bin"
[ 1.862450] radeon 0000:01:00.0: failed UVD (-2) init.
[ 1.862454] [drm] GART: num cpu pages 262144, num gpu pages 262144
[ 1.863041] [drm] PCIE gen 2 link speeds already enabled
[ 1.867333] [drm] PCIE GART of 1024M enabled (table at 0x0000000000040000).
[ 1.867434] radeon 0000:01:00.0: WB enabled
[ 1.867436] radeon 0000:01:00.0: fence driver on ring 0 use gpu addr 0x0000000040000c00 and cpu addr 0x(____ptrval____)
[ 1.867437] radeon 0000:01:00.0: fence driver on ring 3 use gpu addr 0x0000000040000c0c and cpu addr 0x(____ptrval____)
[ 1.867441] [drm] Supports vblank timestamp caching Rev 2 (21.10.2013).
[ 1.867442] [drm] Driver supports precise vblank timestamp query.
[ 1.867443] radeon 0000:01:00.0: radeon: MSI limited to 32-bit
[ 1.867482] radeon 0000:01:00.0: radeon: using MSI.
[ 1.867526] [drm] radeon: irq initialized.
[ 2.094418] [drm:r600_ring_test [radeon]] *ERROR* radeon: ring 0 test failed (scratch(0x8504)=0xCAFEDEAD)
[ 2.094422] radeon 0000:01:00.0: disabling GPU acceleration
[ 2.101555] [drm] Radeon Display Connectors
[    2.114739] [drm] Initialized radeon 2.50.0 20080528 for 0000:01:00.0 on minor 0
[ 21.382256] [drm] PCIE gen 2 link speeds already enabled
[ 21.383453] radeon 0000:01:00.0: No VRAM object for PCIE GART.
[ 21.384483] [drm:evergreen_resume [radeon]] *ERROR* evergreen startup failed on resume
[ 45.448442] [drm] PCIE gen 2 link speeds already enabled
[ 45.449638] radeon 0000:01:00.0: No VRAM object for PCIE GART.
[ 45.449673] [drm:evergreen_resume [radeon]] *ERROR* evergreen startup failed on resume
...

I will attach full dmesg at https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/