Upowerd excessive CPU usage

Bug #876279 reported by Tim Price
78
This bug affects 16 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
upower (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

Fresh installation of Oneiric on Activo A-1100 (Atom N450-based) netbook. Top reports CPU usage fluctuating between 60% and 100%, averaging around 80%. Machine still marginally usable, due to having a second core.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: upower 0.9.13-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
Architecture: i386
Date: Mon Oct 17 18:59:31 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_AU:en
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_AU.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: upower
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

Revision history for this message
Tim Price (timprice) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Marat Dyatko (marat-dyatko) wrote :

I confirm this.
Bug reproduces when I leave notebook on 8 hours.

Revision history for this message
Tim Price (timprice) wrote :

Just in case it helps Marat, or anyone else, after trying many current/recent distros (all of which had one problem or another), I finally settled on Linux Mint 9 "Isadora" i686 XFCE, which this basic netbook runs perfectly (including all power management features), making it a very useful machine.

Revision history for this message
vladk (vladkonan) wrote :

I have same issue. after i left computer for half of a day powerd process uses 100% of cpu and machine is working very slow

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in upower (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
lovas (hizsnyaig) wrote :

Happens here too using an n455 based netbook (J&W minix m1200) right after login. The power management keeps bugging me with useless notification in an infinite loop. After removing the battery indicator the notifications are gone, but the top still reports high cpu usage caused by upowerd.
In LXDE the layout of the panel gets muddled due to the constant changes

Affected versions:
xubuntu 11.04 desktop i386 live (booting from pendrive), and installed
xubuntu 11.10 desktop i386 live (booting from pendrive)
lubuntu 11.10 desktop i386 live (booting from pendrive)
xubuntu 12.04 desktop i386 daily live (booting from pendrive)

Using the following releases the power management works normally:
xubuntu 10.04.2 desktop i386 live (booting from pendrive)
ubuntu 10.10 dekstop i386 installed

Revision history for this message
lovas (hizsnyaig) wrote :
Download full text (6.1 KiB)

After doing some research the problem makes me remind of a previous issue, when the udev had some conflict w optiarc drives, and produced far too many events: https://bugs.launchpad.net/linux/+bug/379780

Actually when the battery is in the netbook, the monitors of upower and udev report a tons of events.
Here’s the battery info of my netbook
$ cat /proc/acpi/battery/BAT0/*
alarm: unsupported
present: yes
design capacity: 2200 mAh
last full capacity: 2167 mAh
battery technology: rechargeable
design voltage: 11100 mV
design capacity warning: 220 mAh
design capacity low: 21 mAh
cycle count: 0
capacity granularity 1: 0 mAh
capacity granularity 2: -1 mAh
model number: Battery
serial number: 200000
battery type: LION
OEM info: Manufacture
present: yes
capacity state: ok
charging state: charged
present rate: 0 mA
remaining capacity: 2144 mAh
present voltage: 12499 mV

Here's the output of the upower monitor
$ upower --monitor
Monitoring activity from the power daemon. Press Ctrl+C to cancel.
[08:40:45.158] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:45.165] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:45.196] device removed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:46.224] device added: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:46.235] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:46.245] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:46.256] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:46.257] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/line_power_AC0
[08:40:47.120] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:47.286] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:47.344] device removed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:48.337] device added: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:48.351] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:48.362] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:48.372] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
[08:40:48.372] device changed: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/line_power_AC0
...

The output of the udev monitor
$ udevadm monitor
monitor will print the received events for:
UDEV - the event which udev sends out after rule processing
KERNEL - the kernel uevent

KERNEL[350.765144] change /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/device:00/PNP0A08:00/device:02/PNP0C09:00/PNP0C0A:00/power_supply/BAT0 (power_supply)
UDEV [350.768243] change /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/device:00/PNP0A08:00/device:02/PNP0C09:00/PNP0C0A:00/power_supply/BAT0 (power_supply)
KERNEL[350.829713] remove /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/device:00/PNP0A08:00/device:02/PNP0C09:00/PNP0C0A:00/power_supply/BAT0 (power_supply)
KERNEL[350.829896] add /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/device:00/PNP0A08:00/device:02/PNP0C09:00/PNP0C0A:00/power_supply/BAT0 (power_supply)
KERNEL[350.830243] cha...

Read more...

Revision history for this message
TimRedfern (tim-eclectronics) wrote :

I also have an issue with upowerd eating 100% cpu, it has been consistent through Ubuntu 11.04, I thought 11.10 had fixed it but it has just becoem more occasional.

It kicks in when I plug an iphone into the USB port and can be stopped by manually killing upowerd.

Dell d620, x86 ubuntu 11.10, 2gb ram.

Revision history for this message
Manson Thomas (dev-mansonthomas) wrote :

Same issue on Kubuntu 11.10 x64, up to date (full upgrade)

It just appears a few days ago on my computer, it happen not at computer start, but after some idle...

Thomas.

Revision history for this message
Mike (mike-fdb) wrote :

This is not upower, but kernel bug.
See http://web.archiveorange.com/archive/v/7azSgetwkAZWsEpXKXWy

Revision history for this message
Attila Hammer (hammera) wrote :

I experiencing unfortunately similar issues in Ubuntu 12.04 system my J&W Minix 1100 netbook.
Anybody known a workaround?
Now my machine unfortunately the CPU usage is 98,5% the first core, 91,2% the second core.

Attila
Now I use my netbook with battery.

Revision history for this message
Attila Hammer (hammera) wrote :

I collected hopefuly the required informations, and reported linux package related the issue.
If anybody experienced this issue, please goto following report, and click does this bug affect you possibility:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/987807

I looked a top result when my netbook I removed the battery, have big differences. Unfortunately I not have other battery this netbook.

Attila

Revision history for this message
lovas (hizsnyaig) wrote :

The situation is the same w/ Precise Pangolin whatever version I choose

Revision history for this message
Bug Reporter 11 (bugreporter11) wrote :

I"m seeing this in Kubuntu 15.10 on two different PC's (a laptop and a desktop).

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Mihai Secasiu (mihai-patchlog) wrote :

I just installed Ubuntu 16.04 and I have this problem

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quazar (spamdani) wrote :

Also have this issue with Ubuntu 15.10 on a HP Elitebook 2530p.

Revision history for this message
REZ (rez1) wrote :

This problem just started 1 day after fresh Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS installation.

Probably after i enabled swap by removing # sign before UUID (but then it kept asking for a hdd cryptokey before login...i followed some steps from a forum...didnt work though..and this problem started)

Revision history for this message
Mikko Rantalainen (mira) wrote :

After upgrading from Ubuntu 14.04 LTS to 16.04 LTS (xenial) I'm affected by this bug, too. If I connect an Apple iPad Mini using USB cable (with the intent to charge the tablet only) I get excessive CPU usage. Process /usr/lib/upower/upowerd owned by root seems to be doing nothing but eating CPU until I manually kill it or disconnect the iPad.

Comment #10 claims that this might be a kernel bug but the referenced source (http://web.archiveorange.com/archive/v/7azSgetwkAZWsEpXKXWy) is no longer available.

$ apt-cache policy upower
upower:
  Installed: 0.99.4-2ubuntu0.2
  Candidate: 0.99.4-2ubuntu0.2
  Version table:
 *** 0.99.4-2ubuntu0.2 500
        500 http://fi.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     0.99.4-2 500
        500 http://fi.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages

$ uname -a
Linux semyol-329-b 4.4.0-24-lowlatency #43-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT Wed Jun 8 20:27:10 UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Revision history for this message
Mikko Rantalainen (mira) wrote :

I found a workaround for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:

(1) Open "Network connections" ("nm-connection-editor" from command line)
(2) Try to figure out which "Ethernet" connection is iPad
(3) Select the iPad and click "Edit"
(4) On "General" tab, uncheck "Automatically connect to this network when it is available"
(5) On "IPv4 Settings" tab select "Method: Disabled"
(6) On "IPv6 Settings" tab select "Method: Ignore"

It seems that the issue is caused by iPad/iPhone pretending to offer Ethernet connection and "upowerd" automatically trying to enable that connection. This operation fails and "upowerd" is stupid enough to repeat the process forever.

Revision history for this message
Christian Toth (chr-toth) wrote :

I'm experiencing this issue almost everytime I use Logitech bluetooth USB-plugs for wireless mice and keyboards.
I'm running Ubuntu 16.04 on an Asus F200M.

Revision history for this message
Mario Olmedo (molmedo1) wrote :

same here with upowered causing cpu hike with iphone4 usb connected. CPU usage goes down a bit when I unplug iphone4.

using Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS

Revision history for this message
Jian Wen (wenjianhn) wrote :

Mikko, I guess you are right.
After I unplug my iPhone, cpu usage of upower goes down to near 0%.

Revision history for this message
Daniel Robbers (danielrobbers) wrote :

Had the same 'issue', after unlocking my Iphone (6) and trusting the computer. Upowerd cpu usage dropped.

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