Random hanging with 6.12 kernel

Easy Excalibur is currently using the 6.12.41 kernel, but the problem is also with earlier versions, such as 6.12.36. Easy boots OK a few times, success gets to the desktop, but then at another bootup, just after login (as root), there is a freeze.

I posted about it to the forum:

https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?p=154468#p154468

Yes, as posted, bootup completes execution of /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit, logs in via mingetty, executes /etc/motd, then hangs. Some comments from above post:

It is incredibly weird. When it hangs, the 'ps' utility, both the full one and busybox ps, return nothing.
Yet, /proc is mounted, and listing contents of /proc shows everything is there.

All of the kernel modules have loaded, it gets as far as login as root, prints /etc/motd, then hangs.

/etc/init.d/10alsa times out, as there are no cards detected in /sys/class/sound

The way that I determined that ps was returning nothing, and other tests, was I inserted code into /etc/init.d/10alsa, after it had timed-out waiting for a sound card.

Something is fundamentally wrong. Very strong suspicion about the kernel...

So, rolled the kernel back to 6.6.75, same kernel used in Easy Scarthgap, and now Excalibur boots up OK every time.

I want to release Easy Excalibur 7.0, so think, for now, will take the easy way out, and release it with the 6.6.75 kernel.

EDIT 2025-08-15:
Oh dear, I have been casting aspersions on the 6.12 kernel, but it has turned out the cause of the hanging is something else:

https://bkhome.org/news/202508/easy-excalibur-login-hang-fixed.html

As I commented somewhere else recently, "touch wood", but it does seem to be fixed, and now back on the 6.12.41 kernel for the Easy Excalibur 7.0-final.      

Tags: easy