[Pkg-alsa-devel] Bug#275794: alsa-utils: Needs to gracefully cope with ALSA/OSS double-loading

[Jo Shields]

Package: alsa-utils
Version: 1.0.6-3
Severity: wishlist

On Sarge, a default installation includes Hotplug and Discover. Both of 
these will endeavour to load all possible appropriate sound drivers, 
which in every case I've seen involves loading OSS and ALSA modules at 
the same time. Examples:

Oct 09 21:29:02 <Brenda>        snd_mixer_oss          16640  0
Oct 09 21:29:02 <Brenda>        snd_via82xx            26660  0
Oct 09 21:29:02 <Brenda>        snd_ac97_codec         59268  1 
snd_via82xx
Oct 09 21:29:03 <Brenda>        snd_pcm                85384  1 
snd_via82xx
Oct 09 21:29:03 <Brenda>        snd_timer              23172  1 snd_pcm
Oct 09 21:29:04 <Brenda>        snd_page_alloc         11144  2 
snd_via82xx,snd_pcm
Oct 09 21:29:05 <Brenda>        snd_mpu401_uart         7296  1 
snd_via82xx
Oct 09 21:29:07 <Brenda>        snd_rawmidi            23204  1 
snd_mpu401_uart
Oct 09 21:29:08 <Brenda>        snd_seq_device          7944  1 
snd_rawmidi
Oct 09 21:29:10 <Brenda>        snd                    50660  8 
snd_mixer_oss,snd_via82xx,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm,snd_timer,snd_mpu401_uart,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_device
Oct 09 21:29:13 <Brenda>        gameport                4736  2 
snd_via82xx,analog
Oct 09 21:29:15 <Brenda>        soundcore               9824  3 
snd,via82cxxx_audio,sound
Oct 09 16:44:15 <Vyrus001>      snd_ac97_codec         59268  1 
snd_intel8x0
Oct 09 16:44:15 <Vyrus001>      snd_pcm                85412  1 
snd_intel8x0
Oct 09 16:44:15 <Vyrus001>      snd_timer              23172  1 snd_pcm
Oct 09 16:44:15 <Vyrus001>      snd_page_alloc         11144  2 
snd_intel8x0,snd_pcm
Oct 09 16:44:15 <Vyrus001>      gameport                4736  1 
snd_intel8x0
Oct 09 16:44:16 <Vyrus001>      snd_mpu401_uart         7296  1 
snd_intel8x0
Oct 09 16:44:18 <Vyrus001>      snd_rawmidi            23232  1 
snd_mpu401_uart
Oct 09 16:44:20 <Vyrus001>      snd_seq_device          7944  1 
snd_rawmidi
Oct 09 16:44:22 <Vyrus001>      snd                    50148  7 
snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm,snd_timer,snd_mpu401_uart,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_device
Oct 09 16:44:25 <Vyrus001>      soundcore               9824  3 
snd,i810_audio

Installing the alsa-base package neuters Hotplug, by writing the file 
/etc/hotplug/blacklist.d/alsa-base. Discover, however, remains 
problematic, unless a user knows to copy the contents of 
/usr/share/doc/alsa-base/alsa-base.discover into /etc/discover.conf. Due 
to installation of new packages generally leaving a user's config files 
alone, this is normal.

However, alsaconf is designed to write config files for a user, and as 
it stands, produces VERY unhelpful results in situations such as these, 
by seemingly working then throwing an alsactl restore "No soundcards 
found" error at the final step (see 
http://img.hexus.net/v2/features/foss/a3/images/alsa3.png).

It would seem not only logical, but vital for ease of use of ALSA, that 
alsactl checks for ALSA/OSS dual-loding in the first instance, and does 
something about it - either by selectively blacklistig the offending 
modules with discover, or by adding the complete list of OSS modules 
from /usr/share/doc/alsa-base. As it stands, the output given by 
alsaconf is completely unhelpful, and leads to a lot of confusion.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.8-1-686
Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8

Versions of packages alsa-utils depends on:
ii  alsa-base                   1.0.6a-3     ALSA sound driver common files
ii  libasound2                  1.0.6-2      Advanced Linux Sound Architecture 
ii  libc6                       2.3.2.ds1-17 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libncurses5                 5.4-4        Shared libraries for terminal hand
ii  module-init-tools           3.1-pre6-1   tools for managing Linux kernel mo
ii  modutils                    2.4.26-1     Linux module utilities
ii  pciutils                    1:2.1.11-15  Linux PCI Utilities
ii  whiptail                    0.51.6-17    Displays user-friendly dialog boxe

-- no debconf information

--Jo Shields
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