re: the frozen wait-object capture, and screen_id was never a freeze test

Caught the freeze by waiting for the event (frozen.py + in_flight) instead of
sleeping a guessed interval; freeze_waitobj.sh splits into boot/watch so the
wait is not capped by one Bash call. Verified hard: a frame minutes later is
byte-identical to the capture.

Healthy vs frozen, same run: 20 -> 24 wait frames, XEvent 19 -> 23,
XSemaphore 8 -> 7. The signature is per-thread -- 17 of 24 threads sit on the
exact object they were on, four previously-running threads park, and T74/T75
move off a semaphore onto an event. So the freeze is not a whole-emulator stall.

Also corrects the previous entry's test: screen_id reads 'flight' during a
freeze by design, which is why frozen.py exists. Re-testing the saved frames
says that run was genuinely healthy, but it was right by luck.

heavy_read.py added to test whether the instrument provokes the freeze: I/O is
free (371 MB in 0.1s, page cache), the cost is Python-level CPU. One data point
-- 670s clean, then frozen 54s after the inducer started -- recorded as n=1, not
as causation.
This commit is contained in:
Sylpheed RE agent
2026-08-25 09:02:48 +00:00
parent 93ccff50bb
commit 6900ebe5ca
5 changed files with 285 additions and 43 deletions

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@@ -1,4 +1,29 @@
=== healthy: 23 wait frames ===
=== healthy: 20 wait frames ===
T106 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T104 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T97 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T96 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T80 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T79 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T78 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T77 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T76 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XTimer
T75 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T74 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T71 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T66 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T65 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T64 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T63 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T62 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T61 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T50 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XEvent
T36 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XEvent
--- objects waited on:
xe::kernel::XEvent 19
xe::kernel::XSemaphore 8
xe::kernel::XTimer 1
=== frozen: 24 wait frames ===
T106 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T105 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T104 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
@@ -9,11 +34,12 @@
T78 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T77 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T76 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XTimer
T75 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T74 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T75 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T74 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T71 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T69 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T68 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T67 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T66 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T65 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T64 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
@@ -23,35 +49,36 @@
T50 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T36 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XEvent
--- objects waited on:
xe::kernel::XEvent 20
xe::kernel::XSemaphore 9
xe::kernel::XTimer 1
=== frozen: 20 wait frames ===
T106 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T104 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T97 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T96 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T80 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T79 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T78 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T77 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T76 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XTimer
T75 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T74 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T71 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T66 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T65 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T64 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T63 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XSemaphore
T62 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T61 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T50 Wait n=1 xe::kernel::XEvent
T36 WaitMultiple n=2 xe::kernel::XEvent, xe::kernel::XEvent
--- objects waited on:
xe::kernel::XEvent 18
xe::kernel::XSemaphore 8
xe::kernel::XEvent 23
xe::kernel::XSemaphore 7
xe::kernel::XTimer 1
=== healthy -> frozen ===
xe::kernel::XEvent 20 -> 18 CHANGED
xe::kernel::XSemaphore 9 -> 8 CHANGED
xe::kernel::XEvent 19 -> 23 CHANGED
xe::kernel::XSemaphore 8 -> 7 CHANGED
xe::kernel::XTimer 1 -> 1
=== per-thread healthy -> frozen ===
thread healthy frozen
T106 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T105 -- Wait(XEvent) <-- CHANGED
T104 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T97 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T96 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T80 WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore) WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore)
T79 WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore) WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore)
T78 WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore) WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore)
T77 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T76 WaitMultiple(XEvent,XTimer) WaitMultiple(XEvent,XTimer)
T75 Wait(XSemaphore) Wait(XEvent) <-- CHANGED
T74 Wait(XSemaphore) Wait(XEvent) <-- CHANGED
T71 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T69 -- Wait(XSemaphore) <-- CHANGED
T68 -- Wait(XEvent) <-- CHANGED
T67 -- Wait(XEvent) <-- CHANGED
T66 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T65 WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore) WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore)
T64 WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore) WaitMultiple(XEvent,XSemaphore)
T63 Wait(XSemaphore) Wait(XSemaphore)
T62 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T61 Wait(XEvent) Wait(XEvent)
T50 WaitMultiple(XEvent,XEvent) Wait(XEvent) <-- CHANGED
T36 WaitMultiple(XEvent,XEvent) WaitMultiple(XEvent,XEvent)

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@@ -968,3 +968,77 @@ and does not reproduce under gdb, not that it is wrong.
**Next:** get a freeze under gdb at all — either drive the mission to the end
condition that produces it instead of waiting on a clock, or measure guest time
under gdb so the wait can be set in the units the freeze actually follows.
## ✅ 2026-08-25 — THE FROZEN CAPTURE, and `screen_id` was the wrong test all along
### First, a correction to the entry above
The previous entry ruled out a freeze because `screen_id` read `flight`. **That
is not a freeze test**, and `frozen.py`'s own docstring says why: a Stage 02 run
froze with `screen_id` still saying `flight`, the emulator still burning 212 %
CPU, and 724 s of identical state. The right test is two **byte-identical**
frames while the flight HUD is up.
Re-running that test on the saved frames says the conclusion was right anyway —
`fz-late1/2/3` and `fz-healthy/frozen` all come back `animating`,
`max_pixel_delta=254`. So the previous run really was healthy throughout. But it
was right by luck, and the "~270 s black-screen" it was planned around is not a
thing: the freeze does not black the screen and does not keep a clock. Measured
onsets in `BACKLOG.md` are **27/45/83/183/255 s**.
### The capture
`freeze_waitobj.sh` now splits into `boot` and `watch`, and `watch` waits for the
**event** (`frozen.py` + `in_flight`) instead of sleeping a guessed interval.
That got the capture on the first attempt. It is a hard stop, not a hitch: the
frame taken minutes after the capture is still `max_pixel_delta=0` against it.
Both captures, same run, same mission (`data/waitobj-s02.txt`):
| waited on | healthy | frozen |
|---|---|---|
| `XEvent` | 19 | **23** |
| `XSemaphore` | 8 | **7** |
| `XTimer` | 1 | 1 |
| wait frames | 20 | **24** |
**The signature is in which threads moved, not in the totals:**
| thread | healthy | frozen |
|---|---|---|
| T105, T67, T68 | *not waiting* | `Wait(XEvent)` |
| T69 | *not waiting* | `Wait(XSemaphore)` |
| T74, T75 | `Wait(XSemaphore)` | `Wait(XEvent)` |
| T50 | `WaitMultiple(XEvent,XEvent)` | `Wait(XEvent)` |
Every other thread — 17 of them — is on exactly the object it was on before. So
the freeze is **not** the whole emulator stalling: the established waiters are
untouched, and what changes is that **four threads that were running are now
parked**, and **two threads move off a semaphore onto an event**. T74/T75 are the
pair to chase — they are the only ones that changed *what kind* of thing they
wait for.
⚠️ "Not waiting" means not in a wait frame **at that instant**; those threads
existed and were running, they were not created by the freeze.
## 🟡 One data point that our own instrument provokes it — not proof
Worth stating because it changes what the freeze *is*. This run flew **~670 s
clean** with only the pilot attached. A heavy-CPU inducer (`heavy_read.py cpu`,
full-region Python word scan of guest memory) was then started at 08:59:54, and
the freeze landed at **09:00:48 — 54 s later**, inside the 27255 s band the old
heavy-probe runs froze in.
That is consistent with the tally already in `BACKLOG.md` (heavy probe froze at
27/45/83/183/255 s; cheap probe with the rescan removed was clean past 200 s on 3
of 4 runs), and it is still **n=1 and not causal**. The obvious confounder is
simply elapsed mission time.
**Refuted along the way:** the I/O was never the cost. A full uncapped walk of
every allocated extent moves **371 MB in 0.1 s** — all page cache — so "32 MB
reads" was the wrong description of what the old probes spent. The cost is CPU:
unpacking and comparing every word in Python takes **~4.2 s per pass**.
**The experiment that would settle it:** alternate inducer-on and inducer-off
windows within one run, several runs, and compare freeze rate per unit of
*mission* time. Cheap now that `watch` is event-driven.