[SOLVED] AMD APU is not supported in Linux

[Fractal_23]

[edited]: Bottom line: AMD APUs (A4, A6, A8, A10, A12) are not supported on Linux at the moment (Jan 2018).
---

I'm having problems installing mint. I've looked everywhere for a solution, but none of them worked for me. Here is my situation:

1. My Intel motherboard died (had win7 installed and functional). I replaced it with an Asus PRIME B350-A motherboard, and an AMD A8 processor.

2. I wanted to install mint 18.3, removing the disk contents completely (including win7). The file system on the disk was NTFS, if that matters. I took a USB stick and mounted the iso with universal usb installer (UUI). I ran linux from the usb, and tried installing it on the hard drive. After going through the wizard steps, and the installation began for a few seconds, I got an error message. Since then I'm getting the following message when booting mint from the usb:

Code: Select all

[    0.257818] ACPI Error: Needed [Integer/String/Buffer], found [Region] ffff96fcb64f7a68 (20160930/exresop-425)
[    0.257826] ACPI Exception: AE_AML_OPERAND_TYPE, Could not execute arguments for [I0B2] (Region) (20160930/nsinit-412)
[    7.640649] kfd kfd: error getting iommu info. is the iommu enabled?
[    7.640676] kfd kfd: Error initializing iommuv2 for device (1002:9874)
[    7.640775] kfd kfd: device (1002:9874) NOT added due to errors

BusyBox v1.22.1 (Ubuntu 1:1.22.0-1Subuntu1) built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

(initramfs)

3. I read about using fsck, but I get the following message:

Code: Select all

(initramfs) fsck -yv /dev/sda1
/bin/sh: fsck: not found

I also read about disabling fast boot and secure boot in the BIOS. Fast boot has successfully been disables, but somehow, deleting the PK entry in the secure boot doesn't stick (when saving and exiting the BIOS, it says no changes have taken place, and I find its original value when I enter the BIOS again)

4. I also tried ubuntu 16.04 with the same results (actually, all the outputs here are from Ubuntu)

5. The option "Check disc for defects" in the booting options results in an ubuntu splash screen, followed by a reboot

6. booting from the disk fails, and redirects to booting from to the usb.

Any help understanding what's going on and how to fix it will be very much appreciated.

[prestonR]

Seems there are two issues. Lets try to have a go at the iommu issue first:

This is for a single boot only, if it works we can make it permanent:

- boot and highlight your preferred boot option at the grub screen
- press 'e' for 'edit'
- use your keyboard up/down key to go to the line beginning with 'linux'
- using the 'right' key go to the end of the line where it says 'quiet splash'
- put 1 blank and type amd_iommu=on so it looks like

Code: Select all

... quiet splash amd_iommu=on

- press Control+x to continue boot

The ACPI error is a well known Bios bug, however, this shouldn't really be critical. Check for available Bios updates but you may have to be patient, the current meltdown/spectre issues will keep many customer support departments busy.

[Fractal_23]

following your instructions, I get a splash screen, followed by the same error and initramfs prompt. I tried it twice, to make sure I'm typing it correctly.
If it helps, when I enter the command "exit" in BusyBox, I get a dump with errors, and the system freezes (and then I have to hard restart). Here are several lines that seem indicative:

Code: Select all

kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init! exitcode=0x00000200
CPU: 2 PID: 1 Comm: Init not tainted 4.10.0-28-generic #32~16.04.2-ubuntu
Hardware name: System manufacturer system product name/PRIME B350-A, BIOS 3402 12/11/2017
Call Trace:
  dunp_stack+... (omitting addresses)
  panic+...
  do_exit+...
  do_group_exit+...
  syS_exit_group+...
  entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath+...
...
---[ end kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init! exitcode=0x00000200

[prestonR]

Nope, I'm sorry, got to bow out here since we're getting new errors trying to sort out the old one.

A quick search seems to indicate hardware issues (keyboard, power supply, drives, mice). I'd start trying to isolate the problem by removing any plug-in devices, try to boot with the bare necessities.

Also make sure that your iso is undamaged and verified ok. If using universal usb installer is the correct way to burn it I can't say since I've never used it.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in soon.

[michael louwe]

@ Fractal_23, .......

...

.
The Linux Mint 18.3 kernel 4.10 does not yet support 7th-gen AMD APU/processors like the AMD A10-9700 and A8-9600, eg ... https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2381607 . Even 6th-gen APU are not well-supported yet. Intel processors are better supported by the Linux kernel, eg 7th-gen Intel Kabylake CPU is supported by kernel 4.10.

[Fractal_23]

Well, that is very disappointing. Guess I'll have to stick with Windows then.
Thanks for the help.

BTW - If this is the case, how come I managed to run mint from usb at the first place?

[markedward88]

I don't know whether your system is supported by the linux kernel yet or not
what i do know is that in my own experience i had to go back to the beginning and do everything perfectly in sequence for things to work
is your motherboard bios updated to the latest update my experience was i updated the bios 1 at a time to prevent problems the latest one for your bios is 12/22/17 there are more than that on asus website
when you boot to setup in bios is it set to the one that is for linux this has to be done before attempting to install
are your other settings properly set in bios
the next step which i did myself is try different linux distributions with the latest kernel i was lucky in that ubuntu had an updated kernel that worked then i had to wait for lm to update their release
you said that ubuntu didn't work which would mean to me that you need a more recent kernel which currently is 4.14.15 ubuntu or its derivatives is only at 4.13.0-31
so what I would do is try some linux distribution whose default kernel is 4.14.15 and see if you can install it if it works then the only problem is to wait until lm comes out with the lm 19
I had to do this with my alienware 13 r3 ubuntu had a kernel that worked and had to wait a couple of months for lm to update
please let me know if any of this works or doesn't work
thanks

[austin.texas]

The Linux Mint 18.3 kernel 4.10 does not yet support 7th-gen AMD APU/processors like the AMD A10-9700 and A8-9600

I have 2 computers - one is A10-7721 and the other is A8-3870. Both run Mint 18.2 and Mint 17.3 just fine.
I had to update the BIOS on the A10-7721 first, to get that to work. (It did run Netrunner 17 before the BIOS update.)

[prestonR]

If you keep an eye on development and subscribe to some of the posts on the topic you can sort this out quite quickly, it's just a bit too too involved for most of us here, I suppose.
Also note that second link mentions memory clock speed, the erratic behaviour you're experiencing may well have something to do with that.

Looks like some got it to work on distros with kernels above 4.10 (eg latest Ubuntu, arch, manjaro) and I recon the bios will need to be the latest as well.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/6 ... b350_plus/
https://askubuntu.com/questions/950124/ ... with-ryzen

You can respin a Mint 18.3 iso with the 4.13 kernel using isorespin.sh https://www.cnx-software.com/2017/03/29 ... ine-kernel

Best of luck.

...nothing gets us going as much as: "I suppose I have to get back to Windows..."

[michael louwe]

@ austin.texas, .......

A10-7721

It is a 5th-gen AMD APU. ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_A ... 2_(2014)_2
.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id- ... ndows.html
http://www.reddup.co/r/linux_gaming/com ... patibility

[michael louwe]

@ prestonR, .......

Looks like some got it to work on distros with kernels above 4.10 (eg latest Ubuntu, arch, manjaro) and I recon the bios will need to be the latest as well.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/6 ... b350_plus/
https://askubuntu.com/questions/950124/ ... with-ryzen

.
AMD 7th-gen Ryzen CPUs are different from AMD 7th-gen Bristol Ridge APUs, ie AMD APU's like the A10-9700 likely are not yet supported even by Linux kernel 4.13 or higher, even though AMD Ryzen CPUs may be supported. ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_Accel ... ssing_Unit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_A ... 2_(2016)_2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_(microarchitecture)

[prestonR]

@ michael louwe

Posters at that reddit link mention the exact same mobo the OP's using, but true, when I first started out I had a similar rough time with an early optimus laptop. Didn't take more than 3 months for development (and my own abilities in this new environment) to catch up but I had to stay on my toes; bios updates, bumblebee development and so on.
Never-mind, soo glad I did...

[michael louwe]

@ prestonR, .......

Posters at that reddit link mention the exact same mobo the OP's using, ...

.
Your reddit link states, "... Asus Prime B350 for my Ryzen Build as they are the cheapest ATX Sized MB's in my country (India)".

The OP stated, " I replaced it with an Asus PRIME B350-A motherboard, and an AMD A8 processor."

So, the motherboards may be the same but the AMD processors are not.

These are computers self-built by DIY System Builders, ie not computers pre-built by OEMs like Dell and HP.

[prestonR]

Ok, I get it, thanks for clarifying.

[mr_raider]

I have an AMD a10-8800 which works fine. I assumed the Bristol ridge and carrizo apus were virtually identical.