I sometimes get "Sound error: Couldn't allocate DMA buffer", when I try
to play something. I can reproduce it, but not always.
doing cat /proc/sound:
OSS/Free:3.8s2++-971130
Load type: Driver compiled into kernel
Kernel: Linux Q 2.2.1 #1 Sat Jan 30 19:51:21 MET 1999 i586
Config options: 0
Installed drivers:
Type 26: MPU-401 (UART)
Type 2: Sound Blaster
Type 29: Sound Blaster PnP
Type 7: SB MPU-401
Card config:
Sound Blaster at 0x220 irq 7 drq 1,5
SB MPU-401 at 0x330 irq 7 drq 0
Audio devices:
0: Sound Blaster 16 (4.13) (DUPLEX)
Synth devices:
Midi devices:
0: Sound Blaster 16
Timers:
0: System clock
Mixers:
0: Sound Blaster
Here is one way that it happend:
I begin with this in /proc/meminfo
total: used: free: shared: buffers: cached:
Mem: 48295936 46911488 1384448 9322496 1003520 39534592
Swap: 16510976 593920 15917056
MemTotal: 47164 kB
MemFree: 1352 kB
MemShared: 9104 kB
Buffers: 980 kB
Cached: 38608 kB
SwapTotal: 16124 kB
SwapFree: 15544 kB
I start some program (just to use some memory), and get:
total: used: free: shared: buffers: cached:
Mem: 48295936 47079424 1216512 10059776 1003520 36790272
Swap: 16510976 593920 15917056
MemTotal: 47164 kB
MemFree: 1188 kB
MemShared: 9824 kB
Buffers: 980 kB
Cached: 35928 kB
SwapTotal: 16124 kB
SwapFree: 15544 kB
I try to play something, and get:
Sound error: Couldn't allocate DMA buffer
start yet an other program, just to use some memory, and release it back
total: used: free: shared: buffers: cached:
Mem: 48295936 47112192 1183744 10743808 1003520 33927168
Swap: 16510976 593920 15917056
MemTotal: 47164 kB
MemFree: 1156 kB
MemShared: 10492 kB
Buffers: 980 kB
Cached: 33132 kB
SwapTotal: 16124 kB
SwapFree: 15544 kB
kill that last program
total: used: free: shared: buffers: cached:
Mem: 48295936 44253184 4042752 10059776 1007616 33927168
Swap: 16510976 593920 15917056
MemTotal: 47164 kB
MemFree: 3948 kB
MemShared: 9824 kB
Buffers: 984 kB
Cached: 33132 kB
SwapTotal: 16124 kB
SwapFree: 15544 kB
So I got less cache now, and more free mem.
before this helped to make it work again, but now I get the same error.
So I kill the first program and get:
total: used: free: shared: buffers: cached:
Mem: 48295936 41488384 6807552 9330688 1024000 34037760
Swap: 16510976 593920 15917056
MemTotal: 47164 kB
MemFree: 6648 kB
MemShared: 9112 kB
Buffers: 1000 kB
Cached: 33240 kB
SwapTotal: 16124 kB
SwapFree: 15544 kB
now everything works again.
This doesn't always work.
hope this helps
Q
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