Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 427043
module-alsa-sink.c: Error opening PCM device hw:0: Device or resource busy
Last modified: 2008-02-28 13:24:16 EST
Description of problem: module-alsa-sink.c: Error opening PCM device hw:0: Device or resource busy occurs in the log after a while; Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): Current Fedora 8. 0.9.7 How reproducible: Steps to Reproduce: Run the system for a while. After some time (might be days) sounds stop wkroing, software hangs when sounds need to be played (Thunderbird when new mail arrives, xine when reconfiguring and mail arrives, xmms when playing music and mail arrives, etc) Actual results: Some sounds stop working, sometimes errors are logged. Expected results: 100% perfect working audio. Why can't I just play *ALL* sound via alsa when I don't need pulseaudio? Additional info:
http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2007-October/msg02212.html
Just happened again: MP3 playing in xmms. Mail arrives. Thunderbird cannot play the sound. So Thunderbird is hanging and cannot be brought into the foreground. xmms is using alsa. Thunderbird uses whatever it is configured with by Redhat. (I cannot choose a specific API or device in Thunderbird via normal means) How can I fix this error message and the system's behaviour that comes with it? I would think that it is either a simple to fix error on my side or a very big issue but where are the other bug entries?
Some other app seems to be blocking access to your audio device, so that PA cannot access it. Use fuser -v /dev/snd/* to find out which one.
Installing PA support for a few apps has made the error go away, as it appears.
Furthermore noone forces you to use PA. you can uninstall it, or at least the alsa plugin. Better solution is to use it and avoid broken sound apps.