116N-USBC-DOCK stopped working with multiple monitors

Hi,

I am using the 116N-USBC-DOCK for a few months now and everything was working fine. I use the hub on my Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS laptop. I use triple monitor with video 1 on DisplayPort, video 2 on hdmi and video 3 on hdmi and I close my laptop lid after booting. On the weekends, I use my desktop computer, which does not support video over usbc (that’s fine, it’s not the problem), so I usually take the video 1 and 2 on the hub and connect it to the desktop directly, switch the hub usbc cable to the desktop and I am good to go to use my desktop computer.

Today, I switch back from my desktop computer, and do as I usually do, I put back the DisplayPort in video 1 and hdmi in video 2 (video 3 nether changes), and switched my hub back to my laptop. But I don’t know what was different today, but I am not able to use video 1 and video 2.

Here is what I have tried so far, without success:

I reinstalled the 116N-USBC-DOCK drivers.
I restarted multiple time my laptop
Tried switching my session to wayland and xorg
Tried powering off and on the hub
Tried plugging only one monitor at a time

From my observations it seems that video 1 and 2 don’t work, because I tried switching the cable to see if the problem was with the monitors. If I switch the hdmi cables, the monitor in video 3 always works. Tried switching the DisplayPort cable (from video 1 to 2) and the monitor was not working

Hello @mathieu_pillar,

Thank you for posting here on the StarTech.com community page.

I am sorry to hear about the trouble with the displays not working on the 116N-USBC-DOCK not working after switching back. We will do our best to help.

The video ports on the 116N-USBC-DOCK are not all the same. Video 3 uses USB-C DP alt-mode support from the computer to work correctly. We know that there is some function and connectivity on the docking station if Video 3 works.

Video 1 and 2 require drivers and use USB data. To begin isolating the trouble we can try other data connections on the docking station.

  1. Do other ports on the 116N-USBC-DOCK work? You may want to confirm if the USB, Ethernet or Audio ports work correctly.
  2. Did any changes or updates occur on the Ubuntu installation since the last time it was connected? Particularly any updates related to the graphics adapter drivers, or dkms
  3. Are there any errors or warnings in Ubuntu related to graphics systems or DisplayLink when the docking station is connected? Check the kernel buffer: dmesg, or any logs, often found in /var/log/.
  4. Is there any other indication that the displays are recognized in Ubuntu when the docking station is connected to the laptop?

I hope that these questions can help to begin understanding what the nature of the issue could be. You are welcome to share what you find and we can review to determine the next steps.

Sincerely,

@DavidF

Thank you for the quick reply! This is very reassuring to have a responsive customer support like this.

  1. Yes everything beside the video 1 and 2 works (mouse, keyboard and ethernet)
  2. I think I had run a system update (My update command is sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y && sudo apt-get autoremove -y) but had not rebooted for a week. This issue started to occur when I booted my laptop after this update. It might be unrelated, but another thing that happened after the boot this weekend, is that the Ubuntu file manager started to show with the light theme, but my Ubuntu config is set to dark mode. I checked and the settings did not change, it just ignores the configuration. If I switch to Wayland instead of Xorg (My setting is usually Xorg), the dark mode works normally.
  3. Yes. I did not think of dmesg before. I just discovered them so I did not have time to did into them yet.

Some usb related errors close to boot up sequence

[   16.070750] usb 2-1: Device not responding to setup address.                                                                                                                               
[   16.285780] usb 2-1: Device not responding to setup address.                                                                                                                               
[   16.415053] psmouse serio1: Failed to enable mouse on isa0060/serio1                                                                                                                       
[   16.494984] usb 2-1: device not accepting address 5, error -71                                                                                                                             
[   16.677741] usb 2-1: Device not responding to setup address.                                                                                                                               
[   16.893757] usb 2-1: Device not responding to setup address.                                                                                                                               
[   17.102983] usb 2-1: device not accepting address 6, error -71  
[   17.103109] usb usb2-port1: attempt power cycle                                                                                                                                            
[   17.230037] usb 1-1.2: new full-speed USB device number 11 using xhci_hcd                                                                                                                  
[   17.360117] usb 1-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=1532, idProduct=0098, bcdDevice= 2.00                                                                                                
[   17.360132] usb 1-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0            
[   17.360138] usb 1-1.2: Product: Razer DeathAdder Essential                           
[   17.360141] usb 1-1.2: Manufacturer: Razer                                                                                                                                                 
[   17.370052] input: Razer Razer DeathAdder Essential as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.2/1-1.2:1.0/0003:1532:0098.0006/input/input20                                         
[   17.370521] hid-generic 0003:1532:0098.0006: input,hidraw2: USB HID v1.11 Mouse [Razer Razer DeathAdder Essential] on usb-0000:00:14.0-1.2/input0                                          
[   17.372011] input: Razer Razer DeathAdder Essential Keyboard as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.2/1-1.2:1.1/0003:1532:0098.0007/input/input21                                
[   17.424373] input: Razer Razer DeathAdder Essential as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.2/1-1.2:1.1/0003:1532:0098.0007/input/input22                                         
[   17.424676] hid-generic 0003:1532:0098.0007: input,hidraw3: USB HID v1.11 Keyboard [Razer Razer DeathAdder Essential] on usb-0000:00:14.0-1.2/input1                                       
[   17.425857] input: Razer Razer DeathAdder Essential as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.2/1-1.2:1.2/0003:1532:0098.0008/input/input23                                         
[   17.478514] hid-generic 0003:1532:0098.0008: input,hidraw4: USB HID v1.11 Keyboard [Razer Razer DeathAdder Essential] on usb-0000:00:14.0-1.2/input2                                       
[   17.598003] usb 2-1: Device not responding to setup address.                                                                                                                               
[   17.813996] usb 2-1: Device not responding to setup address.                                
[   18.022971] usb 2-1: device not accepting address 7, error -71                                                                                                                             
[   18.206001] usb 2-1: Device not responding to setup address.                                
[   18.421995] usb 2-1: Device not responding to setup address.                               
[   18.630868] usb 2-1: device not accepting address 8, error -71                             
[   18.630998] usb usb2-port1: unable to enumerate USB device

This error block show up multiple time (5-10 times) in dmesg

[   54.067024] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.067150] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.067225] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.067298] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.127886] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.128031] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.128120] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.128200] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.208690] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.208808] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.208877] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership                                                                 
[   54.208933] [drm:nv_drm_master_set [nvidia_drm]] *ERROR* [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Failed to grab modeset ownership
  1. No, in Ubuntu display manager, it only shows 2 screens (my laptop scren + 1 monitor on video 3). I also used xrandr to display more detailed information and I also found only 2 monitors.

Hello @mathieu_pillar,

I appreciate knowing more about the devices connected and the changes on the system, these logs could be clues to what is occurring too.

If everything else on the 116N-USBC-DOCK is operating correctly then it is unlikely an issue related to the hardware connections or USB bus on the dock itself.

The usb 2-1 device error seems strange, so we may want to try disconnecting any USB devices connected to the 116N-USBC-DOCK or other ports on the laptop to see that error is related to a particular device. The command ‘lsusb’ with switches like ‘-t’ can ‘-v’ help with that testing.

I have a few questions about the graphics system.

  1. Do you know if the nvidia-drm errors were present before the apt updates?
  2. Were there any graphics adapter driver changes in the last update?
  3. Which drivers are you working with for the NVIDIA graphics system?

If there were graphics changes you may want to try uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers for the 116N-USBC-DOCK. I would not normally expect a reinstall to be required for a graphics adapter driver but it could depend on which drivers are used.

You are welcome to reply back here or we can arrange a live support session if you need to get up and running more quickly.

Sincerely,

@DavidF

I think I may have found the culprit. I think in my last system update, my kernel version changed. I happened to see this error today during another update.

This is related to setting up the linux-headers for my kernel version. I ran this command to install the headers: sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r). And the error message is there since I installed the headers. Those are required for the installation of the driver.

$ sudo apt --fix-broken install
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 9 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up linux-headers-6.11.0-21-generic (6.11.0-21.21~24.04.1) ...
/etc/kernel/header_postinst.d/dkms:
 * dkms: running auto installation service for kernel 6.11.0-21-generic
Sign command: /usr/bin/kmodsign
Signing key: /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.priv
Public certificate (MOK): /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.der

Building module:
Cleaning build area...
make -j32 KERNELRELEASE=6.11.0-21-generic all INCLUDEDIR=/lib/modules/6.11.0-21-generic/build/include KVERSION=6.11.0-21-generic DKMS_BUILD=1...(bad exit status: 2)
ERROR (dkms apport): binary package for evdi: 1.14.4 not found
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 6.11.0-21-generic (x86_64)
Consult /var/lib/dkms/evdi/1.14.4/build/make.log for more information.
dkms autoinstall on 6.11.0-21-generic/x86_64 failed for evdi(10)
Error! One or more modules failed to install during autoinstall.
Refer to previous errors for more information.
 * dkms: autoinstall for kernel 6.11.0-21-generic
   ...fail!
run-parts: /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d/dkms exited with return code 11
dpkg: error processing package linux-headers-6.11.0-21-generic (--configure):
 installed linux-headers-6.11.0-21-generic package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 11
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-headers-6.11.0-21-generic
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Here is more context on my kernels. linux-image-6.11.0-21-generic used to be iF, and after a few reinstalls/cleanup, it went ic and linux-image-unsigned-6.11.0-21-generic was installed instead

$ dpkg --list | grep linux-image
ii  linux-image-6.11.0-19-generic                 6.11.0-19.19~24.04.1                     amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ic  linux-image-6.11.0-21-generic                 6.11.0-21.21~24.04.1+1                   amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-6.8.0-41-generic                  6.8.0-41.41                              amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-6.8.0-50-generic                  6.8.0-50.51                              amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-6.8.0-51-generic                  6.8.0-51.52                              amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-6.8.0-52-generic                  6.8.0-52.53                              amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-unsigned-6.11.0-21-generic        6.11.0-21.21~24.04.1                     amd64        Linux kernel image for version 6.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP

If I remove the linux-headers and run the driver installation:

$ sudo ./displaylink-driver-6.0.0-24.run
Verifying archive integrity...  100%   MD5 checksums are OK. All good.
Uncompressing DisplayLink Linux Driver 6.0.0  100%  
Distribution discovered: No LSB modules are available.
Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS
Unsatisfied dependencies. Missing component: Linux headers for running kernel, 6.11.0-21-generic.
This is a fatal error, cannot install DisplayLink Linux Software.

I tried to follow the instructions here to build from source, but unfortunately, it did not work because of python dependencies which I was not able to resolve.

I am not sure what to do next

Hello @mathieu_pillar,

Thank you for looking into the kernel versions. I did a few searches as well and I saw a few different references to kernel version support but they tended to be older references that did not accommodate for the Ubuntu 24.04 support. There were a few fixes noted but I did not find very much that was conclusive.

I took a step back and I found one detail that I suspect I had overlooked before. For the next step I would suggest uninstalling the DisplayLink drivers, the dkms and libdrm-dev packages.

Once those are uninstalled, I recommend adding the Synaptics APT repository based on the instructions in the APT repository folder in the driver package.

The PDF document in the folder gives more detailed instructions including instructions to reinstall those after the repository is added.

Please let me know if that helps!

Sincerely,

@DavidF

This worked!

I wasn’t able to properly uninstall the driver using the .run file because I had missing dependencies, so I tried installing anyways using APT. So far it seems to have worked.

For future readers, make sure if you try to uninstall drivers, dkms and libdrm-dev packages that you start with the drivers, because the uninstall script requires libdrm-dev and dkms installed to run.

Here are some reference commands to help future readers.

This was completed on Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS with Linux headers 6.11.0-21-generic

Uninstall script (I was not able to comple uninstall since I had missing dependencies)

sudo ./displaylink-driver-6.0.0-24.run -- --uninstall

dkms

> dkms status
evdi/1.14.9, 6.11.0-21-generic, x86_64: installed

Then to uninstall

dkms remove evdi/1.14.9 --all

Remove libdrm-dev

sudo apt remove libdrm-dev

Then follow APT installation instruction in the PDF in the downloaded drivers

If installation fails telling you Linux headers are missing:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
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