Since installing Catalina yesterday, multiple crashes from userspace watchdog timeout

For those of you who are experiencing this issue and using a CalDigit TS3 plus hub there are good news. Last January 6th 2020 CalDigit released a firmware update for this device that seems to fix the issue on my MacBook Pro 15" with Radeon Pro Vega 20 + 2 external monitors under macOS 10.15.3. Since then I haven't experienced more reboots when the screensaver was on.

This is the link to the update:

https://www.caldigit.com/updating-the-ts3-plus-firmware-via-macos-10-15/

Responses:

star-affinity:

Sad that Kernel Panic is still there. :(

I think it's pretty standard that more or less every ”dot” update to MacOS includes new graphics drivers – has been like that for years. :)

Francisco-Silva:

What is this Apple? please!?

Please fix this I can't work like this, every my mac crashes making loose so much time restoring my development environment again!

I have 2 external monitors directly connected with 2 single USB-C cables to each monitor and 1 USB-C for the power

[Edited by Moderator]

tm1uet wrote:

For those of you who are experiencing this issue and using a CalDigit TS3 plus hub there are good news. Last January 6th 2020 CalDigit released a firmware update for this device that seems to fix the issue on my MacBook Pro 15" with Radeon Pro Vega 20 + 2 external monitors under macOS 10.15.3. Since then I haven't experienced more reboots when the screensaver was on.

This is the link to the update:

https://www.caldigit.com/updating-the-ts3-plus-firmware-via-macos-10-15/

Did it stick? How long have you been stable since the update? 🙂

Same here :( I even made a 10.15.3 clean install and the computer is still totally unreliable... no more than 120 mins without a kernel panic (usually). Did you finally managed to repair your mac? How?

I can confirm that the CalDigit update seems not to have fixed the issues. My WindowServer still gets killed regularly - though it seems not to happen as often as before...but that might just be a feeling...

Thx for sharing! Yeah: not deterministic in appearance: something gets stuck and blocks the kernel userspace for more than 120s. Hope a 10.15.4 update comes soon... for now i will default to mojave. Please, let’s update ourselves if any of us tests something that works, or figures out if a specific app is responsible for this...

This was exactly my problem. I had this very adapter with an external monitor on the HDMI port. Removing this seems to have fixed the issue. I don't really use the monitor much anyway since SideCar works great.

star-affinity wrote:

I haven't seen the crash since 10.15.3 either, but maybe just luck so far? Anyone still seeing the problem have the possibility to try the 10.15.4 beta that's now also available to the public?

I've seen uptime of 10 days without a crash with the .3 release. I've also experienced 4 idle panics in one day with the same version.

If comment about the second thing, my post will be removed 🤷🏽‍♂️.

The crashes completely stopped for me. I was prepping my system to upgrading the internal hard disk, so I updated firmware and backed up, booted Command-R, and ran disk utility first aid. I can't say what fixed the problem, but it hasn't happened in over two months and it was happening every day. If I let my computer sleep on it's own I got the panic crash. If I put it to sleep manually I didn't get the crash. But since running all those system level updates, the problem has disappeared. It hasn't crashed in weeks.

Using Catalina 10.15.3 on 2013 Mac Pro.

What is a bit puzzing it that I've had zero crashes like the one described in this thread using Catalina on my work computer which is a MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports). I usually run it closed via an external display connected via the USB Type C/Thunderbolt 3 port on the computer using a Type C to DisplayPort cable.

And so far no problems on Catalina 10.15.3 on the computer at home with a RX 5700 XT graphics card, but like I've said maybe just luck.

I use both computers more or less every day and put them to sleep and wake them up several times a day.

star-affinity wrote:

Aha, I guess you're right – not allowed to comment on beta releases. At the same time it would be helpful for both the users and Apple if we could do so, one would think. 🤔

Yeah, of course it would, but Apple's dedication to secrecy is all-powering. Let's move over to the Macrumors thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/constant-kernel-panics-userspace-watchdog-timeout-no-successful-checkins-from-com-apple-windowserver.2222878/

If you are using Beta OS you agreed to report issues through Apple’s Developer Program.

Beta releases are meant to help ferret out issues. It’s not helpful to complain in forums about the issues you agreed to report.

It’s BETA!

Hey TheFaust,

Not all of these posts are about the Beta. My post, which was removed, only said that I had installed the Beta from the release of 10.15.3 (which I also had issues with) and still had issues. I wasn't complaining, just responding to someone else's question. That is not discussing or complaining about the beta. I have tried to work with Apple and they have been absolutely useless, which I why I am following this.

Just for info if you reply to a deleted post it may get deleted as well. Happens to all of us.

Point is Betas are not finished releases and may still contain bugs that were fixed in the previous main release or are noted for correction in the next so discussing them outside the correct forum is pointless.

Apple has become really embarrassing. I used to be so excited.

After months and 3 updates, no solution in sight.

panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff7f9d040ad5): userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from com.apple.WindowServer in 120 seconds

service: com.apple.logd, total successful checkins since wake (21140 seconds ago): 2115, last successful checkin: 0 seconds ago

service: com.apple.WindowServer, total successful checkins since wake (21140 seconds ago): 2103, last successful checkin: 120 seconds ago

Backtrace (CPU 2), Frame : Return Address

0xffffff8201a63820 : 0xffffff801bf3bb2b

0xffffff8201a63870 : 0xffffff801c0734d5

0xffffff8201a638b0 : 0xffffff801c064f4e

0xffffff8201a63900 : 0xffffff801bee2a40

0xffffff8201a63920 : 0xffffff801bf3b217

0xffffff8201a63a20 : 0xffffff801bf3b5fb

0xffffff8201a63a70 : 0xffffff801c6d2b25

0xffffff8201a63ae0 : 0xffffff7f9d040ad5

0xffffff8201a63af0 : 0xffffff7f9d0407e6

0xffffff8201a63b10 : 0xffffff801c66739b

0xffffff8201a63b60 : 0xffffff801c670443

0xffffff8201a63ca0 : 0xffffff801c022d12

0xffffff8201a63db0 : 0xffffff801bf419d8

0xffffff8201a63e10 : 0xffffff801bf18635

0xffffff8201a63e70 : 0xffffff801bf2f0e5

0xffffff8201a63f00 : 0xffffff801c04b575

0xffffff8201a63fa0 : 0xffffff801bee3226

Kernel Extensions in backtrace:

com.apple.driver.watchdog(1.0)[053A5D15-51D4-3E61-978B-EB435FA4BD0A]@0xffffff7f9d03f000->0xffffff7f9d047fff

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: watchdogd

Mac OS version:

19D76

Kernel version:

Darwin Kernel Version 19.3.0: Thu Jan 9 20:58:23 PST 2020; root:xnu-6153.81.5~1/RELEASE_X86_64

Kernel UUID: A8DDE75C-CD97-3C37-B35D-1070CC50D2CE

Kernel slide: 0x000000001bc00000

Kernel text base: 0xffffff801be00000

__HIB text base: 0xffffff801bd00000

System model name: iMac17,1 (Mac-B809C3757DA9BB8D)

System shutdown begun: NO