After most recent kernel update (4.15.0-44-generic) my tablet freezes whenever plugged into docking station

I performed the most recent kernel update on my Dell 5290 2-in-1 earlier today. But moments after I plug it into its docking station, the screen flickers, blanks and freezes. The only item left on the screen is the mouse pointer, and it is stuck.

If I leave the tablet not plugged in, it runs just fine. It seems to be the docking station that triggers the freeze.

That said, I can log into the tablet via ssh even with the screen frozen. So the system is still running. But if I try to reboot the tablet via the reboot command, nothing appears to happen. sudo reboot -f will reboot the system, while sudo reboot will not.

Any ideas where I should start looking to identify this problem?

Solution 1:

Same story here, using a XPS 15 99560 and a TB16 dock.

The only solution found for now is to revert to 4.15.0-43, using the Advanced boot options in GRUB.

Link to the kernel changelog. Link to the launchpad discussion where you can follow the evolution.

EDIT : fixed in 4.15.0-45

* External monitors does not work anymore 4.15.0-44 (LP: #1813663)
    - SAUCE: Revert "drm/i915/dp: Send DPCD ON for MST before phy_up"

Solution 2:

This problem has been solved in 4.15.0-45-generic. Running these commands can fix the issue:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade