SOLVED: by adding more RAM to the server

I have my intel igpu (12th gen) passed to frigate for ffmpeg, and can see the load on it through intel_gpu_top.

However when trying to setup openvino detector, frigate ends in a restart loop.

Anybody have a guide on how to enable openvino+frigate on unraid docker?

Edited August 12, 2025Aug 12 by bramv101
Solution

We have the same problem, but I will also write in your thread, because maybe one of the developers or other experts will be able to solve it somehow.

I've been trying to set up Frigate with OpenVINO on my Unraid server and have been running into persistent stability issues with iGPU hardware acceleration. I'm hoping to share my findings in case it helps developers or other users.

System Details:

• Unraid Version: 7.0.1

• CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-7700 with HD Graphics 630

• Docker: Frigate (latest stable) with OpenVINO detector

Problem Description:
The Frigate container starts fully with iGPU acceleration enabled, and I can even see the live camera feed for a short period (a few seconds). However, the container consistently crashes and restarts. The primary error in the Frigate logs is:

frigate.watchdog INFO : Detection appears to have stopped. Exiting Frigate...

This indicates that the OpenVINO detection process, running on the iGPU, is freezing or becoming unresponsive.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
I've followed all the standard recommendations to stabilize Intel iGPU passthrough on Unraid:

1. Syslinux/Boot Parameters: Added intel_iommu=on iommu=pt i915.enable_guc=2 to the append line.

2. Docker Container Settings:

   • Set to Privileged: ON.

   • Passed the device using Extra Parameters: --device=/dev/dri:/dev/dri.

   • Increased shared memory with mount -o remount,size=1G /dev/shm.

3. Frigate Config (config.yml):

   • Used preset-vaapi for hwaccel_args.

   • Configured the OpenVINO detector with device: iGPU.

Despite all these measures, the setup remains unstable and crashes after a few minutes of operation.

Working Solution (Workaround):
The system is 100% stable when running Frigate in CPU-only mode:

• Docker container with Privileged: OFF and no extra device passthrough.

• Frigate config using type: cpu for the detector and no hwaccel_args.

This confirms the issue is specifically related to the stability of the iGPU driver stack (i915/VAAPI/OpenVINO) within the Docker environment on Unraid. It seems like there might be a deeper conflict or a driver issue with this specific hardware/software combination.

Has anyone else with a Kaby Lake (7th gen) CPU experienced similar iGPU freezes with hardware acceleration?

I believe I've seen similar issues. Definitely observed the watchdog error. Instead of just crashing the container though I've seen it affect the entire system (random processes segfaulting, eventually the system locks up).

I haven't tried the other parameters you mentioned, currently I have frigate entirely disabled to verify that's the cause of the instability.

I'll report back in a few weeks with the results.

super keen to hear any updates on this please! I've just started to explore Frigate and was hoping to use my 8th Gen iGPU. I had it setup and 'working' but abandoned it due to constant errors logged. Ive reverted to CPU decode for detect streams, VAAPI for record streams. BUT i really would like to utilise that iGPU more

2025-12-21 10:36:37.448671296 [2025-12-21 10:36:37] frigate.video ERROR : cam1_garage_left: Unable to read frames from ffmpeg process.

2025-12-21 10:36:37.448980304 [2025-12-21 10:36:37] frigate.video ERROR : cam1_garage_left: ffmpeg process is not running. exiting capture thread...

2025-12-21 10:36:41.491373632 [2025-12-21 10:36:41] watchdog.cam1_garage_left ERROR : Ffmpeg process crashed unexpectedly for cam1_garage_left.

2025-12-21 10:36:41.491559377 [2025-12-21 10:36:41] watchdog.cam1_garage_left ERROR : The following ffmpeg logs include the last 100 lines prior to exit.

2025-12-21 10:36:41.491784547 [2025-12-21 10:36:41] ffmpeg.cam1_garage_left.detect ERROR : [AVHWFramesContext @ 0x1542bc07d940] Failed to sync surface 0x12: 1 (operation failed).

2025-12-21 10:36:41.491956202 [2025-12-21 10:36:41] ffmpeg.cam1_garage_left.detect ERROR : [hwdownload @ 0x1542cc003980] Failed to download frame: -5.

2025-12-21 10:36:41.492097315 [2025-12-21 10:36:41] ffmpeg.cam1_garage_left.detect ERROR : [vf#0:0 @ 0x557742939240] Error while filtering: Input/output error

2025-12-21 10:36:41.492225410 [2025-12-21 10:36:41] ffmpeg.cam1_garage_left.detect ERROR : [vf#0:0 @ 0x557742939240] Task finished with error code: -5 (Input/output error)

2025-12-21 10:36:41.492365843 [2025-12-21 10:36:41] ffmpeg.cam1_garage_left.detect ERROR : [vf#0:0 @ 0x557742939240] Terminating thread with return code -5 (Input/output error)

2025-12-21 10:36:41.492525800 [2025-12-21 10:36:41] watchdog.cam1_garage_left INFO : Restarting ffmpeg...