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* 64GB option broken in 2.4.2
@ 2001-02-26  1:21 Rico Tudor
  2001-02-26  1:32 ` Alan Cox
  0 siblings, 1 reply; 8+ messages in thread
From: Rico Tudor @ 2001-02-26  1:21 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: linux-kernel

Subject: 64GB option broken in 2.4.2

Problem:
	The 64GB option causes processes to spin in the kernel.

Setup:
	Linux 2.4.2
	Slack current 20-feb-2001
	ServerWorks III HE
	4GB main memory
	dual 933 Piii: SL47Q (stepping 3), SL4KK (stepping 6)
	gcc 2.95.2 19991024 (release)

Test procedure:
	On /dev/tty1, type

		cat /dev/sda >/dev/null		# or any fast disk

	On /dev/tty2, type

		while sleep 0; do date; done

	On /dev/tty3, type

		top

	The purpose of the disk read is to provide some nondeterminism,
	which triggers the bug.  `top' lets you watch the debacle.

Observation:
	After a short time, dates will appear with increasing
	irregularity.  `top' will show `sleep' and `date' processes
	racking up many seconds of CPU time.  At this point, terminate
	the disk read, and one of these processes will go completely
	CPU-bound, and uninterruptible.  In this state, the system is
	unusable, since any exec'd process has a good chance of being
	bushwhacked in the kernel.

Variations:
	noapic		problem remains
	mem=1200m	problem remains
	nosmp noapic	problem fixed
	mem=800m	problem fixed
	4GB option	problem fixed

Hypothesis:
	Code to handle PAE has buggy spinlock management.

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread

end of thread, other threads:[~2001-02-27  2:33 UTC | newest]

Thread overview: 8+ messages (download: mbox.gz / follow: Atom feed)
-- links below jump to the message on this page --
2001-02-26  1:21 64GB option broken in 2.4.2 Rico Tudor
2001-02-26  1:32 ` Alan Cox
2001-02-26  8:44   ` Rico Tudor
2001-02-26 11:14     ` Alan Cox
2001-02-26 17:10     ` Andrea Arcangeli
2001-02-26 20:44       ` [patch] highmem-2.4.2-A0 Ingo Molnar
2001-02-26 23:41         ` Andrea Arcangeli
2001-02-27  2:32       ` 64GB option broken in 2.4.2 Rico Tudor

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