Re: Does anybody try to compile the 2.3 kernels at all ? :((

From: Riley Williams (rhw@MemAlpha.CX)
Date: Mon Feb 14 2000 - 08:49:39 EST


Hi Dominik.

>> I've built EVERY one of the 2.2 series kernels several times for
>> several different configurations, and I've yet to find one that
>> was unstable, announced or otherwise.

> And because you didnīt encounter instability it does not exist?

Instability ALWAYS exists, given the right hardware combination.

> I have three systems here (Dual P54C-200, 128 MB RAM DPT-3334UW,
> AHA-2940UW, AHA-2940 and 3c905TX) which froze with every kernel
> between 2.2.5 and 2.2.13 within hours. No OOPS, no nothing. Just
> dead.

The most obvious point is that they are "Dual P54C-200" systems, which
indicates that they are SMP systems ("Dual") running with non-MMX
Pentium processors ("P54C") clocked at 200 MHz ("-200").

ALAN: Am I right in thinking that there's a known bug in the P54C
processor regarding its use in SMP configurations, and one needs the
P55C (Px/MMX) processor as a minimum for reliable SMP operation?

> And since i didnīt like to check that 150GB Hardware-RAID5 every
> boot, i went back to 2.0.36 UP and enjoyed a rock solid system.
> (Just compiling 2.2.x as UP was not enough...)

That sounds like the bug referred to above is the cause.

> Now finally 2.2.14 appears to be stable on this hardware: one
> system is up for over four days now... As soon as the uptime of
> this system reaches 30 days i will consider switching the system
> with the RAID over to 2.2.14...

It's good to hear, but I would still be wary of your choice of
processor in an SMP system.

Best wishes from Riley.

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