Re: Linux 2.5.69

From: David van Hoose (davidvh@cox.net)
Date: Mon May 05 2003 - 11:06:43 EST


Linus Torvalds wrote:
> [ Linux-kernel added to the cc, since I got several queries about what the
> crashes were.. ]
>
> On Mon, 5 May 2003, David van Hoose wrote:
>
>>Can I get some details regarding the AGP problem? I had some really bad
>>random crashes, panics, and hardlocks up through 2.5.68, and I'm
>>wondering if this is the same issue. I first noticed them around 2.5.63.
>
>
> They actually started in 2.5.60 if it's the same bug.
>
> And yes, you'd get random crashes, panics, lockups and even reboots. The
> problem was that the pmd/pgd's were put in the slab cache in between
> 2.5.59 and 2.5.60, and that was simply wrong because the AGP code changes
> the cacheability of the kernel pages when it maps stuff into the AGP
> aperture. That in turn will change the page tables but it won't update the
> cached entries in the pmd slab caches.
>
> So what happens is that once you exit X, and the page tables are put back
> together without the cacheability changes, and you start a new program,
> that program may get a page table with partly bogus kernel page table
> entries.
>
> That, in turn, when it happens will cause _major_ memory corruption, and
> your machine is toast, often in very interesting ways because the internal
> kernel data structures got corrupted. It can also cause random SIGSEGV's
> etc.
>
> But it only happens with AGP, and a lot of people either don't use it or
> run only one X session.

Okay.. I kept having all of those problems. I guess the memory
corruption could also explain the buffer overflow in the panic
information I posted around the time of 2.5.65 then. I'll stick the beta
kernel back on my system and play with it again. If I find anything
else, I'll be sure to mention it. Don't want any nasty bugs like that
hiding in 2.6.x.

Thanks!
David

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