Messages in this thread | | | From | "Ricardo Galli" <> | Subject | [REPORT] Adaptec and SMP problems on 2.0.35 | Date | Tue, 18 Aug 1998 20:02:32 +0200 |
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Hi all, after having occasional (one each 150-30 days) server lockups with 2.0.34 and very often ones (one per day) with 2.0.35, I decided to stop it and do an extensive test trying to discover the problem.
My hardware is a Intel RC440LX motherboard with two 300 MHz PII, 256 MB, one internal 7880U Adpatec controller and a EtherPro 100 mbps. I also bought an 3Com 509 and an Adaptec 2940U board for the tests.
I tried all possible combinations of SCSI controllers and ethernets, all results were bad and consistent, so I bet is a problem of the aic7xxx driver.
With the aic7xxx version 5.0.19 and 2.0.35, the server can't survive a simultaneus kernel compilation and a ping flood through a 10 mbps LAN. It took 1 to 3 compilations, but always dies without any error log, just a blank screen and the "three finger salute" completely blocked, so I think is a deadlock... I made this test with the internal and the external adaptec controller, and with the internal eepro and the external 3com 509.
So, I've got the 5.1.0 pre-patch7 and applied on the 2.0.35 kernel, I did the same tests, the machine did survive, but the driver resets the scsi every 5-10 seconds, so the it's completely useless.
I read in some mail archives that the memory configuration in lilo.conf should MEM - 1MB to avoid problems with the BIOS (ass) hole, I also received few weeks ago a recommendation that Alan Cox sent to someone else, that the it's a good idea to put MEM - 10 MB to avoid some/one memory leak in the kernel. I tried both in the lilo.conf, the machine died anyway.
Now the machine is running 2.0.35 WITHOUT SMP support, and is happy (and slower....).
BTW and question, I also noted that the Adaptec SCSI BIOS is disabled, should be enabled? Why is disabled if I did not change the BIOS configuration? I saw other Linuxes that are enabled by default...
If you have any comment or recommendations, please let me know it. Should I change to BusLogic?
BTW and question 2: Does someone how to disable by hardware the internal EEPRO and ADAPTEC in this Intel motherboard?
--ricardo galli
PS: YES I "Read all The Fine Manuals", mail archives, FAQs and howtows, there are many "indications" that possibly the adpatec driver/hardware is the guilty of the SMP lockups, but there is no a definitive solution.
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