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Subject[REPORT] Adaptec and SMP problems on 2.0.35
Date
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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