From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S263871AbTKMK7F (ORCPT ); Thu, 13 Nov 2003 05:59:05 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S263876AbTKMK7F (ORCPT ); Thu, 13 Nov 2003 05:59:05 -0500 Received: from razorbill.mail.pas.earthlink.net ([207.217.121.248]:62604 "EHLO razorbill.mail.pas.earthlink.net") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S263871AbTKMK7A convert rfc822-to-8bit (ORCPT ); Thu, 13 Nov 2003 05:59:00 -0500 From: Guy Organization: C To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: 2.6 scheduler and "fast user switching" Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 04:30:02 -0500 User-Agent: KMail/1.5.4 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8BIT Content-Description: clearsigned data Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200311130430.06882.fsos_guy@earthlink.net> X-ELNK-Trace: d501ffacebf681585e89bb4777695beb702e37df12b9c9efcc01d6fe9dc10654ad57023ad585b224350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Scenario: I typically log in as 'root' on the first console. I then invoke fluxbox as the GUI. # XSESSION=fluxbox startx -- :0 I then ctl-alt-F2 another console and login as 'user1'. I then invoke KDE as the GUI. $ XSESSION=kde-3.1.4 startx -- :1 I may or may not ctl-alt-Fn and login as 'usern' and repeat the process. Several thoughts: 1} I've seen Nick Piggin's suggestion of nicing X server to -10. At the moment, the only way I know to do this is something like # XSESSION=fluxbox nice --adjustment=-10 startx -- :N A} My default security is that only 'root' can perform nice with negative values. I am reluctant to play with security for such a crticial command. B} All child threads inherit the new nice value. So in the example just above, this means all applications started from the GUI desktop run at a nice value of -10. I believe enhancing the X server nice value this way defeats the purpose of nicing it to begin with. Obviously, despite my readings and attempts at research, I'm must be missing something here. 2} I expect to travel down to Florida for Xmass to visit family. One of the things I had hoped to do was to set up my mother's computer as an X server and hang a thin client terminal {read: older PC} off of it. This would allowed my mother and brother to share a reasonably modern system at the same time. This is not me just being cheap. I'm interested in setting up diskless workstations aound a good central X server. I see such setups as appropriate for a number of situations. If the X server requires 'nicing' in a single user environment, what happens in an LTSP environment? My base reference environment is 2.4.20. I still actively use it for everything I do as everything works as expected. Despite my enthusiasm for 2.6, I find it difficult to get everything to 'just work'. I still see problems in the area of nForce based mobos {stupid proprietary nVidia!}, broken BIOSes, and scheduler issues like the above. Flames, instruction, suggestions, thoughts would be appreciated. FWIW, I'm not a C/C++ programmer. I'm computer literate and am not afraid to run bleeding edge. Guy -- Recyle computers. Install Gentoo GNU/Linux.