From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1754504AbZCSPvS (ORCPT ); Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:51:18 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1751886AbZCSPvB (ORCPT ); Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:51:01 -0400 Received: from mx3.mail.elte.hu ([157.181.1.138]:41235 "EHLO mx3.mail.elte.hu" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751695AbZCSPvA (ORCPT ); Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:51:00 -0400 Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:49:55 +0100 From: Ingo Molnar To: Christopher Schramm Cc: Yinghai Lu , "Maciej W. Rozycki" , Thomas Gleixner , "H. Peter Anvin" , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Andrew Morton Subject: Re: APIC problem report Message-ID: <20090319154955.GA21034@elte.hu> References: <49C1FE7D.9070605@shakaweb.org> <20090319100122.GA30358@elte.hu> <49C25712.9010509@shakaweb.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <49C25712.9010509@shakaweb.org> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.18 (2008-05-17) X-ELTE-VirusStatus: clean X-ELTE-SpamScore: -1.5 X-ELTE-SpamLevel: X-ELTE-SpamCheck: no X-ELTE-SpamVersion: ELTE 2.0 X-ELTE-SpamCheck-Details: score=-1.5 required=5.9 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=no SpamAssassin version=3.2.3 -1.5 BAYES_00 BODY: Bayesian spam probability is 0 to 1% [score: 0.0000] Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org * Christopher Schramm wrote: > Thanks for the quick replay, Ingo! > > Following your request, I installed Debian 5.0. Had to use noapic > again for getting the boot media to work (think it utilizes > 2.6.26). > > The kernel panic is the same for all three systems: "not syncing: > IO-APIC + timer doesn't work!". > > The installed system had the same problem (2.6.26 again), then I > compiled 2.6.28.8 (with default config). Booting that one with > APIC enabled throws the known "MP-BIOS bug" message, but then > continues booting - no kernel panic. > > I will try Knoppix' kernel config and your git code, when I find > some spare time. By the looks of it, chances are that various APIC fixes and robustization patches might have fixed your problem: 691874f: x86: I/O APIC: timer through 8259A second-chance 03be750: x86: I/O APIC: keep the timer IRQ masked during set-up 24742ec: x86: I/O APIC: unmask the second-chance timer interrupt d11d579: x86: I/O APIC: AEOI timer acknowledgement clean-ups These first showed up in v2.6.27. Which would match your reported symptoms of v2.6.26 failig and 2.6.28 working. The bootup warning about a BIOS problem is still there because there is an underlying problem - we just work it around and fall back more robustly. Ingo