Re: [PATCH][2.5-AC] Forced enable/disable local APIC

["Brian J. Murrell" <brian@interlinx.bc.ca>]

On Fri, 08 Nov 2002 14:22:59 +0100, Mikael Pettersson wrote:
> 
> People with broken boxes should send their DMI data to me so I can add
> their boxes to the local APIC blacklist in dmi_scan.c.

That was the approach I wanted to use in the first place to deal with the
broken local apic in vmware 2.0.4.  See the thread (which is unfortunately
broken -- the followup must not have included a References: header back to
the my original message):

http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0305.3/0907.html

The thread can be picked up again in this message: 

http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0305.3/0995.html

> "nolapic" is
> simply a workaround for the absence of this DMI data.

Unfortunately, VMware 2.0.4 does not have any DMI data to identify it by. 
the search for _DMI_ between 0xF0000 and 0xFFFFF finds nothing.  I dunno
if this is valid for proving or disproving the presence of DMI data, but:

# dmidecode
# dmidecode 1.8
BIOS32 Service Directory present.
        Calling Interface Address: 0x000FD8C0
PNP 1.0 present.
        Event Notification: Not Supported
        Real Mode Code Address: F000:AEA5
        Real Mode Data Address: 0040:0000
        Protected Mode Code Address: 0x000FAEC3
        Protected Mode Data Address: 0x00000400
PCI Interrupt Routing 1.0 present.
        Table Size: 0 bytes
        Router ID: ff:1f.7
        Exclusive IRQs: None

> Notice how silent the Inspiron 8k users are now that the DMI black
> list is implemented...

:-)  I like the approach, it just doesn't always apply, thus the need for
kernel commandline args.

b.