# gentoo-sources-2.4.19-r4 released

## AutoBot

About to install and test, hopefully the fixed the preempt / XFS problem. I will post back my results and let you know what happens, perhaps I will see no more exited with preempt_count  :Wink: 

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## AutoBot

Well so far I still get the same error that others were recieving while compiling, something to do with smp. I will fix this problem, install the kernel, reboot, and post steps later.

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## steveD

Where is the source for the latest kernel source announced by Daniel Robbins? I could not find it in the Gentoo mirror (www.ibiblio.org). I want to download the source somewhere else instead of "emerge ...." from my machine since my machine connnection is thru slow modem.

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## zerogeny

i get an error, something to do with acpi... 

(i have a thread in bugs forum). 

 :Sad: 

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## Guest

If you don't use XFS you should turn it's support in the kernel of. 

Somehow it's olways on, even if you use your own config file.

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## friedmud

I got the ACPI error also.

I corrected this by selecting "APM" and "ACPI" in the config.

Note that you don't need to select everything (or anything) under either one of these (although I suggest you select the APM one about turning your PC off so it turns off when you halt).  You just have to have the "support" for them.

hope that makes sense...

Derek

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## arkane

 *steveD wrote:*   

> Where is the source for the latest kernel source announced by Daniel Robbins? I could not find it in the Gentoo mirror (www.ibiblio.org). I want to download the source somewhere else instead of "emerge ...." from my machine since my machine connnection is thru slow modem.

 

Use the --fetchonly (-f)  argument?

 :Smile: 

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## arkane

 *friedmud wrote:*   

> I got the ACPI error also.
> 
> I corrected this by selecting "APM" and "ACPI" in the config.
> 
> Note that you don't need to select everything (or anything) under either one of these (although I suggest you select the APM one about turning your PC off so it turns off when you halt).  You just have to have the "support" for them.
> ...

 

s/halt/shutdown -h now/g

halt is evil.

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## AutoBot

Yep I did the same compiled and still get the preempt errors when booting the kernel and when an app exits. That problem and my konqueror causing a hard lock-up withing 5 minutes or less while using it in online browsing mode is a drag. 

I know it's not kernel related but it seems I am one of the few left having these konq problems. I just re-installed from stage one and emerged system, fluxbox, then kde so I have all the newest packages. It really is a damn shame that I can't use konqueror, it is beautiful now with the fonts being anti-aliased so nicely  :Sad: 

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## zerogeny

im getting no errors from kernel compilation, but my keyboard is frozen and i cant login...

i have tried with/without usb and input core support to no avail (its a ps2 keyboard).

so ive gone back to revision 1.

it seems to work  :Smile: 

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## LinuxDude

i turned XFS off and preempt on and mine compiles fine... r3 was fine for that matter... XFS is a wacked patch if you don't need it don't use it. I also suggest totally unemergeing the old kernel dirs and deleting them (/usr/src/linux...)(/lib/modules/linux...) then you emerge the new kernel... with this method i have been able to compile the new kernel... reboot... then in the new kernel compile my modules (NVdriver, emu10k1) reboot... and the system is back to normal...

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## AutoBot

I have given up on XFS and am in the process of switching to ext3, it just seems XFS is not worth the headache. Besides several benchmarks performed by various sources have shown ReiserFS and ext3 to be valid, capable, well performing filesytem that out perform XFS in most ways....Each filesystem has a use and IMO for regular desktop usage ext3 or ReiserFS seems the way to go  :Smile: 

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## Utoxin

I tried installing r4 today, and all I could get was a kernel panic on boot.

I'm getting more and more disappointed with Gentoo. It seems that every time I update my kernel, I end up having dozens of problems, which I never had on other distros when updating a kernel.

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## LaSAR

the kernel compiles fine here (i had to turn ACPI-support on) but my usbmouse wont work anymore

(modules get loaded fine though)

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## Sib

here's my 2 cents..

r3 was a hell, didn't compile at all on 2 diff machines until i figured out that one machine didn't like Low latency and Preempt on at the same time..

Once I figured that out r4 was finished, and am happily using it now on both machines, that's with XFS/usb/scsi/v4l/low latency and Preempt..

And yes, I get the messages ls(67) exited with preempt_count 14..

I'd think myself these are debug messages enabled in the Preempt source..

oh well.. r4 works, and kernel debug messages headed to /dev/null

problem solved  :Wink: 

Grtz

Sib

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## paulisdead

 *Quote:*   

> im getting no errors from kernel compilation, but my keyboard is frozen and i cant login... 
> 
> i have tried with/without usb and input core support to no avail (its a ps2 keyboard).

 

I just compiled r3 and am having the same problem, did you find a fix yet?

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## AutoBot

 *Sib wrote:*   

> here's my 2 cents..
> 
> r3 was a hell, didn't compile at all on 2 diff machines until i figured out that one machine didn't like Low latency and Preempt on at the same time..
> 
> Once I figured that out r4 was finished, and am happily using it now on both machines, that's with XFS/usb/scsi/v4l/low latency and Preempt..
> ...

 

Sib your assumption is incorrect, those messages mean preempt is failing to function. If all things were going well you would see nothing, but if you did get a preempt kernel message the count would have to equal 0 for preempt to be functioning properly.

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## AutoBot

Update on my issue:

I changed over to ext3 and all is well with the preempt and low latency options.

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## Alutke

Just a quick one autobot.  How did you migrate to ext3.  I am currently running xfs and thinking about doing the same.  Did you have to rebuild or is there an easier way.  Thanks in advance.

Alex

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## AutoBot

I gzipped my entire / directory, cp'd it to a safe place, made a new partition, zero'd it out, mke2fs -j /dev/hdaX, un-gzip'd it back to / with time to spare lol.

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## gsfgf

I was using r3-gentoo and couldn't use my drivers so reinstalled to get vanilla and in the process also got r4.  Now i can't boot.  

Thread: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=2190

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## ElCondor

Great! with r4 it's the first time I get no more ACPI errors during booting, also the sound works now (I guess due to ACPI and interrupt selection) without any problems  :Very Happy:  . Just acpid won't start anymore  :Sad:  .. but that's for the bug-forum

ElCondor pasa

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## leaf

I'm also seeing the 

```
exited with preempt_count
```

 messages.

After having a search round, I found a message from Richard Love saying that SGI's XFS buggers up the preemptive stuff. Since I'm running XFS, I wondered if this was the problem. Anyone else in the same boat?

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## arkane

 *leaf wrote:*   

> I'm also seeing the 
> 
> ```
> exited with preempt_count
> ```
> ...

 

AutoBot had the same issue.

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## Here's how I got out...

Issues, issues.   XFS sucks...

Anyhow, to get off of it, this is what I did.

I had a second hard drive, so I went:

login: root

password: *********

/root# cd /

# mke2fs -j /dev/hdc1    # make new ext3 partition on second hard drive

# mount /dev/hdc1 /mnt   # mount it

# find / -mount -print | cpio -pdm /   # fine all files on your current partition and cpio them over.

The cpio part is important because you want to keep your permissions intact..  If you do a regular copy, be sure to use -Rfp flags to keep permissions intact.

Good luck!

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## AutoBot

 *Here's how I got out... wrote:*   

> Issues, issues.   XFS sucks...
> 
> Anyhow, to get off of it, this is what I did.
> 
> I had a second hard drive, so I went:
> ...

 

I wouldn't say XFS sucks, but I did change my filesystem to ext3 and all is well now. But you could just as easily use ReiserFS or JFS for that matter, I will say while using XFS my emerge rsync went much faster as it must read small files faster than ext3.

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## smckown

If you want to use XFS with the latest gentoo kernel, just turn off preempt in the kernel and recompile.  This is what I did.  On my Transmeta crusoe sub-notebook I'm not sure the UI is any slower as a result.

For me ext3 is not a good choice.  Ext3 looks at its on-disk transaction journal every 5 seconds.  This read activity prevents the hard drive from ever spinning down and consuming unnecessary battery power.  XFS will allow the drive to spin down if there isn't local I/O.

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## smckown

Just noticed on linux-xfs mailling list that XFS in their CVS repository works properly with the preemptible kernel patch and the lockbreak patch.  It appears that interactive performance is much better.  Check out the messages in this thread by going to http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-xfs&w=2&r=1&s=preempt_count&q=b

I expect a future release of gentoo-sources may include these fixes.

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## delta407

 *AutoBot wrote:*   

> I wouldn't say XFS sucks, but I did change my filesystem to ext3 and all is well now. But you could just as easily use ReiserFS or JFS for that matter, I will say while using XFS my emerge rsync went much faster as it must read small files faster than ext3.

 

Try using Reiser, and look at your small file performance then. I like my ReiserFS.  :Very Happy: 

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## AutoBot

 *delta407 wrote:*   

>  *AutoBot wrote:*   I wouldn't say XFS sucks, but I did change my filesystem to ext3 and all is well now. But you could just as easily use ReiserFS or JFS for that matter, I will say while using XFS my emerge rsync went much faster as it must read small files faster than ext3. 
> 
> Try using Reiser, and look at your small file performance then. I like my ReiserFS. 

 

Your correct, my next install I will give ReiserFS the full run-through and make my final decision on a filesystem for my gentoo workstation.

As it stands for me currently:

ext2: no journaling, no chance

ext3: nope, too slow

XFS: preempt is a must, needs work

ReiserFS: inconclusive

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