# 8GB memory problem / segmentation fault

## wdarke

Hi,

I have a Dual Xeon Dell PowerEdge SC1420 with 8GB of ECC RAM.

When I compiled my kernel (gentoo-sources) 2.6.11-r5 with High Memory 64GB support, gcc throws segmentation fault errors when I try to emerge certain software. However, if I recompile the kernel using High Memory 4GB support, it's running fine. What gives? memtest86 runs fine with 0 errors.

WD

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## D2T

Possible to post the errors?

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## wdarke

This is when I try to emerge perl

```
toke.c: In function `Perl_keyword':

toke.c:6006: internal compiler error: Segmentation fault

Please submit a full bug report,

with preprocessed source if appropriate.

See <URL:http://bugs.gentoo.org/> for instructions.

Preprocessed source stored into /var/tmp/portage/libperl-5.8.5/temp/ccwKqvCP.out file, please attach this to your bugreport.

make: *** [toke.o] Error 1
```

It's always internal compiler error : Segmentation fault. However, after I recompile the kernel without High Memory 64GB, it's running fine. My CFLAGS = -O2 -march=pentium4 -fomit-frame-pointer -pipe

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## Strenuus

Did you ever find a solution to your problem, I have a PowerEdge 6650 with 8GB RAM and I'm running into the exact same problem, however I can't compile/recompile anything when I am booted up with the 64GB memory support enabled.  I have to boot the livecd recompile the kernel with 4GB memory support and then everything seems to run fine.

I'm doing this from a stage1 install with the 2005.0 livecd.

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## gerrit

I get the same always reproducable segmentation faults on a HP/Compaq Proliant DL580 machine with 8 GB of RAM. The problem only occurs when using gentoo-sources with high memory support of 64 GB. Using vanilla-sources everything is fine.

Apparently one of the patches in gentoo-sources causes the error. This really should be fixed. It's no problem in my opinion not to use gentoo-sources on a server machine but if you don't know about the bug you can really have a hard time finding the cause of the problem. If I had not the luck of reading this thread I probably would have reinstalled gentoo, messed around with glibc, gcc and so on without having a clue.

I wish you good luck with your memory monsters :-)

gerrit

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## s0be

I've run into similar problems on gentoo-sources.  Apparently parallel makes don't do well with the high mem and sometimes there a sort of race in which one compile thread is looking for the output of another thread and sometimes the other thread is done in time, other times not.  I know that firefox was running into this on me and I'd have to emerge it 2-3 times in a parallel make for it to build in parallel, or just once if I did MAKEOPTS="-j1"

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## gerrit

As far as I tested it on the mentioned machine it was no problem with the parallel builds. I've tried to disable all optimizations in make.conf including MAKEOPTS but the segmentation faults still occured.

Additionally I use MAKEOPTS="-j10" currently with vanilla-kernel and hig mem support at 64 GB and theres no problem at all.

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## Strenuus

I can also confirm it is a problem with the gentoo-sources, I have installed and tested without problems using vanilla-sources and a VMware ESX install and both had no problem with seeing the 8GB of RAM and with doing additional compiles.

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