# 2.6.8-rc2-nitro2 "Con Kolivas on steroids"

## seppe

Hi,

I created my first patch set today. It's based on the ck patch set with some additional patches (lirc, bootsplash, vesafb-tng, win4lin, squashfs, ..)

```

2.6.8-rc2-win4lin.patch.bz2

from_2.6.8-rc2_to_staircase7.A.bz2

s7.A_test

schedrange.diff

schedbatch2.3.diff

schediso2.3.diff

autotune_swappiness01.diff

autotune_inactivation01.diff

supermount-ng204.diff

defaultcfq.diff

config_hz.diff

patch-i386-irq_enable_spinlocks2

patch-ool-spinlocks

9000_SuSE-117-writeback-lat.patch

BadRAM-2.6.5.2.patch.bz2

lufs-0.9.7-2.6.8-rc2.patch.bz2

akpm_latency_rollup.patch

preempt-timing-2.6.8-rc2

config-nr-tty-devices.patch.bz2

write-barriers.patch

voluntary-preempt-2.6.8-rc2-bk1-ck6-H9.bz2

kernel_preempton.diff

lirc-2.6.5-20040404

menuconfig-NAME-v1.0.patch

vesafb-tng-0.9-rc3-r1-2.6.8-rc1.patch.bz2

bootsplash-3.1.4-sp3-2.6.8-rc2.patch

squashfs2.0-patch

gcloop-2.6-20040527.patch

```

Download at http://sepi.be/nitro/

More info at http://sepi.be/index.php?itemid=793

How to install

Create a portage overlay directory if you haven't done it before:

```

mkdir /usr/local/portage

```

Edit your /etc/make.conf file and point the PORTDIR_OVERLAY variable to your portage overlay directory:

```

PORTDIR_OVERLAY="/usr/local/portage"

```

Create the necessary directories if they doesn't exist:

```

mkdir /usr/local/portage/sys-kernel

mkdir /usr/local/portage/sys-kernel/nitro-sources

```

Now put the ebuild file in /usr/local/portage/sys-kernel/nitro-sources

and do this:

```

ebuild /usr/local/portage/sys-kernel/nitro-sources/nitro-sources-2.6.8_rc2-r2.ebuild digest

```

Now emerge:

```

emerge nitro-sources

```

After this, /usr/src/linux-2.6.8-rc2-nitro2 is created. Copy over your old .config file of your previous kernel and make a symlink:

```

cp /usr/src/linux/.config /usr/src/linux-2.6.8-rc2-nitro2

rm /usr/src/linux

ln -sf /usr/src/linux-2.6.8-rc2-nitro2 /usr/src/linux

```

Go in to menuconfig and enable stuff that wasn't enabled before:

```

cd /usr/src/linux

make menuconfig

```

Now you can compile. There are different ways to do this, but I still do this in the old way:

```

make dep && make clean bzImage modules modules_install

```

If the compilation succeed, copy over your bzImage to your /boot partition:

```

mount /boot

cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/nitro-sources

```

Edit your boot loader, in my case it's grub:

```

nano -w /boot/grub/grub.conf

```

and make sure you have something like this:

```

# For booting nitro-sources

title=Gentoo Linux (nitro-sources)

root (hd0,1)

kernel (hd0,1)/nitro-sources root=/dev/hda4 ro video=vesafb:ywrap,1280x1024@85 splash=silent

initrd=(hd0,1)/initrd-1280x1024

```

Reboot and watch this baby fly!

Feel free to post any comments. The next release will probably use the Hydra scheduler so you can change the scheduler settings at runtime for the ultimate tweaking experience  :Wink: 

----------

## elvelind

works nice here.

----------

## DaMouse

I see you dropped the preempt optimizations that were in the s7.A_test1 patch, also that softirq thing is bad for performance iirc, voluntary-preempt-H4 is also known to do very little and/or cause errors.

Have a nice day.

-DaMouse

----------

## Pink

 *DaMouse wrote:*   

> I see you dropped the preempt optimizations that were in the s7.A_test1 patch, also that softirq thing is bad for performance iirc, voluntary-preempt-H4 is also known to do very little and/or cause errors.
> 
> Have a nice day.
> 
> -DaMouse

 

Mmm, if you have some information that may help another linux user then it may be an idea to actually help them out.

I seem to recall you doing exactly the same sort of thing with Damouse sources only a few weeks ago before you became embroiled in the ck side of the kernel.

I may remind you that linux is a 'community', not a 'gloat and slag of somebody else because they don't know as much as you'.

What do you suggest as replacements, where do you get your information from, etc, etc.

@ seppe: Good effort for your first one.   :Very Happy: 

----------

## seppe

Thanks for the reply's. Maybe I'll update the patch set with DaMouse's suggestions, although everything runs stable here. 

Oh and PickledOnion, I'm looking forward for your guide  :Wink: 

----------

## fallow

greetz  :Smile:  it`s a one more sources here  :Smile: 

it`s good for gentoo Users I think .

btw.You have vol-preempt h4 , is h9 here http://lkml.org/lkml/2004/7/22/42

amd I4 here http://lkml.org/lkml/2004/7/23/48

greetings  :Smile: 

----------

## JefPober

very good stuff indeed!

----------

## DaMouse

 *PickledOnion wrote:*   

>  *DaMouse wrote:*   I see you dropped the preempt optimizations that were in the s7.A_test1 patch, also that softirq thing is bad for performance iirc, voluntary-preempt-H4 is also known to do very little and/or cause errors.
> 
> Have a nice day.
> 
> -DaMouse 
> ...

 

What did I do wrong? All I said was which patches were evil and such... I stilll make damouse-sources since its pretty much the -mm version of -ck and I get things wrong, I wasn't trying to take out all his hopes and dreams.. I was just saying that those things were wrong and require correcting.

Oh and on a side note the new voluntary-preempt patches contain the softirqd thingy anyway which is enabled by setting the the /proc var to 2.

-DaMouse

----------

## blaster999

Well, I see  *Quote:*   

> make dep

  And it is a 2.6 kernel. 

 *Quote:*   

> but I still do this in the old way

 

make dep is a really old way  :Wink: 

And now seriously - does your patchset have supermount support? If yes then I will give it a try. 

BTW, it is nice that we have one more patchset - at least we have more to choose from.

----------

## JefPober

it has supermount support  :Very Happy: 

----------

## DaMouse

Its based apon the CK patchset so it does. Tho supermount is old and bloated and I think submount or a software implementation such as ivman should replace it.

-DaMouse

----------

## Pink

@ DaMouse:

You did nothing particularly wrong - bad timing on my part as I just saw somebody ripping into a newb (not here) for not knowing how to apply a patch and was feeling defensive about people making an effort and getting slated for it.

Accept my aplogies and see you on #ck and #love   :Very Happy: 

----------

## Rainmaker

Looks like a very good patchset... To bad I can't try it (reiser4)  :Sad: 

----------

## DaMouse

mmm, theres an add-on reiser4 patch for ck, maybe seppe could add that.

-DaMouse

----------

## seppe

this release is now updated with newer versions of the staircase scheduler and voluntary preemp. SoftIRQ is left out. Reiser4 will probably be in the next release.

full list:

```

2.6.8-rc2-win4lin.patch.bz2

from_2.6.8-rc2_to_staircase7.A.bz2

s7.A_test

schedrange.diff

schedbatch2.3.diff

schediso2.3.diff

autotune_swappiness01.diff

autotune_inactivation01.diff

supermount-ng204.diff

defaultcfq.diff

config_hz.diff

patch-i386-irq_enable_spinlocks2

patch-ool-spinlocks

9000_SuSE-117-writeback-lat.patch

BadRAM-2.6.5.2.patch.bz2

lufs-0.9.7-2.6.8-rc2.patch.bz2

akpm_latency_rollup.patch

preempt-timing-2.6.8-rc2

config-nr-tty-devices.patch.bz2

write-barriers.patch

voluntary-preempt-2.6.8-rc2-bk1-ck6-H9.bz2

kernel_preempton.diff

lirc-2.6.5-20040404

menuconfig-NAME-v1.0.patch

vesafb-tng-0.9-rc3-r1-2.6.8-rc1.patch.bz2

bootsplash-3.1.4-sp3-2.6.8-rc2.patch

squashfs2.0-patch

gcloop-2.6-20040527.patch

```

If you already emerged the 'old' version of this release, just do this to remerge the new version:

```

rm /usr/portage/distfiles/patch-2.6.8-rc2-nitro2.bz2 

ebuild /usr/local/portage/sys-kernel/nitro-sources/nitro-sources-2.6.8_rc2-r2.ebuild digest

emerge nitro-sources

```

Now you have to recompile your kernel (instructions are on top of this page)

----------

## DaMouse

Why didn't you update to Vol Preempt -I ? he versions them in the following manner: -H1 -H2... -H8 -H9 -I0 -I1 -I2 etc  :Very Happy: 

So -I is more up to date than -H

-DaMouse

----------

## blaster999

I've just compiled and tried it and ... Well, the bootsplash refused to work. There was a bunch of errors (not sure - it was like  *Quote:*   

> [something in HEX] Some text

  )  before mounting local filesystems- all I managed to read was something about the scheduler. When the system had booted up, everything was sooo slow (xmms took 100% CPU usage, the sound was crappy, etc). Is it something wrong with my setup ?

----------

## DaMouse

You had a kernel panic, bit like a blue screen  :Razz: . Search forums for gensplash   :Very Happy: 

-DaMouse

----------

## blaster999

Well, when I had kernel panics with other kernels it was simpler: it wrote "kernel panic" and stopped booting. 

Anyway, I an concerned there is something wrong with the scheduler - any app uses 100% CPU. I will try disabling some features and rebuilding the kernel. I hope it helps.

----------

## seppe

Sorry, I didn't test the latest changes when I posted about it here. I get as well those kernel panics, so don't use this release.

----------

## blaster999

Well, how to get the previous release then? I would like to see it in action.

----------

## superjaded

With random kernel versions, my NIC (an onboard Rhine-II, which, obviously, uses the via-rhine driver) driver cannot seem to load due to some very weird error:

```
via-rhine.c:v1.10-LK1.1.20-2.6 May-23-2004 Written by Donald Becker

ACPI: PCI interrupt 0000:00:12.0[A] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11

Invalid MAC address for card #0

via-rhine: probe of 0000:00:12.0 failed with error -5
```

However, my NIC driver loads fine with my current kernel -- 2.6.7-love7.

```
via-rhine.c:v1.10-LK1.2.0-2.6 June-10-2004 Written by Donald Becker

ACPI: PCI interrupt 0000:00:12.0[A] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11

eth0: VIA Rhine II (VT8235) at 0xb400, 00:0e:a6:99:d4:33, IRQ 11.
```

Maybe this needs to be updated?.. I think I'll do some searching and see if I can find the updated driver..

----------

## blaster999

I have an onboard Rhine and it works with all kernels. What motherboard do you have?

----------

## superjaded

 *blaster999 wrote:*   

> I have an onboard Rhine and it works with all kernels. What motherboard do you have?

 

An ASUS A7V8X-X. FWIW, here's the relevant output of lspci:

```
0000:00:12.0 Ethernet controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6102 [Rhine-II] (rev 74)
```

----------

## blaster999

I have the same Rhine II! It always worked for me flawlessly - from the 2.4.x days when I was using mandrake 9.1.

However, if yours works only with certain kernels then try to copy the file usr/src/linux_in_which_it_worked/drivers/net/via-rhine.c to the same subdir of another kernel source tree (not a nice solution and I don't know if it would work).

----------

## superjaded

Yeah. In the middle of compiling nitro with the via-rhine.c from 2.6.7-love7 right now.  :Smile: 

Just about to reboot.

EDIT: Running 2.6.8-rc2-nitro2 now. All I need now is Reiser4 support.  :Wink: 

----------

## SysOP XXL

I'm running the old version of nitro2 at my home box, great kernel indeed   :Cool: 

But this new version caused a huge kernel panic at boot at a friend's box.

Is there a fix for it, or could you separate the two versions, and upload the old one again? (Just to minimize the trouble of others, I'll probably handle this one here)

----------

## seppe

The new nitro will be up in an hour or so, with reiser4 this time!  :Smile: 

here are the notes for those who can't wait:

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> 2.6.8-rc2-win4lin.patch.bz2
> 
> from_2.6.8-rc2_to_staircase7.A.bz2
> ...

 

btw, the ebuild and bz2 file I posted here are gone now because it generated kernel panics anyway. All the next releases will get a seperate directory in http://sepi.be/nitro

And yes, the new nitro is already in there .. but I have to test it first before I open a new topic to announce it. Feel free to test it already, since I can't test the Reiser4 myself (but it compiles cleanly here).

----------

