Linux kernels11/13/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Reconfiguring the controller to use stand-alone drives fixed the problem, and the performance was stellar. With a RAID array built on the controller, the MPT drivers simply don't function properly, rendering the overall system very sluggish. The problem was with the Fusion-MPT drivers. I then performed the Samba tests, which produced abysmal performance numbers. During a rebuild of the server, however, I reconfigured the disks into a RAID1 array. I did the I/O subsystem tests with this configuration and noted very high performance results. I had originally configured my array controller, LSI Logic's Fusion-MPT, without RAID so that each disk was viewed as a stand-alone SCSI drive. Another post to the LKML, followed by responses from Torvalds and Morton, helped me identify the source of the problem. I had previously tested the lower-level kernel subsystems on this server and seen no problems with performance, but the higher-level tests showed a significant bottleneck somewhere. The numbers I was seeing on the Intel Xeon system were truly terrible. The Samba tests under the v2.6 kernel were ridiculously slow. The problem was fixed by Ulrich Drepper of Red Hat and incorporated into the next release.Ī few days later, I noticed another performance issue. Within six hours, the problem had been reliably reproduced by a number of core Linux kernel developers, and traced to an issue with a library linked by the Native POSIX Thread Library (NPTL) code. Less than 30 minutes later, Linus Torvalds had responded to my post and offered some suggestions, followed by Bill Rugolsky Jr. The first post detailed an issue regarding poor per-character performance of the v2.6.0-test8 kernel. Because any question for the list may have been addressed previously, the LKML archives are a great resource to those working with the internals of the Linux kernel or trying to debug a problem.ĭuring the course of my kernel testing, I ran into a few interesting anomalies with the v2.6-test kernel series and posted my findings and thoughts to the list. The list is not restricted, so any Linux user may post questions or commentary regarding any Linux kernel. ![]() Also following the official release of v2.6, the v2.7 kernel will soon be born and become the rough framework for the as-yet-unspecified v2.8 kernel.ĭuring the development process, the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) is the main sounding board for the kernel developers, and in fact, anyone developing core Linux code. Thus, with the advent of v2.6, Linux kernel v.2.4 will be maintained with security patches and bug fixes, but official releases of the v2.4 kernel will not contain new features major updates will be handled in the v2.6 branch. As soon as a kernel is released as an even number, the next odd numbered kernel is born, and historically, the previous even-numbered kernel is placed into maintenance mode. Even-numbered kernels (v2.0, v2.2, v2.4) are stable kernels, and odd-numbered kernels are unstable, or development, kernels. The Linux kernel development process is akin to a game of leapfrog. ![]()
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