GCC Instability Problems With SuSE/AMD K6? 31
cmickelson asks: "I've been running SuSE Linux 6.x on my laptop for over a year now and everytime I would compile something I would have to run make several times because of errors during compiling. Now my laptop is very unstable, Windows is unusable because of constant crashes, but Linux generally runs well except for Netscape core dumps, and the compiling problems. Anyway I just assumed the errors were due the system's instablility. However, I recently assembled a new desktop computer and installed SuSE 6.4 on that and the same thing happened when I tried to compile Samba. I had to run make five times before the whole source tree was completed. Is this typical? I find it hard to believe that gcc/gpp could be that unstable, but why else would this happen with two different systems? Is this due to the AMD K6-2 processors (which both laptops have), or is SuSE the problem?"
Re:OMG! (Score:1)
crash during compiling (Score:1)
Re:OMG! (Score:1)
But who uses a kernel off an install cd anyway?
By stock kernel, I mean one available off of ftp://ftp.[country code].kernel.org/pub/linux/kernels/v2.x/linux-2.x. y.tar.bz2. RedHat adds custom shit ot the kernel, causing problems all over the place unless you stick to RedHat released RPMs.
memory problems (Score:1)
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Re:Maybe hardware (Score:1)
i've had problems w/ a k6-2-350 (Score:1)
i clocked it back to 266 for a long time and it liked that... i've had it at 350 since septemeber and its had strange problems.... streaming mp3s off of it w/ samba works fine, but sending an iso craps out halfway through...
i'm trying it at 333 (4 x 83) right now, it seems to work, but that may change...
Re:It happens to me too! (Score:1)
it actually has a jumper on it to select whether you're dropping in 5v edo dimms or 3.3v sdram. the board and memory are from probably about 3 years ago. so, while i wouldn't deny the possibility of having older, more tolerant sdram, i would hope that the board runs at 3.3v if it has a jumper to do so.
and you're correct, they don't have all the manuals online.
food for thought.
# cat .sig
Re:It happens to me too! (Score:1)
in another system i had a pc66 10 or 12ns chip combined with a pc100 6ns chip, both 3.3v sdram and the system was unstable. either chip works fine alone or with like chips, can't use them together though. perhaps it's more of a timing problem?
# cat .sig
A statistical point... (Score:1)
my systems fine . . . (Score:1)
Re:memory problems (Score:1)
Re:It happens to me all the time, too (Score:1)
I seem to recall (Score:1)
I'm sorry I don't recall more then that but I'm willing to bet this is your problem
I think my K6 system is ok.... (Score:1)
I tried to compile 2.4 kernel and there's no error. However after I boot into 2.4.0-test9 kernel, make generates some error. Also after 1 crash in 2.4 kernel somewhere in the file system (/usr/src/linux/.....) was corrupted. I use ReiserFS and I dunno how to do a fsck with it. Everytime I rm -rf linux/ the system will HALT
Re:It happens to me all the time, too (Score:1)
Re:It happens to me too! (Score:1)
The only motherboard they have a manual for that is Socket 7 and has both DIMM and SIMM slots is the ATC5300.
If this is the board you have, the manual says you can't mix 3.3v SDRAM and regular DRAM (in Chinaglish. I'd give $$$, just once, for a motherboard manual actually written in reasonable English.)
Some very old (4-5 years) SDRAM could handle 5 volts. Maybe you've got that?
But maybe they don't have all the manuals online. It wouldn't surprise me.
>perhaps it's more of a timing problem?
That's also very possible.
BIOS Settings (Score:1)
I finally fixed it by bring up the BIOS and doing a [Load BIOS defaults] which must have done something to the chipset settings because suddenly it started working. Now 128MB of ram works beautifully and the system has been handling a load very well.
The BIOS settings may not be optimal for speed, but it can make a difference. Try writing down your BIOS settings and do a defaults reload.
I get the feeling that it's the ditro. (Score:1)
You might run RAM diagnostics and if it does come up with some thing, you can patch the kernel with this [zonnet.nl].
I'm also working under the assumption that you've checked out SUSE's web site for bug reports, and done other basic research before posting here.
Re:memory problems (Score:1)
This s a question from a SUSE user, only comments so far have been in relation to SUSE
So where exactly did your flame about RH come from
(yes - I do run RH7 on numerous boxen and I am getting seriously pissed off by anti RH comments on Slashdat by people who don't use it)
The way I see it... (Score:1)
I help my Drafting teacher out in the Lab at my school, t set up computers, and whenever we couldn't get something to work, he would want to blame it on the condition of the computer, but I see it is as if it can run at all, its in condition enough to be able to run programs and such.
Unless, you have cheap-ram, if thats the case it most likely could be the source of the problem
Re:OMG! (Score:1)
Other possibilities... (Score:1)
FWIW, I've been running a k6-2 300 on a tmc mb for a few years without a hitch (moving to duron soon
Re:Maybe hardware (Score:1)
If I started the compiler again, it would compile the code where it aborted, just to sig 11 at another location.
I then lowered the CPU clock from 550 MHz to 533 Mhz, and I have never seen it happen again.
Similar problems (Score:2)
Your problems, though, seem indicative of an overheating CPU--don't you think? You say you run a make and it fails--you try again, it might get a little farther (it's skipping the parts it finished previously), and then dies, right?
That was my problem, too. My CPU had the original heatsink and FAN from AMD mounted on it. Unfortunately, the heatsink is mounted onto the CPU with some really crappy epoxy that will often just lose its contact with the CPU--so I'll have to go over to the machine and push down on the heatsink to make contact with the chip again. I know, I know...I should just replace the damned epoxy before I push too hard and crack the motherboard
Just an idear, though--dunno if you've got the same stuff.
Lemme get this straight . . . (Score:2)
Because your hardware is flaky. Some cheapie motherboards don't do well. Or maybe your processor is faulty. I've had no trouble with a K6-450 and a K6-500 on linux here. Including compiling all sorts of things.
Re:memory problems (Score:2)
It happens to me too! (Score:2)
My theory was that it was either overheating or that it was memory related. Although the CPU fan was wearing out (it was gradually becoming very noisy), it still kept it really cool, so I dismissed overheating as a possible cause. At the time, the memory was 32MB of 168-pin and 16MB of 72-pin, and that 48MB was horribly inadequate, as it was using it's swap partition heavily.
It now has 96MB (all 168-pin), a new CPU fan, new hard drive, and a clean install of Mandrake 7.1, and it's working better than ever before. It just made 100 hours of uptime today, which would have been nearly impossible before. I would suspect that 16MB of 72-pin memory, but it seems to be working fine in a Windows machine, so maybe it was my motherboard or something to do with the swapping???
It happens to me all the time, too (Score:2)
BTW, it has to do with some kind of memory hole. I always get signal 11s when trying to make anything.
I'm gonna try my luck with OpenBSD now, since there's not really anything on the machine I care about...
oops, forgot some information (Score:2)
Also, I can't even install Windows 98, because it will crash during the installation process. My proc is an AMD K6-2 400Mhz.
Try looking through
Maybe hardware (Score:3)
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Re:It happens to me too! (Score:3)
SIMMS run at 5 volts. DIMMS usually run at 3.3 volts (unless you spent a lot of dough on them, they will be running at 3.3 volts). Running a DIMM at 5 volts will either cause it to burn out, or will cause it to be unstable.
Running a SIMM at 3.3 volts will certainly cause it to be unstable, but will not cause it to burn out.
Since I have never, ever, heard of even the most expensive motherboard supporting both SIMMS and DIMMS at the same time (unless they are all 5 volts... which is why some manuals say they can use both at the same time), I would say your board didn't support it.
So, you were either ruining your DIMMS, or not supplying enough voltage to the SIMMS. Since you say the DIMMS and SIMMS by themselves appear to still work, I'll assume the latter. You're pretty lucky actually...
[if I'm wrong, please correct me...]