xorg-x11-6.8.2-1.FC3.13 appears to not like multiprocessors

Seth Alford setha at aracnet.com
Thu Mar 31 03:28:28 UTC 2005


I have a dual processor Dell Precision 650.  As of today, X will freezes
shortly after it starts, but, only with the second processor enabled.  If
I go into the BIOS, and disable the second processor, then X works.  If I
re-enable the second processor, X freezes again.

Two things happened today.  

1.  I opened up the machine and blew out all of the dust.  I could have jostled
    something and caused the second processor to break.

2.  This morning up2date installed a new version of xorg software:

[Wed Mar 30 07:13:27 2005] up2date installing packages: ['foomatic-3.0.2-13.3', 'krb5-devel-1.3.6-5', 'krb5-libs-1.3.6-5', 'krb5-workstation-1.3.6-5', 'telnet-0.17-32.FC3.2', 'xorg-x11-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-Mesa-libGL-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-Mesa-libGLU-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-Xdmx-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-Xnest-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-Xvfb-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-deprecated-libs-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-deprecated-libs-devel-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-devel-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-doc-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-font-utils-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-libs-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-sdk-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-tools-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-twm-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-xauth-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-xdm-6.8.2-1.FC3.13', 'xorg-x11-xfs-6.8.2-1.FC3.13']

In the process of diagnoising this problem I logged in on several of the
control-alt-FN alternative screens, while the second processor was enabled.
I was able to run multiple du processes, and the machine didn't freeze.
So I don't think that I broke processor 2.

I hit upon the idea of trying to disable the second processor because I had
seen references to X freezes on this list.  One suggestion to fix it was to
disable hyperthreading, which simlates having a second processor.  I tried
that.  It worked.  But now I only have half of my available processors
running.  Yes, most of the time, surfing the web, I wouldn't notice it.
But when I'm doing multiple tar -j's for a backup, I will.

So here are my questions:

1.  Anyone else running FC3 on a dual processor?  Are you seeing this problem?
2.  Would this be better reported here, or to xorg?  Does xorg mind having
    bugs submitted against xorg packages with a "FC3" as part of the package
    name?  Or are they going to tell me something like "Oh, those packages
    were modified by the Fedora project.  We won't do anything about this
    problem until you show us that it happened with our unadulterated packages."
3.  Does it matter that the bogomips on the second processor are not equal
    to the bogomips on the first processor?  (I would include the 2 different
    numbers here, but /proc/cpuinfo is only telling me about the first
    processor, since the second processor is diabled in BIOS.)
4.  How to go back to the previous xorg release?  Get it from the fedora
    web page?

Thanks,

--Seth Alford
setha at aracnet.com




More information about the fedora-list mailing list