I tried upgrading kernels today (from 2.6.11 to 2.6.15). My motivation was my computer being intermittently and non-reproducibly unresponsive for long times (>30 sec) when viewing large images (example: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery_Image_657B-PH.jpg ) when using Firefox and/or Mozilla. Now, I know that large images are going to work the computer-- and I can't expect an instant response... but my gut says what is happening isn't right and there is problem somewhere.
When Firefox deals with these large images I cannot drop to a console and kill Firefox-- the keyboard is essentially unresponsive and the mouse has a huge time delay in responsiveness. I don't think this is right-- and my suspicion was and still is a kernel/memory management problem of some sort (as unlike http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=360079 -- I have keyboard locking outside of Firefox & Mozilla). Any case, Firefox aside (and perhaps some unrealistic expectations), the upgrade was disaster. After the upgrade -the display was bad-- it looked like the refresh rate was too high -sound was pooched -wireless interface was pooch What happened is below in detail. My question-- before trying another kernel upgrade or considering taking a stab at 2.6.14: 1. Is the package 'libc6-i686' essential for replacing the functionality of the 'hotplug' package? 2. Does not purging 'hotplug' cause problems? (During the install of 2.6.15 it said that ought to be done.) 3. Is anyone aware of issues with 2.6.11 -- and the locking behaviour I get with Firefox & Mozilla? Thanks, Michael =========================================================== Kernel UPGRADE 31 July 2006 (attempt) =========================================================== -----get a list of kernels that are installed # COLUMNS=132 dpkg --list |grep kernel ii initrd-tools 0.1.84.1 tools to create initrd image for prepackaged Linux kernel ii iproute 20051007-4 Professional tools to control the networking in Linux kernels ii iptables 1.3.3-2 Linux kernel 2.4+ iptables administration tools rc kcmlinuz 3.3.2-1 KDE Frontend for the Linux kernel configuration rc kernel-image-2.4.25-1-386 2.4.25-3 Linux kernel image for version 2.4.25 on 386. ii kernel-image-2.6.11-1-686 2.6.11-7 Linux kernel image for version 2.6.11 on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4. rc kernel-image-2.6.5-1-386 2.6.5-4 Linux kernel image for version 2.6.5 on 386. ii kernel-image-2.6.8-1-686 2.6.8-10 Linux kernel image for version 2.6.8 on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/PIV. ii libdrm2 2.0.1-1 Userspace interface to kernel DRM services -- runtime ii module-init-tools 3.2.2-3 tools for managing Linux kernel modules cobalamin:/home/michael# -----remove back-up kernel --so there is space for a new one cobalamin:/home/michael# apt-get remove kernel-image-2.6.8-1-686 Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done The following packages will be REMOVED: kernel-image-2.6.8-1-686 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded. Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 43.3MB disk space will be freed. Do you want to continue [Y/n]? Y (Reading database ... 92904 files and directories currently installed.) Removing kernel-image-2.6.8-1-686 ... The link /vmlinuz.old is a dangling link Removing symbolic link /vmlinuz.old Unless you used the optional flag in lilo, you may need to re-run lilo The link /initrd.img.old is a dangling link Removing symbolic link /initrd.img.old Unless you used the optional flag in lilo, you may need to re-run lilo cobalamin:/home/michael# -----find new kernel cobalamin:/home/michael# apt-cache search kernel-image |grep 2.6 -----get new kernel cobalamin:/home/michael# apt-get install linux-image-2.6.15-1-686 Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done The following extra packages will be installed: busybox initramfs-tools klibc-utils libklibc libvolume-id0 udev Suggested packages: linux-doc-2.6.15 linux-source-2.6.15 Recommended packages: libc6-i686 The following packages will be REMOVED: hotplug The following NEW packages will be installed: busybox initramfs-tools klibc-utils libklibc libvolume-id0 linux-image-2.6.15-1-686 udev 0 upgraded, 7 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded. Need to get 16.6MB of archives. After unpacking 47.1MB of additional disk space will be used. Do you want to continue [Y/n]? Y Get:1 http://debian.yorku.ca testing/main busybox 1:1.1.3-2 [286kB] Get:2 http://debian.yorku.ca testing/main libklibc 1.4.8-1.1 [40.9kB] Get:3 http://debian.yorku.ca testing/main klibc-utils 1.4.8-1.1 [120kB] Get:4 http://debian.yorku.ca testing/main libvolume-id0 0.093-1 [55.8kB] Get:5 http://debian.yorku.ca testing/main udev 0.093-1 [256kB] Get:6 http://debian.yorku.ca testing/main initramfs-tools 0.69b [47.9kB] Get:7 http://debian.yorku.ca testing/main linux-image-2.6.15-1-686 2.6.15-8 [15.8MB] Fetched 16.6MB in 39s (420kB/s) Preconfiguring packages ... (Reading database ... 91200 files and directories currently installed.) Removing hotplug ... Selecting previously deselected package busybox. (Reading database ... 91178 files and directories currently installed.) Unpacking busybox (from .../busybox_1%3a1.1.3-2_i386.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package libklibc. Unpacking libklibc (from .../libklibc_1.4.8-1.1_i386.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package klibc-utils. Unpacking klibc-utils (from .../klibc-utils_1.4.8-1.1_i386.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package libvolume-id0. Unpacking libvolume-id0 (from .../libvolume-id0_0.093-1_i386.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package udev. Unpacking udev (from .../archives/udev_0.093-1_i386.deb) ... ************************************************************** * Please purge the hotplug package! * (/etc/init.d/hotplug has been found on this system) ************************************************************** Selecting previously deselected package initramfs-tools. Unpacking initramfs-tools (from .../initramfs-tools_0.69b_all.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package linux-image-2.6.15-1-686. Unpacking linux-image-2.6.15-1-686 (from .../linux-image-2.6.15-1-686_2.6.15-8_i386.deb) ... Done. Setting up busybox (1.1.3-2) ... Setting up libklibc (1.4.8-1.1) ... Setting up klibc-utils (1.4.8-1.1) ... Setting up libvolume-id0 (0.093-1) ... Setting up udev (0.093-1) ... udev requires a kernel >= 2.6.15, not started. Setting up initramfs-tools (0.69b) ... Setting up linux-image-2.6.15-1-686 (2.6.15-8) ... Running depmod. Finding valid ramdisk creators. Using mkinitramfs-kpkg to build the ramdisk. You already have a LILO configuration in /etc/lilo.conf Testing lilo.conf ... Testing successful. Installing the partition boot sector... Running /sbin/lilo ... Installation successful. cobalamin:/home/michael# -------------------------------------------------just checking cobalamin:/boot# more /etc/lilo.conf boot=/dev/hda3 ##boot=/dev/hda5 root=/dev/hda5 ##compact ####install=/mnt/hda3/boot.0305 install=/boot/boot.0305 ##install=/boot/boot.b ####map=/mnt/hda3/map #####map=/boot/map map=/boot/map vga=normal delay=20 ####image=/mnt/hda3/vmlinuz-2.6.8-1-686 #####image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.11-1-686 image=/vmlinuz label = Linux read-only ####initrd=/mnt/hda3/initrd.img-2.6.8-1-686 #####initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.11-1-686 initrd=/initrd.img cobalamin:/boot# ------------------------------------------------- -----copying bootsector # dd if=/dev/hda3 of=/home/michael/transfer/bootsect-2.6.15-1.lnx bs=512 count=1 1+0 records in 1+0 records out 512 bytes (512 B) copied, 0.05133 seconds, 10.0 kB/s cobalamin:/home/michael# BOOT INTO WINDOWS -- changed files ------------------------------------------------- [EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ more /proc/version Linux version 2.6.15-1-686 (Debian 2.6.15-8) ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) (gcc version 4.0. 3 20060212 (prerelease) (Debian 4.0.2-9)) #2 Mon Mar 6 15:27:08 UTC 2006 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ Upgrade worked but... -sound pooched -video pooched -internet pooched ================================================= TRYING TO FIX ================================================= lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 Jul 31 21:54 initrd.img -> boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-1-686 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 Jul 31 21:54 vmlinuz -> boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-1-686 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4568 Jul 31 21:53 sbin drwxr-xr-x 15 root root 4800 Jul 31 21:53 lib drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 2544 Jul 31 21:53 bin drwxr-xr-x 10 root root 0 Jul 31 18:06 sys dr-xr-xr-x 124 root root 0 Jul 31 18:06 proc drwxr-xr-x 16 root root 1112 Mar 26 02:46 root drwxr-xr-x 15 root root 344 Oct 16 2005 usr lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 Jul 24 2005 initrd.img.old -> boot/initrd.img-2.6.11-1-686 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 Jul 24 2005 vmlinuz.old -> boot/vmlinuz-2.6.11-1-686 cobalamin:/# mv vmlinuz vmlinuz.repair cobalamin:/# ln -s /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.11-1-686 vmlinuz cobalamin:/# mv initrd.img initrd.img.repair cobalamin:/# ln -s /boot/initrd.img-2.6.11-1-686 initrd.img ----not sure---- but decided to run lilo cobalamin:/# lilo Warning: Partition 3 on /dev/hda is not marked Active. Added Linux * cobalamin:/# ----will try to reboot back to windows undo earlier changes ----reboot back to debian mouse busted diagnosis: since hotplug was removed X11 chokes 'cause it can't find the mouse ----then download 'hotplug' deb with windows to /mnt/transfer (the fat32 drive I share between Win XP & debian) rebooted to debian apt-get remove linux-image-2.6.15-1-686 udev dpkg --install hotplug... reboot (as after the remove of 'linux-image-2.6.15-1-686 udev' it said I ought to) after reboot -- X11 loaded again :) (back to where I started) ======================================== System/Hardware ======================================== Toshiba Satellite A20 -- A20-31Q: 2.53GHz (PSA20C-0231Q) Processor: Intel Pentium IV, 2.53GHz Memory: 512 MB Debian release: testing (Etch) Install log: http://individual.utoronto.ca/bonert/debian_install.html ----- [EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ more /proc/version Linux version 2.6.11-1-686 ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) (gcc version 3.3.6 (Debian 1:3.3.6-6)) #1 Mon Jun 20 22:00:38 MDT 2005 ---- -- Echte DSL-Flatrate dauerhaft für 0,- Euro*. 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