Linux 6.0.7 MP kernel works on DS25

[Frank Scheiner]

Hi all,

just a short update for all that might haven't noticed yet:

It looks like MP operation is working **again** on Alpha with recent
kernels - which is just a pleasure to see! I'm unsure what was fixed in
the kernel to make it work again, quickly scanning through the changes I
didn't find anything related to Titan, only changes regarding Marvel.

Nevertheless a **big thank you** to all people involved in "fixing" this!

I tested 6.0.7 on my DS25, running:

* `7za b`
* `openssl speed -elapsed`
* and nearly two hours of kernel compilation (with `localmodconfig`)

...which worked w/o an apparent issue. I couldn't get it to work with
systemd though, so had to resort to replacing systemd with sysvinit, see
[1] for details.

[1]: https://pastebin.com/FbFG7jHx

I don't know if my kernel config misses something needed by systemd,
though I took the one of the last working kernel 5.3.0-3 as base
(`olddefconfig`, then `localmodconfig` plus small changes via
`menuconfig`), which works fine with the same userland (incl. recreated
current initramfs).

I actually build the 6.0.7 kernel manually because I wanted to verify it
builds and really works on Alpha. [2] only shows build failures for the
last attempted kernel builds, though these seem to happen in the Debian
part of the build. Since 6.x the build process complains about
unversioned symbols:

```
[...]
make[3]: Leaving directory
'/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/debian/build/build_alpha_none_alpha-generic'
debian/bin/buildcheck.py debian/build/build_alpha_none_alpha-generic
alpha none alpha-generic
ABI is not completely versioned! Refusing to continue.

Unversioned symbols:
strcat module: vmlinux,
version: 0x00000000, export: EXPORT_SYMBOL
strcpy module: vmlinux,
version: 0x00000000, export: EXPORT_SYMBOL
strncat module: vmlinux,
version: 0x00000000, export: EXPORT_SYMBOL
strncpy module: vmlinux,
version: 0x00000000, export: EXPORT_SYMBOL
Can't read ABI reference. ABI not checked!
make[2]: *** [debian/rules.real:218:
debian/stamps/build_alpha_none_alpha-generic] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
make[1]: *** [debian/rules.gen:426:
build-arch_alpha_none_alpha-generic_real] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
make: *** [debian/rules:39: build-arch] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: error: debian/rules binary-arch subprocess returned
exit status 2
```

Don't know what to make out of this. Is this a problem in the kernel
sources or a problem for the Debian kernel team?

[2]: https://buildd.debian.org/status/logs.php?pkg=linux&arch=alpha

Cheers,
Frank

[John Paul Adrian Glaubitz]

Hi Frank!

On 11/11/22 12:03, Frank Scheiner wrote:
> It looks like MP operation is working **again** on Alpha with recent
> kernels - which is just a pleasure to see! I'm unsure what was fixed in
> the kernel to make it work again, quickly scanning through the changes I
> didn't find anything related to Titan, only changes regarding Marvel.
>
> Nevertheless a **big thank you** to all people involved in "fixing" this!

That's great news!

> Don't know what to make out of this. Is this a problem in the kernel
> sources or a problem for the Debian kernel team?
>
> [2]: https://buildd.debian.org/status/logs.php?pkg=linux&arch=alpha

No idea, really. We need to ask someone from the Debian kernel team, they
probably know how to fix this.

Adrian

--
.''`. John Paul Adrian Glaubitz
: :' : Debian Developer
`. `' Physicist
`- GPG: 62FF 8A75 84E0 2956 9546 0006 7426 3B37 F5B5 F913

[Frank Scheiner]

Hi Adrian,

On 12.11.22 11:17, John Paul Adrian Glaubitz wrote:
>> Don't know what to make out of this. Is this a problem in the kernel
>> sources or a problem for the Debian kernel team?
>>
>> [2]: https://buildd.debian.org/status/logs.php?pkg=linux&arch=alpha
>
> No idea, really. We need to ask someone from the Debian kernel team, they
> probably know how to fix this.

How can we contact them and who for Alpha specifically?

Cheers,
Frank