[gentoo-user] Re: Random segfaults with kernel 2.6.27

[Nikos Chantziaras <realnc@arcor.de>]

Andrey Falko wrote:
> On 11/20/08, *Nikos Chantziaras* <realnc@arcor.de 
> <mailto:realnc@arcor.de>> wrote:
> 
>     As it happens, upgrading to kernel 2.6.27 was not the only change; I
>     switched from xf86-video-radeonhd to the proprietary ATI Catalyst
>     drivers.  Didn't think that this has anything to do with it though.
> 
> 
> I have a hunch that this is the problem. Have you tried 2.6.27 without 
> the proprietary ATI drivers?

I'll be running tests on this with various combinations 
(2.6.26/2.6.27/Catalyst/open source radeonhd) and see what happens. 
Re-emerging a bunch of stuff should do it.


> This is the first thing I would suspect 
> because ATI drivers are not reputed --- or so I believe --- for being 
> the best quality software out there.

They are reputed to be one of the most broken (from packaging, install 
scripts up to the actual binary blobs) ever produced ;P  Too bad they're 
the *only* choice on modern cards.  No 3D (or even accelerated 2D) 
support with any open source driver for HD4xxx series cards.  It's one 
of those things you hate to the bone but can't do without due to AMD's 
refusal to open source them so we can fix them.


> Either way, we need to eliminate as 
> many factors as possible and one of these factors is your ATI driver 
> change. I don't know much about Prime95, but if it won't simulate a 
> subtlety in your video drivers, especially how proprietary ATI drivers 
> will play with kernel 2.6.27.

Yes, Prime doesn't touch the GPU.  It stresses CPU, northbridge and RAM 
only.