Compiling a custom Kernel? Is this possible with PCBSD?

[DanFromWinterpeg]

Hello again,

I have been Playing around with both PCBSD and DesktopBSD for awhile now. I find I prefer the community here at PCBSD and it's philosophy. However, DesktopBSD 1.0 based on FreeBSD 5.5 is the only flavor of the two that I can get running stable on my desktop. I keep getting random crashes and reboots on both PCBSD 1.4 and DesktopBSD 1.6 RC which are both based on FreeBSD 6.

I came across a post on DesktopBSD forums in response to another user with the same sort of problem and it was suggested that it looked like a kernel issue. Something to do wit LOR (whatever that is). Anyway they suggested compiling a FreeBSD kernel with Witness to resolve the issue. Is this possible with PCBSD and if so does anyone know of some simple instructions on how to do this

Thanks

Dan :?

[antik]

I came across a post on DesktopBSD forums in response to another user with the same sort of problem and it was suggested that it looked like a kernel issue. Something to do wit LOR (whatever that is). Anyway they suggested compiling a FreeBSD kernel with Witness to resolve the issue. Is this possible with PCBSD and if so does anyone know of some simple instructions on how to do this

Thanks

Dan :?

PC-BSD default kernel conf found in /PCBSD/conf. Remember to disable ata_static_id in PC-BSD, this is only serious difference between vanilla FreeBSD and PC-BSD. In forums you'll find plenty of howtos about kernel/userland upgrades.

[DanFromWinterpeg]

Thanks Antik,

I will now go hunting for HowTos. I suppose slogging through the FreeBSD handbook won't hurt either.

Thanks again

Dan

[sblevin]

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO885 ... lding.html (http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/kernelconfig-building.html)

The handbook isn't a slog, it's fantastic ..... The forgotten art of documentation still exists : )

[DanFromWinterpeg]

Hello sblevin,

I have to agree with you there. My previous comment was meant to be more tongue in cheek as it were. Unfortunately tone and inflection do not translate well to the written word. The handbook can sometimes be a bit daunting to a newbie for whom 6 months ago Unix based systems were a completely foreign concept. I have found the handbook to be invaluable and when there is something I just don't get I know there are plenty of helpful folks here in the forums.

Which brings me to my current dilemma. The post I found suggested compiling a Kernel with WITNESS to resolve the issues I have been having, but they did not specify what is does and from the handbook and other sources about all I managed to figure out is that it is used for kernel debugging. I also get the impression from the handbook that it can be implemented in different ways and I am not sure how to use it to solve the problem.


Does anyone here have much experience with kernel debugging who could shed some light on this issue?

Thanks again


Dan.

[antik]

Does anyone here have much experience with kernel debugging who could shed some light on this issue?


http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO885 ... debug.html (http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/developers-handbook/kerneldebug.html)

[sblevin]

Hello sblevin,
Unfortunately tone and inflection do not translate well to the written word.
Tell me about it :) Sometimes I reread my posts after a couple of days and think 'MY GOD! It looks like I should have written that in blood and tied it to a brick before posting it' :)


The handbook can sometimes be a bit daunting to a newbie for whom 6 months ago Unix based systems were a completely foreign concept.
Agreed - 1st time I ever tried FreeBSD I bought it as a hard copy of the handbook with a CD on it, and it was a "call your geek friends over party' for a whole weekend. Windows really does leave you with a very very different set of skills.

Wish I could actually help you with your question though :(

GL!

[DanFromWinterpeg]

Hello again,

I had a look in my var/crash/ folder and their is a single text file called minfree listed after the PC locks up and reboots. The file has a single four digit number 2048.

Does anyone know what this number is? I am guessing it is related to the error that caused the reboot, but beyond that I have no clue.

[fredBSD]

There's a bit in the savecore manual about its use of the number in the minfree file. I don't get what it's saying though, or if it helps at all.

LOR = 'lock order reversal' apparently. There's a mention of a bug at the end of the pf.conf manual which could be worth reading. It mentions a sysctl which you can change as a workaround.

Have you tried running with ACPI disabled (option 2 in the boot menu)? Some older hardware has buggy ACPI support.