One CPU used/detected instead of 4, 6, 8, & 12

Hello folks :)

I don't know where to start, so I'll start where ever...

I have all the knoppix ISO releases since knoppix 5, & I have to say, something is really wrong.

Knoppix 6.0.1 works on ALL my systems, but starting from 6.0.2 on upwards, I'm excluded from enjoying it's awesomeness, & no one seems to care about resolving the issue.

As i've said back then, I prefer knoppix over the rest because i entered the linux world via knoppix, & all i know now, i learned through knoppix. However... knoppix has done me badly over the years (smile lol). It can't be said that the knowledge of how to make it work is unknown, because 6.0.1 lit up all my machines flawlessly, but not so with 6.0.2 right on up to 7.0.5.

I've lost hope in the knoppix devs for a while now, because it's clear they don't care about this issue, & seem to want it the way it is for some reason. If I paid for it, I'd be demanding my money back, but it's free, so what can you do? lol

I get frustrated easily, but knoppix has shut me out for a long time now. I have waited patiently for years for new versions, & every time they are released, I get let down. They don't work. All I ever hear about is the constant 'cheat codes' that allows it to boot by disabling required features of today's computers, but in reality - turns your computer into a stone age piece of crap... like 'knoppix nolapic' (at the boot prompt) causes your computer to preform like it has a CPU from the late 90s. I can't enjoy Linux this way. Can't even load up firefox without the whole system freezing up, & crashing due to CPU red-lining at 100% usage, & not allowing any other thread to work until firefox is done... which it won't complete due to freezing.

I guess the question to ask is... can I manually edit something somewhere that will allow my main machine/gaming rig to boot just as 6.0.1 did... not requiring 'knoppix nolapic' at the boot prompt in order to boot?

I really want to use PlayOnLinux/WINE but can't cuz it's a pile of crap at the 6.0.1 level at version 1.0.1_blabla, That's the max version i can find (bug haven). I want WINE 1.5 + ALL the dev tools Linux has to offer at today's level... not decade old crap.

Is there a way to make knoppix boot normally, & work just as 6.0.1 did... while loading the latest knoppix version like 7.0.5? (jan 19th 2013)

Greetings, DTeCH!

Quote:

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One CPU used/detected instead of 4, 6, 8, & 12

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Does your system really have so many real CPUs or has it got one multi-core CPU?

Is it possible to say more about the system?

Hello Klaus,

Quote:

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Does your system really have so many real CPUs or has it got one multi-core CPU?

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No, only one CPU with multiple cores.

Quote:

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Is it possible to say more about the system?

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Sure :)



Base Board Information:
Manufacturer: EVGA
Product Name: EVGA P55 SLI LE E653
Version: Ibex Peak
Features:
Board is a hosting board
Board is replaceable
Chassis Handle: 0x0003
Type: Motherboard
Contained Object Handles: 0

BIOS Information:
Vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
Version: 080016
Release Date: 09/23/2010
Address: 0xF0000
Runtime Size: 64 kB
ROM Size: 2048 kB
Characteristics:
ISA is supported
PCI is supported
PNP is supported
BIOS is upgradeable
BIOS shadowing is allowed
ESCD support is available
Boot from CD is supported
Selectable boot is supported
BIOS ROM is socketed
EDD is supported
5.25"/1.2 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
3.5"/720 KB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
Serial services are supported (int 14h)
Printer services are supported (int 17h)
CGA/mono video services are supported (int 10h)
ACPI is supported
USB legacy is supported
LS-120 boot is supported
ATAPI Zip drive boot is supported
BIOS boot specification is supported
Targeted content distribution is supported
BIOS Revision: 8.16

Processor Information:
Socket Designation: CPU 1
Type: Central Processor
Family: 6
Manufacturer: Intel
ID: E5 XX 01 XX FF XX EB XX (edited by DTeCH)
Version: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU 750 @ 2.67GHz
Voltage: 125
External Clock: 133 MHz
Max Speed: 2666 MHz
Current Speed: 2666 MHz
Status: Populated, Enabled
Upgrade: Other
L1 Cache Handle: 0x0005
L2 Cache Handle: 0x0006
L3 Cache Handle: 0x0007
Serial Number: XXXX (edited by DTeCH)
Asset Tag: XXXX (edited by DTeCH)
Part Number: XXXX (edited by DTeCH)
Core Count: 4
Core Enabled: 4
Thread Count: 4
Characteristics:
64-bit capable
-----
per core:
-----
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 30
model name : Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU 750 @ 2.67GHz
stepping : 5
cpu MHz : 1200.000
cache size : 8192 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 4
core id : 0
cpu cores : 4
apicid : 0
initial apicid : 0
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 11
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts xtopology pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm sse4_1 sse4_2 lahf_lm ida tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid
bogomips : 5618.90
clflush size : 64

Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 2048 MB DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600MHz)
Corsair Vengeance 2048 MB DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600MHz)

Graphics:
EVGA GTX 275 Co-op PhysX Edition
Performance
NVIDIA GTX 275+GTS 250
633+738 MHz GPU
240+128 Processing Cores
400 MHz RAMDAC
Memory
1280 MB, 448+192 bit DDR3
2268+2200 MHz (effective)
127.0+52.8 GB/s Memory Bandwidth
Interface
PCI-E 2.0 16x
DVI-I, DVI-I
SLI Capable
Resolution & Refresh
240Hz Max Refresh Rate
2048x1536 Max Analog
2560x1600 Max Digital


I hope this is enough info because I don't know how to get any more from Linux. lol

I see that you have got a modern system with two graphics cards.

What happens if you boot up your system with Knoppix 7.0.5 DVD using the 64 bit kernel without cheat codes?

Booting with the code 'knoppix64' does the same thing as before. It just hangs at:

Decompressing Linux... Parsing Elf... done.
Booting the kernel

I had to reboot, & enter 'knoppix64 nolapic' at the boot prompt to resume without hanging. It detects only one core, & causes sluggish CPU behaviour. Runs at 100%, & threading seems compromized.

This is with the new Knoppix 7.0.5 DVD

It's the same behaviour for 6.0.2 all the way up to 7.0.5... but works with 6.0.1 CD (don't remember seeing a DVD release for 6.0.1)

Even in the unstable environment of the booted 7.0.5 DVD, I have to smile :), it's awesome, but not stable - I don't want to blow out that core on my CPU. Without lapic, or apic, the sync timing of everything is off, & causes serious hanging, & delays. The graphics is nice though... massive improvement over 6.0.1.

I read about some people having issues with Linux using EVGA mainboards that are based on X58 chipset.

Do you use the latest BIOS for your mainboard?

Knoppix 7.0.5 DVD provides a debug mode if you boot up your system using

Code:

---

debug64

---

instead of

Code:

---

knoppix64

---

Every time you get a prompt you have to issue 'exit' or press CTRL-D in order to continue. Maybe this will give you an answer what could be done instead of disabling the local APIC.

Quote:

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Board is replaceable

---

:)

Quote:

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Knoppix 7.0.5 DVD provides a debug mode if you boot up your system using
Code:
---------
debug64
---------
instead of
Code:
---------
knoppix64
---------
Every time you get a prompt you have to issue 'exit' or press CTRL-D in order to continue. Maybe this will give you an answer what could be done instead of disabling the local APIC.

---

I booted with the code 'debug64', & it ends in about 2 seconds - with the last output being:

... (other outputs omitted - but it ends with the following)
[ 0.584933] rtc_cmos 00:03 setting system clock to 2013-01-22 21:34:23 UTC (1358890463)
[ 0.586529] ALSA DEVICE LIST:
[ 0.586601] No SoundCards Found.
_ <---- (the dreaded idiot blinky thingy :mrgreen:)

It just stays there blinking away until the cows come home.

I rebooted, & tried 'debug' instead, & it's the same output, except it had an extra output line before the mad blinker carret:

... (other outputs omitted - but it ends with the following)
[ 0.954933] rtc_cmos 00:03 setting system clock to 2013-01-22 21:34:23 UTC (1358890463)
[ 0.956529] ALSA DEVICE LIST:
[ 0.956601] No SoundCards Found.
[ 0.958068] input: at Translated set 2 keyboard as /devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input2
_

Then I tried both 'knoppix64', 'knoppix', & also leaving it blank at the boot prompt which all resulted in:

early console in Decompress_kernel

Decompressing Linux... Parsing Elf... done.
Booting the kernel

It seems that after 'Booting the kernel' was printed, the system goes to lunch, & never returns. :shock:

Then I pop in the Knoppix v6.0.1 CD, & it just blows by everything... detecting 4 cores, & 2 video cards. The processor activity thingy almost never goes any higher than the bottom edge of it's little black box... no matter what I do. But in 7.0.5 with the 'knoppix64 nolapic' entry at boot prompt... extracting, or running any command - like dd - will instantly red line the CPU. Youtube in fullscreen is a big no no.

Quote:

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Do you use the latest BIOS for your mainboard?

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The board is up to date... It has been flashed with the latest BIOS bin file.

I wonder what line in the kernel source is triggering the stupidity, & what the same set of lines are in the 6.0.1 source that makes it work. Would be interesting to see what the big difference is. :)

I read somewhere (actually have the article saved someplace, but no clue where lol) that some function call lines like blablabla_blabla-X, blablabla_blabla-Y, blablabla_blabla-Z are in a different order in the newer Debian thingy, & when one is called before the other, then the other won't load devices properly... or something to that effect.

(Went away from the computer for a few minutes)

Ok... so i didn't save the url to the post like i thought i did. Here's what I saved:

Bug#258061: ACPI initialization hangs on Compaq Presario 2100

Quote:

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Ok I verified that:

* This issue is yet valid for current 2.6.8 with acpi=on
* It's valid for 2.4 series up to 2.4.27 with acpi=on
* Patch proposed in 2.6.8 does not solve the issue, so it can be removed.

The only workaround in all cases is the 'nolapic' boot param.

--
Francesco P. Lovergine

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Quote:

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Is there a problem with the idea of "turn off APIC timer before ACPI
initialization and then turn back on after ACPI initialization
finishes"? This is exactly what the tiny patch I've sent does. I would
agree that 'nolapic' boot param "solves" the problem, but IMHO the
idea above is clearer and works perfectly.

Thanks,

Bruno.
--
Bruno Diniz de Paula

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Quote:

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The idea is clear, but that patch does not work on the 2100 I tried.
It was already implemented in current 2.6.8 AFAIK and it has exactly
the same problem of hang up.

--
Francesco P. Lovergine

---

Quote:

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When the patch you mentioned was not applied, I could make it work
with any kernel version by simply adding a 'disable_APIC_timer' in the
beginning of acpi_bus_init, and a 'enable_APIC_timer' in the end of
this function.

By the way, what is Local APIC for? What do I lose having Local APIC disabled?

Thanks,
Bruno.

--
Bruno Diniz de Paula

---

Quote:

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Find it in kernel sources:

A local APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) is an
integrated interrupt controller in the CPU. If you have a single-CPU
system which has a processor with a local APIC, you can say Y here to
enable and use it. If you say Y here even though your machine doesn't
have a local APIC, then the kernel will still run with no slowdown at
all. The local APIC supports CPU-generated self-interrupts (timer,
performance counters), and the NMI watchdog which detects hard lockups.

The processor local APIC is of fundamental importance in SMP and RT
environments to manage correctly I/O and and internal interrupts, timing
and so. You can live without on uniprocessor systems.
P5 did not have lapic indeed. If I remember correctly first multi-proc
board had PPro which was the first with a lapic...

Anyway tnis is the 'missing pointer' for the issue on LKML:

***.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0401.2/1525.html (replace '*' with 'w')

And it seems simply missing in debian sources. So the fix by Christopher
was different (and unuseful for this issue).

--
Francesco P. Lovergine

---

Quote:

---

More info: bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1269

This is the same patch (early init) proposed by Chris and apparently does
not solve the problem for all models. At least not for Compaq AMD-based 2100.
As in many cases for ACPI related issues, it's anyway caused by a buggy
BIOS. The only detail is that it's a damn common problem :-/

--
Francesco P. Lovergine

---

Found the URL via Google :)
lists.debian.org/debian-kernel/2004/09/msg00086.html

(Jan 25th 2013)

Re:Linux Unstable without "nolapic" - Monday, January 24, 2011 8:47 AM
[This post was marked as helpful]

Quote:

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I have found that the newer BIOS versions combined with the quad-core Nehalem processors in Linux is not a very stable configuration. I run a pre BIOS 44 version for this reason. My EVGA x58 Linux systems have been running stable for a couple years now with the older BIOS currently with kernel 2.6.37.

--
linuxrouter

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Your suggestions were right all along klaus... :(

It does seem to be a conflict somewhere between the newer Linux kernels, & modern/updated BIOS versions.

Full discussion on motherboard's website (EVGA)

(Jan 25th 2013)


-------------------------------
Inserted link
wps

Fixed!!! :D

They're so many settings in these BIOSes nowadays... It seems that they have some type of table that has pointers/registers, or whatever they're called to let the OSs (or whatever) know what's available, & boards without things like a North-Bridge has to have the CPU's capabilities registered in these tables (like HPET, APIC ACPI SCI IRQ, & whatever else [AMI BIOS]) to have the BIOS display options for them, & allow the OS to detect it... otherwise it's disabled by default.

Sometimes boards come with backwards compatibility features for older CPUs, or Multi-CPU support, & have to disable some things which usually can be enabled in the BIOS depending on what CPU you decide to use. However... even if it's registered, some BIOSes won't turn it on just because it detected something as a feature... they will leave it to the user to enable/disable, but will add the option for the user to see.

In my case, I Powered down the computer, removed the power plug, & Monitor's DVI cable from the computer (old habbit :))... popped the on-board battery out, & held down every button (On-Board Power, Reset Switch, & BIOS Reset) on the board one by one for 30 seconds a piece (more like 60 lol). Plugged everything back in, & went into the BIOS to set the time, & date along with my standard overclocking settings, then saved, & attempted boot. Nothing... nothing at all. Same Kernel hang.

I repeated the process, but this time I noticed that in some Advanced BIOS Settings thingy, there were 3 options dealing with HPET, APIC, ACPI, SCI, & IRQ... all DISABLED by default. I say default because after I reset the BIOS by popping the battery out, I always start with setting optimized defaults, then continue from there to set time, & date +OC, etc...

I enabled them:
HPET
APIC ACPI SCI IRQ

Saved, booted, & without any code whatsoever at the knoppix Boot Prompt... It came to life before my very eyes :D

All CPU Cores, Sound Card, Video Cards, & also was on the desktop 10+ FULL seconds faster. :mrgreen:

Might not work for everyone, but it won't hurt to check it out!

(Jan 25th 2013)