linux-kernel - Re: You are fussing about bug reports, here is one. Seems like a shrug, but...

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Date:	Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:37:21 -0600
From:	Robert Hancock <hancockr@...w.ca>
To:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject:  Re: You are fussing about bug reports, here is one.  Seems like a
 shrug,   but...

Gene Heskett wrote:
> 2.6.28.final, has existed most of the way through the 28-rc series.  This ASUS 
> mobo is a $250+ mobo, latest (working bios, the beta does work at all) and 
> has a quad core Phenom with 4GB of dram on it.
> 
> [    0.000000] ------------[ cut here ]------------
> [    0.000000] WARNING: at arch/x86/kernel/cpu/mtrr/generic.c:404 
> generic_get_mtrr+0x11c/0x130()
> [    0.000000] mtrr: your BIOS has set up an incorrect mask, fixing it up.
> [    0.000000] Modules linked in:
> [    0.000000] Pid: 0, comm: swapper Not tainted 2.6.28 #1
> [    0.000000] Call Trace:
> [    0.000000]  [<c04267b6>] warn_slowpath+0x76/0x90
> [    0.000000]  [<c050dd97>] vsnprintf+0x2e7/0x680
> [    0.000000]  [<c042750b>] printk+0x1b/0x20
> [    0.000000]  [<c0419e7c>] pat_init+0x7c/0xa0
> [    0.000000]  [<c040e43c>] post_set+0x1c/0x50
> [    0.000000]  [<c0426f5d>] release_console_sem+0x18d/0x1c0
> [    0.000000]  [<c040ea8c>] generic_get_mtrr+0x11c/0x130
> [    0.000000]  [<c0712eda>] mtrr_trim_uncached_memory+0x7a/0x330
> [    0.000000]  [<c042750b>] printk+0x1b/0x20
> [    0.000000]  [<c070fd45>] e820_end_pfn+0xc5/0xf0
> [    0.000000]  [<c070e120>] setup_arch+0x420/0xb60
> [    0.000000]  [<c071126b>] reserve_early_overlap_ok+0x4b/0x60
> [    0.000000]  [<c07079c8>] start_kernel+0x58/0x2e0
> [    0.000000] ---[ end trace 4eaa2a86a8e2da22 ]---
> 
> What it seems to be is useless noise, and only ASUS knows if it will be fixed.  
> As for reporting this to ASUS, has anyone a contact address?, their website 
> has none that works.

Well, as it says it's a BIOS bug.. and potentially a rather serious one, 
since bad MTRR settings can slow your system to a crawl by preventing 
proper caching or prevent all RAM from being used properly. The code 
that produces the warning fixes up the damage for you.

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