linux-kernel - Re: Regression from 3.4.9 to 3.4.16 "stable" kernel

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:53:06 -0400
From:	Mark Lord <kernel@...savvy.com>
To:	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
CC:	Jacob Shin <jacob.shin@....com>,
	Ben Hutchings <ben@...adent.org.uk>,
	Yinghai Lu <yinghai@...nel.org>, Willy Tarreau <w@....eu>,
	stable@...r.kernel.org,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Linux Kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...ux.intel.com>
Subject: Re: Regression from 3.4.9 to 3.4.16 "stable" kernel

On 12-10-29 07:03 PM, Greg Kroah-Hartman wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 07:00:54PM -0400, Mark Lord wrote:
>> There's something else very wrong when going from 3.4.9 to 3.4.16.
>> I've done it on two machines here, one the AMD-450 server (64-bit),
>> and the other my main notebook (Core2duo 32-bit-PAE).
>>
>> Both systems feel much more sluggish than usual with 3.4.16 running.
>> Reverted them both back to earlier kernels (3.4.9, 3.4.4-PAE),
>> and the usual responsive feel has returned.
>>
>> Vague, I know, but something bad happened in there somewhere.
> 
> That's too vague for me to do anything with, sorry.  Bisection would be
> good if you can figure out how to measure this.

Well, I'd bet Donkeys to Daises that reverting the kernel/sched.c changes
will probably fix the responsiveness, but I haven't done that yet.
I've lost enough time already debugging the other issues.

This is more just an indication that perhaps -stable patches need better review
than they're getting.  Take the setup.c breakage: as soon as I pointed it out,
a few people jumped in with knowledge that it was broken, and that patches
existed to fix it.

That kind of thing should be happening before a -stable release,
though I don't know how you would get the Right People to look
at this stuff then rather than after the fact.  Maybe a topic
for a future kernel summit or something.

Best wishes.
-ml

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/