linux-kernel - Re: 2.6.19 file content corruption on ext3

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]

Message-ID: <20061228180536.GB7385@torres.zugschlus.de>
Date:	Thu, 28 Dec 2006 19:05:36 +0100
From:	Marc Haber <mh+linux-kernel@...schlus.de>
To:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...l.org>,
	Nick Piggin <nickpiggin@...oo.com.au>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...l.org>, andrei.popa@...eo.ro,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Peter Zijlstra <a.p.zijlstra@...llo.nl>,
	Hugh Dickins <hugh@...itas.com>,
	Florian Weimer <fw@...eb.enyo.de>,
	Martin Michlmayr <tbm@...ius.com>
Subject: Re: 2.6.19 file content corruption on ext3

On Tue, Dec 19, 2006 at 09:51:49AM +0100, Marc Haber wrote:
> On Sun, Dec 17, 2006 at 09:43:08PM -0800, Andrew Morton wrote:
> > Six hours here of fsx-linux plus high memory pressure on SMP on 1k
> > blocksize ext3, mainline.  Zero failures.  It's unlikely that this testing
> > would pass, yet people running normal workloads are able to easily trigger
> > failures.  I suspect we're looking in the wrong place.
> 
> I do not have a clue about memory management at all, but is it
> possible that you're testing on a box with too much memory? My box has
> only 256 MB, and I used to use mutt with a _huge_ inbox with mutt
> taking somewhat 150 MB. Add spamassassin and a reasonably busy mail
> server, and the box used to be like 150 MB in swap.
> 
> I have tidied my inbox in the mean time and mutt's memory requirement
> has been reduced to somewhat 30 MB, which might be the cause that I
> don't see the issue that often any more.

After being up for ten days, I have now encountered the file
corruption of pkgcache.bin for the first time again. The 256 MB i386
box is like 26M in swap, is under very moderate load.

I am running plain vanilla 2.6.19.1. Is there a patch that I should
apply against 2.6.19.1 that would help in debugging?

Greetings
Marc

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc Haber         | "I don't trust Computers. They | Mailadresse im Header
Mannheim, Germany  |  lose things."    Winona Ryder | Fon: *49 621 72739834
Nordisch by Nature |  How to make an American Quilt | Fax: *49 621 72739835
-
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/