[ltp] Linux kernel instability? (Rant/Panic/Cry-for-help!)

[linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org]

---- Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@hmh.eng.br> wrote: 
> On Mon, 29 Sep 2008, Shem Multinymous wrote:
> > On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 3:51 AM, Sebastian Geiger <sbastig@gmx.net> wrote:
> > > I have
> > > currently two kernels installed, the 2.6.25-1 and the 2.6.26 (both are
> > > tuxonice-sources on gentoo) if i boot the later one, suspend ceases working.
> > 
> > What exactly do you see when it fails?
> > 
> > This may be related to a problem I have:
> > 
> > Somewhere between circa 2.6.25.3 (plus then-current
> > thinkpad-acpi+TuxOnIce+linux_phc) and 2.6.25.13 (plus similar),
> > suspend-to-RAM stopped working reliably on my T43. Specifically, about
> > 1 time out of 4, resume from RAM hangs at a very early stage (the HDD
> > LED never turns up and nothing shows on screen except the textmode
> > cursor). I *think* it happens only when X was running at suspend time.
> > Hibernation worked fine the couple of times I used it.
> 
> I *think* around that time, there was a fix for S3 resume behaviour, and I
> *think* that made one of the previous ugly hacks from hell we used on the
> T43 a hindrance instead of a help.
> 
> That might well have been on 2.6.25.y, I will check my T43 when I am back at
> home and reply.  I never labelled it instability in my mind, because all it
> caused me was a slowdown that I quick fixed at the time.
> 
> Thanks for reminding me about this whole deal.  As I said, I will get back
> to you when I find out more of what I did that never make it a big deal for
> me.  *DO* note that I do NOT use Tux-on-Ice or PHC.

I have two A31s and one A31P plus a tall stack of hard drives for them.
I won't give space to any laptop that has a loud fan, a touch pad, or one that doesn't 
have a trackpoint.
So I guess that limits my choices.

I have tried many Linux versions on these and have only been able to
achieve a proper suspend on Ubuntu Edgy, never on any! version of Fedora.
All versions of Fedora will suspend but upon resuming there are missing or 
extra pixels which make the screen unreadable.
Once in a while they will resume properly but that is the exception not the rule.
Hibernate with Fedora 9 works perfectly every time.

Edgy would suspend fine as installed but later "upgrades" killed that completely.
Edgy was also the last version of Linux that would run gpsd.
Later versions of Ubuntu start to suspend, the backllight goes out for a second or
so and then comes back on.
Then if I let the laptop sit for more that an hour or so it will be locked  up tighter 
than a nun's knickers. 

I have tried many different types of wireless cards in these with no real differences.

I guess that the answer to this is "Linux giveth and Linux taketh away"
This is still a far cry better than that other (BS OS) since there after either 
suspend or hibernate I have to jump though acres of hoops to get the (WPA-PSK)
wireless back up.

> 
> -- 
>   "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
>   them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
>   where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
>   Henrique Holschuh
> -- 
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