I now am fairly certain that the problem (network stalls on multiprocessor systems) is not BP6 or NE2K-PCI specific. I found several postings which relate to similar problems on dissimilar hardware. Another interesting one is:
Re: PROBLEM : Networking stops working with kernel 2.4.0-test11
(http://www.mail-archive.com/linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org/msg18722.html)
"...I have an almos identical system as you, 2x200MMX motherboard (Gigabyte
586DX) also Voodoo3 (2000 pci) the same nic Realtek 8029AS, also a bt848
tv card, also SCSI (Aic-7880 onboard, but not used).
I have reported it some time ago, and now all I get with
2.4.0-test11-pre4 and I think a additional patch is NETDEV WATCHDOG:
eth0: transmit timed out, and something in the console about lost irq?
I can't reproduce it with a uniprocesor kernel, and I have a 3c503 card
wich uses the 8390 module, so I suppose that the problem it's not in the
8390, and it seems to be smp related...."
ne2k-pci freezes with APIC error on 2.4.0-testX SMP
(http://www.mail-archive.com/linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org/msg14468.html)
"...
When doing massive NFS transfers (2.4 machine as the client) on my SMP
box
(Abit BP6 2x celeronA 533mhz (non-overclocked) 64Mb ram, latest
apt-get-ed
debian woody) my ne2k-pci card (Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
RTL-8029(AS)
(rev 0)) suddenly stops working. test5 spits that in syslog:..."
More to be found when searching the archives. This problem has been around for
a long, long time (probably since the current level of apic-support was added,
somewhere around 2.3.1x?). It has been reported by several people, several
times. I feel like rigging every apic-related piece of code with a zillion
bells and printk's but that would surely only create more mayhem as this whole
thing seems to be timing-related...
Anyone got any idea's on how to tackle this? Anyone who is 'intimate with' the
apic-related code? It'll take me some time to dive into that part, so if there
is anyone who already has taken the plunge, do tell...
Cheers//Frank
[ who is still running apic-less, without problems [
--
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## o o\ / Frank de Lange \
}# \| / \
##---# _/ <Hacker for Hire> \
#### \ +31-320-252965 /
\ frank@unternet.org /
-------------------------
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et non datur, nondum habetur, quomodo habenda est." ]
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