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Date:      Fri, 8 Jan 2016 09:07:05 -0500
From:      Paul Mather <paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu>
To:        Mark Millard <markmi@dsl-only.net>
Cc:        Hans Petter Selasky <hps@selasky.org>, Ian Lepore <ian@freebsd.org>, Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com>, freebsd-arm <freebsd-arm@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: FYI: various 11.0-CURRENT -r293227 (and older) hangs on arm (rpi2): a description of sorts
Message-ID:  <4F6FE513-088A-4B0F-9838-85A896758C13@gromit.dlib.vt.edu>
In-Reply-To: <5D7C239F-6D43-4C7A-B7F2-88E7488418B2@dsl-only.net>
References:  <E0379BE9-308A-4219-A8AE-A5FFE828BA93@dsl-only.net> <1452183170.1215.4.camel@freebsd.org> <FB0D5486-AD27-44A7-86CA-68989AE08EC7@dsl-only.net> <1452196099.1215.12.camel@freebsd.org> <568EC4D8.7010106@selasky.org> <8B728C93-9C90-4821-A607-5D157F028812@dsl-only.net> <568ED810.8010309@selasky.org> <568ED92C.9070602@selasky.org> <B7E8D0FD-B3A9-40DF-B0ED-9D3041F8B2A2@dsl-only.net> <D44C4EF3-0976-45E7-944A-A8F23D3D89BF@dsl-only.net> <CANCZdfqGUJ19Gbu=ermSGh1LJ5N9OPEyRYH9kPEAoaUmTuObdw@mail.gmail.com> <97E0840E-987C-4893-9E63-EA51741CFC75@dsl-only.net> <5D7C239F-6D43-4C7A-B7F2-88E7488418B2@dsl-only.net>

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On Jan 8, 2016, at 12:49 AM, Mark Millard <markmi@dsl-only.net> wrote:

> Top post of a major conclusion:
>=20
> I have isolated a working vs. failing context for the hangs issue:
> (Note that everything for world and ports and such is on the SSD root =
partition in my examples.)
>=20
> A) Using a swap file on the root partition as the swap space leads to =
hangs when the space gets sufficient activity
>=20
> vs.
>=20
> B) Using a swap partition as the swap space works without hangs
>=20
> It is the same SSD as before both ways. (I had to dump, repartition, =
restore since I'd not provided space for a swap partition earlier.)
>=20
> A swap partition on the sdcard as the swap space also works.
>=20
>=20
> So it appears there is a problem with using swapfiles --at least when =
they are on otherwise sometimes-also-busy file systems but possibly more =
generally. (As the SSD has a USB SSD interface to the RPI2, swapfiles do =
not provide trim support any more than swap partitions would.)
>=20
> The SSD is likely noticeably faster in various respects and so may be =
more of a challenge for swapfile handling in some way (via extra =
file-system/IO/resource load with less time between various activities), =
at least on rpi2's.


This meshes with recent experience I have been having with CURRENT on a =
BeagleBone Black.  I use a swapfile on the SD card (which also hosts all =
the OS file systems) and the system would regularly lock up, with GEOM =
complaining on the console about I/O errors to the mmcsd0 device.

In the past, too, I have experienced panics (on all my arm systems) when =
the system attempts to page in from swap.

For now, on the BeagleBone Black, I have attached an external USB hard =
drive and am using a swap partition on there to see if it "solves" the =
swap problem.  The good news is that it hasn't locked up so far.  =
(Usually, the nightly periodic jobs are enough to provoke the problem.)

It's good to hear, though, that a swap partition on the SD card also =
works in your testing.  I will try that next.

Cheers,

Paul.




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