Disk cache causes kernel panic on Linux

[Atro Tossavainen]

Hello,

I have the weirdest problem here. (I seem to have a lot of them.)

The Linux AFS client causes a kernel panic on one of our Linux computers
if disk cache is used, right at the time afsd loads.  Of course, using
memory cache instead provides a workaround, but then any cache corruption
problems can't be solved without a reboot.

The problem only appears on this one computer. All other Linux computers
with exactly the same software versions (AFS, Linux distro, kernel) work
fine.

The problem-causing computer is a Pentium III 1 GHz on an Intel 810
motherboard with 512 MB RAM and a 60 GB hard drive.  I've tried using
both an ext2fs and a reiserfs partition for the disk cache, with no
difference.  The AFS version that has displayed this problem is AFS
3.6 r2.0.  The Linux kernel version is 2.2.18.

I am aware that there are two AFS patch releases after the initial GA,
and am going to try them next.  But I haven't seen anybody else report
a problem like this on the info-afs and was wondering if anybody has
seen it before.

-- 
Atro Tossavainen (Mr.)               / The Institute of Biotechnology at
Systems Analyst, Techno-Amish &     / the University of Helsinki, Finland,
+358-9-19158939  UNIX Dinosaur     / employs me, but my opinions are my own.
< URL : http : / / www . iki . fi / atro . tossavainen / >