Issue with cpuidle on Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (Solved)

[HerrBert]

Hello everybody.

I recently adopted this one:

System: Host: puppypc18371 Kernel: 3.16.72 i686 (32 bit gcc: 4.8.2)
Desktop: JWM 2.3.2 dm: N/A Distro: Slacko Puppy 6.3.2
Machine: Device: desktop System: Dell product: OptiPlex 960
Mobo: Dell model: 0G261D v: A00 BIOS: Dell v: A03 date: 02/17/2009
Chassis: type: 15
CPU: Dual core Intel Core2 Duo E8400 (-MCP-) cache: 6144 KB
flags: (lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 11974
clock speeds: min/max: 2000/3000 MHz 1: 2000 MHz 2: 2000 MHz
Graphics: Card: Intel 4 Series Integrated Graphics Controller
bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:2e12
Display Server: X.org 1.14.3 driver: intel
tty size: 80x25 Advanced Data: N/A for root
Audio: Card Intel 82801JD/DO (ICH10 Family) HD Audio Controller
driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 chip-ID: 8086:3a6e
Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k3.16.72
Network: Card: Intel 82567LM-3 Gigabit Network Connection
driver: e1000e v: 2.3.2-k port: ecc0
bus-ID: 00:19.0 chip-ID: 8086:10de
IF: eth0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives: HDD Total Size: 160.0GB (3.6% used)
ID-1: /dev/sda model: WDC_WD1600AAJS size: 160.0GB serial: N/A
Partition: ID-1: swap-1 size: 4.29GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda4
RAID: System: supported: linear raid0 raid1 raid10 raid6 raid5 raid4
No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Unused Devices: none
Sensors: None detected - is lm-sensors installed and configured?
Info: Processes: 108 Uptime: 21 min Memory: 86.9/3883.4MB
Init: SysVinit v: N/A runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: N/A
Client: Shell (bash 4.2.532 running in urxvt) inxi: 2.3.8

Short story: Ordered at https://www.recycle-it.de/ (located in Germany)(Disclaimer: this is not aimed to be advertisement, just a place to save hardware from being landfill...)
My "new" Dell Optiplex 960 was delivered very well packed in about 4 days, cash on delivery.
It is just recycled - not refubished. In other words, it's tested and hdd is "shredded" (Logfile about deletion was added).
So before doing anything else i opened it and cleaned it. Just a little dust inside, not that much.

I had some trouble when setting up Puppy (slacko 5.7.0, 6.3.2, 700 RC3).
On first boots in PUPMODE=5 (liveboot), copying sfs's to ram was very slow. In X, also everything was very slow. glxgears showed a framerate at about 42 frames per second although intel driver was loaded and reported to use 1920x1080@60Hz.
Sysclock went out of synch nearly every time, when system was not used. I had no clue, what was going on.

Stumbled upon a message in /var/log/messages:

Code: Select all

tsc: Marking TSC unstable due to TSC halts in idle

Then found a message that says:

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intel_idle: does not run on family 6 model 23

But acpi_idle still seems to be active, as it's the fallback option for the kernel.
Did some search on these messages and found kernel command:

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cpuidle.off=1

Seems to solve most issues with latencies and (time-)freezes i have/had.

Still testing but ATM very impressed (until now i only had Intel Atom based Notebooks/Netbooks)

[bigpup]

With Puppy Linux you really need to try a few versions to find the one that is a good fit for your computer.
If you can run a very new or newer Puppy version. They do have the updated support files/programs modern browsers want to use.

I always tell people to start with the latest Puppy versions and work back to using older versions.
Slacko versions you list are old and a lot has changed in Puppy since they where released.
Intel graphics driver has much improvement in newer versions of Puppy.

I suggest to try using Bionicpup64 8.0 or one of the other newer Puppy versions listed in the Projects section of the forum.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/index. ... order=DESC

ScPup & ScPup64 - Slackware Current based Woof-CE pups
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=114980

Slow booting has a lot to do with what Puppy is on.
CD is slow
USB is faster ,but what type 1.0, 2.0, 3.0.
3.0 being fastest.
Hard drive is faster still.
SSD is really fast.

[bigpup]

If you know how to get around in the computers bios setup.
May want to check settings in it.
Maybe just reset the bios setup to default settings.

[HerrBert]

Hello bigpup.

Thank you for your reply, but it seems like someone renamed my post from

Post subject: Dell Optiplex 960
Subject description: Issue with Intel Core 2 Duo E8400

to

Post subject: Problems with Slacko in Dell Optiplex 960

(if moderators or administrators edit posts; they should leave a message saying what they altered and why)

Referring to this forums title

Hardware
What works, and doesn't, for you. Be specific, and please include Puppy version.

i posted that i had an issue with cpuidle on Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, just to let know what works, and doesn't, for me.

I don't think this is a problem solely with Slacko but with kernels.

As i said, i'm still testing, but so far kernel command-line parameter cpuidle.off=1 solves this issue.

[Flash]

HerrBert, I edited the title of your post because I thought it was too vague. The idea behind my editing the title of a post is to attract the attention of people who know enough about the problem to be of help, without wasting everyone's time reading the post to see what it's about.

I didn't have time to read the whole post so I scanned it and took a WAG. I got it wrong and I'm sorry about that. I think I fixed it now.

I have to edit so many vaguely titled posts that I don't have time to write a note explaining to everyone why I changed their title.

FWIW, the only time I change a post itself is to correct spelling or punctuation that I think might cause confusion.

[bigpup]

Every version of Puppy is using a different kernel and that kernel, could be compiled to have all kinds of settings, for how it supports the hardware.

You are assuming everything is working correctly with this specific CPU. Features of a CPU can go bad.
The CPU is still a piece of physical hardware.

but so far kernel command-line parameter cpuidle .off=1 solves this issue.

Well, if that fixes the problem, this computer may just need that parameter set in the boot command kernel line.

Check in the computers bios setup for any setting that deals with cpuidle or CPU settings.

Most Puppy versions have the CPU Frequency Scaling Tool.
This could affect this. What settings and governor are being used.