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Hope For Fixing Longstanding Linux I/O Wait Bug

Posted by samzenpus on from the patch-it-up dept.

DaGoodBoy writes "There has been a long standing performance bug in Linux since 2.6.18 that has been responsible for lagging interactivity and poor system performance across all architectures. It has been notoriously difficult to qualify and isolate, but in the last few days someone has finally gotten a repeatable test case! Turns out the problem may not even be disk related, since the test case triggers the bug only by transferring data either between two processes or threads. The test results are very revealing. The developer ran regressions all the way back to version 2.6.15 that demonstrate this bug has more than doubled the time to run the test in 2.6.28. Many, many people working at improving the desktop performance of Linux will be very happy to see this bug die. I know that I, personally, will find a way to send the guy that found this test case his beverage of choice in thanks. Please spread the word and bring some attention to this issue so we can get it fixed!"

10 of 180 comments (clear)

  1. Dang!! by camperdave · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dang! I was going for First Post, but my machine was stuck in some weird I/O wait state.

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  2. Is this bug currently affecting .... by whoever57 · · Score: 4, Funny

    bugzilla.kernel.org?

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    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    1. Re:Is this bug currently affecting .... by 2Bits · · Score: 3, Funny

      With the current response time, obviously, yes.

    2. Re:Is this bug currently affecting .... by ArsonSmith · · Score: 3, Funny

      Given enough eyeballs, all bug tracking software is fragile

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      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  3. Killing kernel.org server isn't very nice... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm sure kernel.org appreciates these links. Now instead of fixing the bug they're putting out fires in the data center...great job slashdot.

    1. Re:Killing kernel.org server isn't very nice... by statusbar · · Score: 4, Funny


      I'm sure kernel.org appreciates these links. Now instead of fixing the bug they're putting out fires in the data center...great job slashdot.

      Well, maybe the kernel developers or bugzilla developers could use the practice in making a reliable scalable system out of the systems that they design.

      --jeffk++

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  4. Windows Port? by Al+Al+Cool+J · · Score: 4, Funny

    If this get resolved is there any chance the fix could get ported to Windows? I just had my Dad's XP laptop completely freeze after I plugged in a bog-basic USB thumbdrive. The desktop sprang to life only after I unplugged it. I wish some of the AC Windows fanboys who were hassling me here last week were around to see it. "Ready for the desktop" my ass.

  5. Re:Just upgrade by martinw89 · · Score: 3, Funny

    OS not fast enough? Just upgrade your hardware components, preferably to a new, top-of-the-line system.

    Oh wait... that's the Windows way of doing things.

    Yeah, exactly, that's why volunteers have been hard at work to find and fix the (published, admitted) bug. Just like Win... Oh, wait.

  6. Re:Desktop??? by NormalVisual · · Score: 3, Funny

    not HAL-9000 intelligence, which would be bad for data anyway

    HAL-9K intelligence doesn't pose any problems to the data - it's the *operators* that need to be concerned, especially when giving the system instructions that could potentially conflict with each other.

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  7. Re:funny by iluvcapra · · Score: 3, Funny

    I trrrrrrrrrrrrrrranssssssssfer data betwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwween threads alllllll the time......

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    Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.