Kernel lockups during yum update on Rawhide SMP machine

[Art Haas]

Hi.

I've been having no luck with the post 2.6.17 Fedora kernels, as there
have been numerous glitches, hangs, etc. I know that some of these
problems have been fixed as the 2.6.18-rc kernels come out, plus various
RH/Fedora patches get fixed and/or applied, but I'm still being
regularly bitten by lockups during 'yum update'.

The machine is a SMP PIII machine using an Asus motherboard. The network
card uses the 8139too module, and the IDE controller is the PIIX4 type.
When I boot the machine off a FC5 install disk and use 'linux rescue', I
can do a chroot and update the machine without problem. Additionally,
I've built and installed the plain 2.6.18-rc3-git1 kernel and my
networking problems disappear. So, I believe there is a Fedora specific
bug tripping things up. Making the problem more vexing is that I can
usually get some network abilities wihtout problems when booting under
the Fedora kernel, such as updating my local git and kernel repos with
git, or updating GCC with Subversion. Running Firefox, however, will
also tend to induce the lockup.

It is in trying to debug this problem that I get stuck. A Bugzilla
report saying 'Kernel locks up during yum update' seems to me to be
essentially useless. When the machine locks up the magic-SysRq key
presses do nothing, so I can't provide some sort of info as to where
things went boom. If anyone on the list can provide some tips, pointers,
or other suggestions as to how to debug this to provide some useful info
for a Bugzilla report I would appreciate it greatly.

Aside from the kernel issue I've been having, the system has been
working relatively smoothly of late. The lockups are just the price
to be paid for running Rawhide, and eventually the culprit will be
found.

Art Haas
-- 
Man once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities
the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind.

-Thomas Jefferson to James Smith, 1822