repeatable kernel freeze

[stan]

On Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:19:47 -0700
Joe Conway <mail at joeconway.com> wrote:

> I have had a problem with kernel freezes for several months.

A couple of versions of Fedora ago I started to have problems with
random freeze ups as well.  It seemed to be related to Firefox, but it
also happened at other times.  There was an acpi problem that people
were working on because it was causing similar behavior but the
solution to that didn't seem to fix my problem.

So, in desperation, I began compiling my own kernels.  I turned off
anything that my system didn't use (kernel debugging, smp, mdadm,
quotas, etc.), and changed option selections to the most real time I
could get.  I have not had *any* problems since. My system is rock
solid, and the kernel behavior is *snappy* on my old hardware.  I could
probably tune further, but I've started hitting variables that I'm not
sure of the meaning.

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Docs/CustomKernel?highlight=%28kernel%29|%28source%29

These instructions work to create RPMs that I then install.  I also
run dracut to create a custom initramfs for my system.

I would attach my config file to give you an idea but it is close to 50K
in size and so seems a little large to send to the list, and it is
probably irrelevant to your hardware.

I haven't tried a stock kernel for a long time, so maybe the problem is
gone now.  It is so easy to compile a kernel that is custom I just keep
doing it.  Because the config has turned off so much cruft I don't use,
it only takes about 10 to 15 minutes for the whole compile.

Just another possibility for you to consider.