From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.0 (2014-02-07) on aws-us-west-2-korg-lkml-1.web.codeaurora.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-12.7 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_00, HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,INCLUDES_PATCH,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,SIGNED_OFF_BY, SPF_HELO_NONE,SPF_PASS,URIBL_BLOCKED,USER_AGENT_GIT autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.0 Received: from mail.kernel.org (mail.kernel.org [198.145.29.99]) by smtp.lore.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 69664C2D0E4 for ; Thu, 12 Nov 2020 17:59:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: from vger.kernel.org (vger.kernel.org [23.128.96.18]) by mail.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 18AB421D91 for ; Thu, 12 Nov 2020 17:59:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1726569AbgKLR7S (ORCPT ); Thu, 12 Nov 2020 12:59:18 -0500 Received: from lindbergh.monkeyblade.net ([23.128.96.19]:35152 "EHLO lindbergh.monkeyblade.net" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1726557AbgKLR7S (ORCPT ); Thu, 12 Nov 2020 12:59:18 -0500 Received: from wp530.webpack.hosteurope.de (wp530.webpack.hosteurope.de [IPv6:2a01:488:42:1000:50ed:8234::]) by lindbergh.monkeyblade.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 10252C0613D1; Thu, 12 Nov 2020 09:59:18 -0800 (PST) Received: from ip4d145e30.dynamic.kabel-deutschland.de ([77.20.94.48] helo=truhe.fritz.box); authenticated by wp530.webpack.hosteurope.de running ExIM with esmtpsa (TLS1.3:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) id 1kdGsO-00070q-Od; Thu, 12 Nov 2020 18:59:16 +0100 From: Thorsten Leemhuis To: Jonathan Corbet Cc: Randy Dunlap , linux-doc@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: [RFC PATCH v2 13/26] docs: reporting-bugs: point out the environment might be causing issue Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2020 18:58:50 +0100 Message-Id: X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.28.0 In-Reply-To: References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-bounce-key: webpack.hosteurope.de;linux@leemhuis.info;1605203958;24c9afe5; X-HE-SMSGID: 1kdGsO-00070q-Od Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-doc@vger.kernel.org Help users to avoid a few pitfalls, as they might be the real reason why the kernel is acting up somehow. Signed-off-by: Thorsten Leemhuis --- Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst | 35 ++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 35 insertions(+) diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst index 5f6d3b2b55f9..234731cd0c78 100644 --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst @@ -624,6 +624,41 @@ module not part of the Linux kernel. That why your might need to uninstall the packages with such software to get rid of any 3rd party kernel module. +Ensure a healthy environment +---------------------------- + + *Make sure it's not the kernel's surroundings that are causing the issue + you face.* + +Problems that look a lot like a kernel issue are sometimes caused by build or +runtime environment. It's hard to rule out that problem completely, but you +should minimize it: + + * Use proven tools when building your kernel, as bugs in the compiler or the + binutils can cause the resulting kernel to misbehave. + + * Ensure your computer components run within their design specifications; + that's especially important for the main processor, the main memory, and the + motherboard. Therefore, stop undervolting or overclocking when facing a + potential kernel issue. + + * Try to make sure it's not faulty hardware that is causing your issue. Bad + main memory for example can result in a multitude of issues that will + manifest itself in problems looking like kernel issues. + + * If you're dealing with a filesystem issue, you might want to check the file + system in question with ``fsck``, as it might be damaged in a way that leads + to unexpected kernel behavior. + + * When dealing with a regression, make sure it's not something else that + changed in parallel to updating the kernel. The problem for example might be + caused by other software that was updated at the same time. It can also + happen that a hardware component coincidentally just broke when you rebooted + into a new kernel for the first time. Updating the systems BIOS or changing + something in the BIOS Setup can also lead to problems that on look a lot + like a kernel regression. + + .. ############################################################################ .. Temporary marker added while this document is rewritten. Sections above .. are new and dual-licensed under GPLv2+ and CC-BY 4.0, those below are old. -- 2.28.0