[Linux SMP FAQ] Info request for SMP PPC systems Linux support

[Linux SMP FAQ] Info request for SMP PPC systems Linux support

[David Mentr\'e]

[ as I'm not on this list, so please Cc: to me any answer. Thanks. ]

 Hello all LinuxPPC developpers,

I'm the maintainer of the Linux SMP FAQ (see pointer below if you want
to have a look). Right know, this FAQ is very x86 centric but I plan to
change that. Looking at linuxppc.org, it seems that :

 - support is beeing developed (by lead programmer Cort Dougan )for
   PowerSurge boards. This includes the UMAX s900.

 - support for SMP PowerMac is working.

So here are my questions :

 1. what is the current status of SMP support for LinuxPPC? any table? 

 2. is there any specific things to do to make a PPC SMP system?
    (kernel compilation, boot, etc.)

 3. is there a mailing-list I should subscribe to to have further info
    on this subject (i.e. SMP && PPC && Linux)?

 4. any bench result of SMP system?


Thanks in advance for any info/pointer,
Best Regards,
david
-- 
 David.Mentre@irisa.fr -- http://www.irisa.fr/prive/dmentre/
 Linux SMP FAQ: http://www.irisa.fr/prive/dmentre/smp-faq/
 Opinions expressed here are only mine.

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Re: [Linux SMP FAQ] Info request for SMP PPC systems Linux support

[Troy Benjegerdes]

On 6 Mar 1999, David Mentr\'e wrote:

> 
> [ as I'm not on this list, so please Cc: to me any answer. Thanks. ]
> 
>  Hello all LinuxPPC developpers,
> 
> I'm the maintainer of the Linux SMP FAQ (see pointer below if you want
> to have a look). Right know, this FAQ is very x86 centric but I plan to
> change that. Looking at linuxppc.org, it seems that :
> 
>  - support is beeing developed (by lead programmer Cort Dougan )for
>    PowerSurge boards. This includes the UMAX s900.
> 
>  - support for SMP PowerMac is working.

Let me add: 

Motorola MTX (and probably dual CPU MVME boards) have early (working)
support for SMP. Dual CPU have two 604e chips running at 300, 333, or 400
mhz, fyi.

Support for the MTX isn't fully complete, the MTX board I use is
reasonably stable. It will, however crash with more than 2 or 3 large
compiles running.

> So here are my questions :
> 
>  1. what is the current status of SMP support for LinuxPPC? any table? 
> 
>  2. is there any specific things to do to make a PPC SMP system?
>     (kernel compilation, boot, etc.)

PowerMac SMP is similiar to standard PowerMac. The MTX booting process is
somewhat involved, and the MTX SMP code is not in the mainline kernel yet.
 
>  3. is there a mailing-list I should subscribe to to have further info
>     on this subject (i.e. SMP && PPC && Linux)?
> 
>  4. any bench result of SMP system?

Do you have any suggested benchmarks?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Troy Benjegerdes    |       troy@microux.com     |    hozer@drgw.net   |
|    Unix is user friendly... You just have to be friendly to it first.  |
| This message composed with 100% free software.    http://www.gnu.org   |
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Re: [Linux SMP FAQ] Info request for SMP PPC systems Linux support

[Paul Mackerras]

David Mentr\\'e <David.Mentre@irisa.fr> wrote:

> I'm the maintainer of the Linux SMP FAQ (see pointer below if you want
> to have a look). Right know, this FAQ is very x86 centric but I plan to
> change that. Looking at linuxppc.org, it seems that :
> 
>  - support is beeing developed (by lead programmer Cort Dougan )for
>    PowerSurge boards. This includes the UMAX s900.

Cort did the initial work to put in the SMP support, I've hacked on it
a bit too to get it working on my SMP powermac (a powermac 7600
upgraded with a dual-processor CPU card).

BTW, "lead programmer" is Cort's designation for himself.  As the
person who did most of the powermac port and is primarily responsible
for its maintenance, that seems a little grandiose to me.  Not that I
want to detract from Cort's enormous contribution, particularly in the
area of Linux for PReP and embedded systems.

>  2. is there any specific things to do to make a PPC SMP system?
>     (kernel compilation, boot, etc.)

Booting is the same as UP.  To compile a kernel, you have to select
CONFIG_SMP and `make clean', then make vmlinux.

If you want to be able to boot either an SMP or UP kernel, you have to
have a separate set of modules for each.  I do this by having
/lib/modules/2.2.2-UP and /lib/modules/2.2.2-SMP (for example) and the
startup scripts make /lib/modules/2.2.2 a symlink to one or the other,
depending on which kernel I have booted.

>  3. is there a mailing-list I should subscribe to to have further info
>     on this subject (i.e. SMP && PPC && Linux)?

There isn't any specific mailing list for SMP Linux/PPC, partly
because SMP PPC systems are rare - only the highest-end powermacs were
SMP, and there aren't any SMP powermacs being made by Apple at present
AFAIK.  There are PPC-based RS/6000 machines which are SMP but AFAIK
they are not supported by Linux/PPC currently.

>  4. any bench result of SMP system?

What would you like?  I could try an lmbench run.  It won't give
terribly impressive numbers on my SMP machine, though, since it's a >3
year old motherboard with a relatively slow memory system.  (In fact
my iMac running Linux/PPC can compile a kernel faster than my SMP
box. :-)

Paul.

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Re: [Linux SMP FAQ] Info request for SMP PPC systems Linux support

[Cort Dougan]

I don't recall describing myself as 'lead programmer'.  No need to ruffle
your feathers, Paul.

}BTW, "lead programmer" is Cort's designation for himself.  As the

The rs/6000's are chrp and aren't supported yet.  There are some early MTX
dual-processor patches but they're not in the main tree yet.

}AFAIK.  There are PPC-based RS/6000 machines which are SMP but AFAIK
}they are not supported by Linux/PPC currently.


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Re: [Linux SMP FAQ] Info request for SMP PPC systems Linux support

[Paul Mackerras]

Cort wrote:

> I don't recall describing myself as 'lead programmer'.  No need to ruffle
> your feathers, Paul.

http://linuxppc.cs.nmt.edu/, under the section headed "Contacts".  Or
does "lead programmer" refer to your position at NMT?  It's a bit
ambiguous maybe.

Paul.

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Re: [Linux SMP FAQ] Info request for SMP PPC systems Linux support

[Cort Dougan]

That section is quite outdated.  I fixed the reference.

}http://linuxppc.cs.nmt.edu/, under the section headed "Contacts".  Or
}does "lead programmer" refer to your position at NMT?  It's a bit


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Re: [Linux SMP FAQ] Info request for SMP PPC systems Linux support

[David Mentr\'e]

Cort, Paul and Troy, thanks for your answers. A (rather) short PPC
section has been added into the FAQ (v0.53). Let me know if you have
further info.

  http://www.irisa.fr/prive/dmentre/smp-faq/smp-faq-6.html

Regards,
d.
-- 
 David.Mentre@irisa.fr -- http://www.irisa.fr/prive/dmentre/
 Linux SMP FAQ: http://www.irisa.fr/prive/dmentre/smp-faq/
 Opinions expressed here are only mine.

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