2.4 kernel hangs on 486 machine at boot

["Vik Heyndrickx" <vik.heyndrickx@pandora.be>]

Hello,

Problem: Linux kernel 2.4 consistently hangs at boot on 486 machine

Shortly after lilo starts the kernel it hangs at the following message:
Checking if this processor honours the WP bit even in supervisor mode...
<blinking cursor>

I experience this problem on a VLB AMD 486 DX/2-66 system. This machine ran
all kernels up to 2.2.18 without any problem (it still does).

This 2.4 kernel runs fine on a Pentium, Pentium II and even on a _386DX_
(!!!), but not on my 486 machine (which I am using as a router, and I
thought: let's try the netfilter/iptables feature :) on it).

I tried both the precompiled 2.4 kernels from the Redhat linux releases and
betas, and a couple of self-compiled stock kernels (2.4.0 and 2.4.2) from
ftp://ftp.kernel.org/

Anyway I find it obvious that the kernel hangs only on 486's (and probably
not all of them), so it must be a bug (can I call this an oops? ;-))
I'm not familiar enough with the kernel and protected mode x86 asm to
correct this problem myself, but if anyone would know what may be causing
this (probably in arch/i386/mm/init.c) I can rebuild, install and test any
supplied patches (don't send entire precompiled kernels to me, please).

BTW Keep in mind that I'm not on any kernel related mailing list, but I like
to be informed.

Thanks & kind regards,

--
Vik