Re: 8139too: defunct threads

["Manfred Spraul" <manfred@colorfullife.com>]

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>> Ah. Of course. All (or most) kernel initialisation is
>> done by PID 1. Search for "kernel_thread" in init/main.c
>>
>> So it seems that in your setup, process 1 is not reaping
>> children, which is why this hasn't been reported before.
>> Is there something unusual about your setup?

> I found the difference which causes this. If I build my kernel with
> IP_PNP (IP: kernel level autoconfiguration) support I get a defunt
> thread for each 8139too device. If I don't build with IP_PNP
> support I don't get any, defunct ethernet threads.

Does init(8) reap children that died before it was spawned? I assume
that the defunct tasks were there _before_ init was spawned.

Perhaps init() [in linux/init/main.c] should reap all defunct tasks
before the execve("/sbin/init").

I've attached an untested patch, could you try it?

--
    Manfred


[-- Attachment #2: patch-main.dat --]
[-- Type: application/octet-stream, Size: 423 bytes --]

--- main.c	Fri Mar 30 15:42:49 2001
+++ /pub/home/manfred/main.c	Sat Apr 14 15:56:26 2001
@@ -777,6 +777,13 @@
 
 	(void) dup(0);
 	(void) dup(0);
+
+	while (waitpid(-1, (unsigned int *)0, __WALL|WNOHANG) > 0)
+		;
+	spin_lock_irq(&current->sigmask_lock);
+	flush_signals(curtask);
+	recalc_sigpending(curtask);
+	spin_lock_irq(&current->sigmask_lock);
 	
 	/*
 	 * We try each of these until one succeeds.