large ramdisk based filesystem corruption in 2.4.18?

["Stonie R. Cooper" <stonie.cooper@planetarydata.com>]

I have an SMP, 2.4.18, system, with 1GB of RAM.

I initially started by trying to have a 750MB ramdisk for a virtual 
filesystem; I defined the size in the boot parm line via grub.

The dmesg output indicated each ramdisk would be 750MB, and when I do a 
mke2fs on /dev/ramdisk, it indicates it formats a 750MB ext2 file system, but 
when I try to mount, it says the partition has a bad block descriptor, or a 
non-supported filesystem.

I then made the ramdisk definition 512MB and reboot.  Again, mke2fs is 
successful, and formats a 512MB filesystem, but this time I am successful in 
mounting.  However, after creating a few files, I get write errors such as 
described by another developer:

"Somehow I have filled the /ramdisk partition.  The thing that confuses me is 
that a df -k shows:
/dev/ramdisk            507748    481538         0 100% /ramdisk
but a du -sk shows:
119666  ."

I worked with her, and we found no hidden files, and the manual count of 
adding up all the files on the file system was 120MB - even though the df 
reported 481MB.  We unmounted, did a new mke2fs on /dev/ramdisk, but this 
time, it wouldn't mount with the same errors as when I tried a 750MB ramdisk.

Rebooted, and redid the same 512MB ramdisk, but this time it mounted, and ran 
for almost a day before it gave the same conflicting information that it was 
full, even though the du -ks showed differently.  Ideas?
-- 
Stonie R. Cooper
Planetary Data, Incorporated
ph. (402) 782-6611