Re: IO-APIC on nforce2 [PATCH] + [PATCH] for nmi_debug=1 + [PATCH]

[Ross Dickson <ross@datscreative.com.au>]

Craig Bradney wrote

>Well.. 2.6.6 is released.. and THANK YOU Linus and all the patch 
> writers.. we have nforce2 fixes in the released kernel now. I'm just 
> waiting for a gentoo-dev-sources release now.. 
> 
>
>
>Craig 

MOMENT PLEASE.
ALMOST complete nforce2 support. Job not done yet.

Unfortunately 2.6.6 still has the old check_timer code which inhibits
nmi_watchdog=1 on all nforce2 from working by having timer_ack=1
when checking io-apic pit routing.

It is a hardware issue - NOT A BUGGY BIOS ISSUE inside the integrated 
nforce2 interrupt routing.

To my understanding IT WILL NEVER BE FIXED BY A BIOS REVISION and 
after reading the 8259 datasheets I think it is a mistake within the
existing code to have the timer_ack on there in the first place. 

I would still like to see Maciej's check_timer patch in the kernel. It was
pulled after only a single user mobo complaint was posted yet it helps
both nforce2 and ibm bios pc's. To my knowledge little effort was made
by that user to accomodate the patch - it was just outright pulled in spite
of its benefit to others?

Who do we ask to revisit this? Linus? the io-apic.c maintainer? or the one
user with a complaint?

That patch that was dropped by Linus? after appearing in 2.6.3-mm3. 
For those nforce2 users with problems of clock skew with the timer into pin0
routing, that patch gave a virtual wire timer routing which worked well.

It also works around serious problems for ibm users who also want it in.
http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/Kernel/2004-04/4421.html

Regards
Ross.