How do you make the computer more responsive??

houler · 04-10-2005, 11:32 PM

distro is slackware 10.1
kernel is 2.6.11.7

Laptop specs (not detailed):

Pentium 4 1.6Ghz
768MB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM
ATI mobility 7500
60GB 7200rpm 9mm Hard drive
logitech USB laptop mouse

I'm running Dropline Gnome's latest build. This all happens when Xorg is running. As there is no way to multiask effectively (compared to X11 and normal WIndows xp) when I'm on normal console mode.

Scenario:

Whenever I listen to music and browse the web, the music lags and the system stalls for like about 1 second at random intervals, especially when I move the mouse and not when I type. Also, when I copy semi-large files (50-300MB) the system becomes completely 'sluggish' (meaning some freezing until the files are copied either to another volume or another folder).

The laptop runs way more smoothly on Windows XP (dual boot). I don't get the symptoms above even when I have a 'buttload' of programs starting up at bootup and running.

Question is there a way to 'tweak' X11+gnome+kernel to get the performance that is on par with WindowsXP?

__J · 04-10-2005, 11:41 PM

sounds like you have ide drives without dma enabled. did you compile your own kernel or using the default?

houler · 04-10-2005, 11:43 PM

I compiled it myself (like friggin 15 times altogether, just to get it the way I want

).

What is that exact option I should set?

btw thanks for the really fast reply

houler · 04-10-2005, 11:47 PM

when I do make menuconfig

"Enable DMA only for disks' is allready enabled under ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support.

Here's the rest under ATA/ATAPI...

Code:

  │ │                            <*> ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support                                                                         │ │
  │ │                            <*>   Enhanced IDE/MFM/RLL disk/cdrom/tape/floppy support                                             │ │
  │ │                            ---     Please see Documentation/ide.txt for help/info on IDE drives                                  │ │
  │ │                            [ ]     Support for SATA (deprecated; conflicts with libata SATA driver)                              │ │
  │ │                            [ ]     Use old disk-only driver on primary interface                                                 │ │
  │ │                            <*>     Include IDE/ATA-2 DISK support                                                                │ │
  │ │[*]       Use multi-mode by default                                                                   │ │
  │ │                            < >     PCMCIA IDE support                                                                            │ │
  │ │                            <*>     Include IDE/ATAPI CDROM support                                                               │ │
  │ │                            < >     Include IDE/ATAPI TAPE support (EXPERIMENTAL)                                                 │ │
  │ │                            < >     Include IDE/ATAPI FLOPPY support                                                              │ │
  │ │                            <M>     SCSI emulation support                                                                        │ │
  │ │                            [ ]     IDE Taskfile Access                                                                           │ │
  │ │                            ---     IDE chipset support/bugfixes                                                                  │ │
  │ │                            <*>     generic/default IDE chipset support                                                           │ │
  │ │[*]     CMD640 chipset bugfix/support                                                                 │ │
  │ │                            [ ]       CMD640 enhanced support                                                                     │ │
  │ │                            [ ]     PNP EIDE support                                                                              │ │
  │ │[*]     PCI IDE chipset support                                                                       │ │
  │ │[*]       Sharing PCI IDE interrupts support                                                          │ │
  │ │                            [ ]       Boot off-board chipsets first support                                                       │ │
  │ │                            <*>       Generic PCI IDE Chipset Support                                                             │ │
  │ │                            < >       OPTi 82C621 chipset enhanced support (EXPERIMENTAL)                                         │ │
  │ │                            <*>       RZ1000 chipset bugfix/support                                                               │ │
  │ │[*]       Generic PCI bus-master DMA support                                                          │ │
  │ │                            [ ]         Force enable legacy 2.0.X HOSTS to use DMA                                                │ │
  │ │[*]         Use PCI DMA by default when available                                                     │ │
  │ │[*]           Enable DMA only for disks

Shade · 04-10-2005, 11:59 PM

Need to make sure that support for your IDE interface is enabled and compiled in.
What does the command

Code:

hdparm /dev/hda

output, as root?

--Shade

houler · 04-11-2005, 12:03 AM

Here yah go, weird it says using_dma = 0, what the junk? Check out my make menuconfig 'options' above:

:

Code:

/dev/hda:
 multcount    = 16 (on)
 IO_support   =  0 (default 16-bit)
 unmaskirq    =  0 (off)
 using_dma    =  0 (off)
 keepsettings =  0 (off)
 readonly     =  0 (off)
 readahead    = 256 (on)
 geometry     = 16383/255/63, sectors = 60011642880, start = 0

Shade · 04-11-2005, 12:05 AM

Well, there you go. using_dma = 0 (off)

Try the command

Code:

hdparm -d1 -c1 /dev/hda

--Shade

houler · 04-11-2005, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shade
Well, there you go. using_dma = 0 (off)

Try the command

Code:

hdparm -d1 -c1 /dev/hda

--Shade

I get this:

Code:

/dev/hda:
 setting 32-bit IO_support flag to 1
 setting using_dma to 1 (on) 
 HDIO_SET_DMA failed: Operation not permitted
 IO_support   =  1 (32-bit)
 using_dma    =  0 (off)

Shade · 04-11-2005, 12:12 AM

Operation not permitted means that you don't have support for your IDE controller in the kernel. It's using generic IDE support, which doesn't know how to use your IDE controller to its full potential.

Post the output of the command:
lspci
and we'll have a look-see through menuconfig to enable support.

--Shade

houler · 04-11-2005, 12:13 AM

Here:

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82845 845 (Brookdale) Chipset Host Bridge (rev 04)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82845 845 (Brookdale) Chipset AGP Bridge (rev 04)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801CA/CAM USB (Hub #1) (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801CA/CAM USB (Hub #2) (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BAM/CAM PCI Bridge (rev 42)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801CAM ISA Bridge (LPC) (rev 02)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801CAM IDE U100 (rev 02)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801CA/CAM SMBus Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801CA/CAM AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.6 Modem: Intel Corp. 82801CA/CAM AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 02)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon Mobility M7 LW [Radeon Mobility 7500]
02:04.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB43AB22/A IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link)
02:06.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
02:07.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1410 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 01)

__J · 04-11-2005, 12:21 AM

in post #4, in that menu go down a bit further than "enable dma only for disks" and look for your ide chipset, enable it and recompile.

Shade · 04-11-2005, 12:25 AM

Try this setting

Code:

  < >         HPT36X/37X chipset support                            
  < >         National SCx200 chipset support                       
  <*>         Intel PIIXn chipsets support                               
  < >         NS87415 chipset support

That seems to be the closest thing.

--Shade

houler · 04-11-2005, 12:26 AM

Ok, bout to recompile my kernel right now.

(16th time in the past 4 day safter this)

Shade · 04-11-2005, 12:27 AM

Note that normally when you change just one thing in the kernel, (for instance, in this case), you can just recompile with

make bzImage

No need to make clean, or mrproper.
You can also skip the whole make modules && make modules_install, since the modules will remain unchanged.

Just copy the bzImage to /boot/whateveryounamedit and rerun lilo, you should be good to go on reboot.

--Shade

houler · 04-11-2005, 12:53 AM

Ok I just re-compiled and this is what I get when doing 'hdparm /dev/hda' as root:

Code:

/dev/hda:
 multcount    = 16 (on)
 IO_support   =  0 (default 16-bit)
 unmaskirq    =  0 (off)
 using_dma    =  1 (on)
 keepsettings =  0 (off)
 readonly     =  0 (off)
 readahead    = 256 (on)
 geometry     = 16383/255/63, sectors = 60011642880, start = 0

Ok DMA is on

.

What about the IO_Support = 16-bit? What perfomance gain would I get if i made that to 32-bit?
It seems that I have to 'hdparm -c1 /dev/hda' to get 32-bit everytime I reboot, do I have to add it to rc.local file to make it boot-up 32-bit next time?