Hi all,

I'm installing SuSE 9.3 in 64-bit mode on a MSI K8N nForce4 SLI equipped with an AMD X2 Dual Core and 3.4GB of recognized RAM (latest MSI BIOS flash update). Main drive is IDE, 160 GB. Graphic card is Nvidia 6600 PCI express.

Installation is going just fine but when the machine reboots the kernel panics like this:

Pid: 1, comm: swapper Not tainted 2.6.11.4-20a-smp
[... more lines... ]
console shuts up...
Kernel panic: - not syncing: Aieee, killing interrupt handler.


Anyone has an idea of what's going on ?

I have the same motherboard but Athlon 3500+ 64bit, and everything worked fine, better than windows 64bit.
By the way Windows 64bit didn't recognized on board network card even with 64bit driver, suse 9.3 did it. Well done Linux

The CPU differs quite a lot. We have the same board, but I have two processors in one and this certainly implies a lot of hardware stuff on the mobo.

SuSE support (I've paid for 9.3 after all) told me that there's likely a timing problem with the APIC and to verify APIC timings in the BIOS.

Curiously, MSI is now running an offer to send in the board and they'll upgrade it for the AMD X2 Dual Core and the new GeForce series 7. Why not then ? I'll send it to them and we'll see. Check out the MSI web site if you're interested in the upgrade. It's good only for USA & Canada.

Cheers.

Update:

Following a link on SuSE-AMD64 I can boot 64-bit if I specified during installation configuration a normal plain kernel instead of the smp one chosen by default.

To do that, choose all your software first, then do a search for 'kernel' and then click off (there'll be some warnings) the smp kernel and smp other modules and click on th default kernel and the default other modules. Be aware that if you make changes to your main selection of packages it could very well be that the smp kernel is again chosen by YaST. So pick the kernel as the last step in your choice of packages.

Then you can boot 64-bit. I still have a network configuration issue so I can't retrieve at the moment the YaST updates and hopefully the true 64-bit smp kernel for the AMD X2 Dual Core. I#m copying the nforce update on a CD so I can transfer it to the 64-bit machine and update the network stuff.

Cheers.

I have been having this problem for several weeks now!!!!

I build a new machine around a Shuttle SN95G5V3 case, nForce3 motherboard and a AMD 4400+ Dual Core processor. I use Suse 9.3 and have exactly the same problem as you! Nobody would help me with this on four forums. I think I must have been the first ever to load Suse 9.3 on a Dual Core, and you must be the second.

I suspect, the bios' are not quite up todate. I heard from a guy who knows a guy (yeah, it's that reliable) that dual 64 smp won't be ready for a year. That left me chewing on the edge of my computer case, let me tell you.

When I get back from this business trip, I am going to try a couple things:

1) I am going to buy XP 64 and see if it installs SMP mode
2) I am going to download Gentoo. They seem to have a lot of good directions on stuff like this. If Gentoo works in dualcore 64 bits, then it's just a matter of waiting till Suse fixes it.

BTW, to let you know some other stuff. The nForce Audio driver is OSS only, not ALSA. I am not sure if it matters, but you might want to stick with the generic intel810 driver that Suse forces on you.

32-bit dualcore smp works fine, btw. I am using that right now to improve my multi tasking. I plan to benchmarch some of the things I do (like encoding) in 32 bit single core and 64 bit single core to see if 64 bit is actually much faster. If it's not, I'll stay 32 bit SMP for a while, which should be faster than 64 bit SMP.

Finally, totally off topic, I am sure you already know this, but if you want to play DVDs in Suse, you need to add some stuff. I found that the site:

http://packman.links2linux.com/ really helps me find packages for 64 and 32 bit Suse 9.3.

PHEW! I was so relieved to find a fellow sufferer, I went a little overboard. ANyways, please let me know if you solve the 64 bit SMP issue! I'll do the same.

Steve

Thanks for the reply. Indeed it seems not many people can help on this topic. Since I did pay for SuSE 9.3 I did contact SuSE for support. Someone replied that likely there's something wrong witht he APIC timings of the motherboard that prevents the regular X86_64 SMP SuSE kernel from loading. Then someone pointed out to me a reply from a guy working for SuSE:

http://lists.suse.com/archive/suse-a...-Jul/0206.html

Replies in which he states that the solution is to manually choose the default X86_64 kernel upon installation and then install the X86_64 smp kernel afterwards. The first part works quite nicely. After choosing all the packages you want, you then find the kernel packages and unselect the smp kernel (there'll be some warnings) and then select the default kernel and default non-gpl modules. This will install a SuSE 9.3 system operating in 64-bit mode, which is quite nice.

I'm having some difficulties with the second part, i.e. installing the smp kernel. On the SuSE/Novell site opensuse.org there's a X86_64 'Kernel of the Day' which I've downloaded. There's also a need for a irqbalance package but I haven"t found any except the one given with 9.3, so I've installed it. Then I installed the two kernel packages. Upon reboot the hda drive was not found. So that's not how to do it ;-)

I'm new to SuSE so I don't know the procedure to replace the kernel. When I'll know that I expect the system will run a X86_64 smp kernel just fine.

And then, there's something else. MSI is running a campaign presently in which they want customers to send them their MSI Neo4 SLI mobos so that they can't do 'something' that will make them AMD X2 and GeForce 7 series compatible. I will send them my board. Upon return perhaps SuSE 9.3 will install perfectly right fromt he DVD, who knows ? In any case I'll be trying the first approach as a backup.

Cheers.

I can't help solve your problem I'm afraid, but I have a question you should be able to answer: is SuSE 9.3 running 64 bit noticably faster than SuSE 9.3 running 32 bit? I really like SuSE (running 9.3 now) but you pay for its stability and package selection with its slower speed. SuSE is without doubt the SLOWEST linux distro I have used in the last year. On my 3 GHz P4 with 1G RAM and a 7200 RPM hard drive, SuSE 9.3 takes just about 62 seconds to boot to the login prompt, and another 25 s or so to get from there to a fully loaded KDE desktop. This is annoying, but not enough to cause me to stop using SuSE. I have used a bunch of distros over the last year, having "cut my teeth" in the linux world on SuSE 9.0. SuSE 9.3 feels like "coming home" - it is familiar, comfortable, very stable, and offers everything I am looking for from a package selection perspective. I just wish it booted faster!

So, if I upgrade to an Athlon 64 and run in 64 bit mode, will I notice a big change in boot time and or overall system responsiveness? Thanks!

I got a list of things to try (without directions how) and APIC was on it somewhere. I'll have to re-read. Sadly, I am 1500 miles from home for three weeks, so I can't co-try anything with you.

Good to know. I hadn't run across that site yet. I'll try it.

I learned how to recompile the kernel JUST for this problem. That is how I install a new kernel. I download the tarball from kernel.org and recompile it. I'll check out the kernel you mentioned above.

Are you new to Suse or new to Linux? I can explain how to recompile the kernel if you need it. However, so far that hasn't solved my probs. So maybe I shouldn't.

SONOVA..!! Are you SERIOUS? "Hi, we sold you a product, and we are sorry it doesn't work. Just send it back and we'll deal with it"?!?! HolY! How many times have I wished this. I wish Shuttle had this program. MSI, huh? Maybe I need TWO x86_64 machines, you know, just to be sure.....

I got a list of things to try (without directions how) and APIC was on it somewhere. I'll have to re-read. Sadly, I am 1500 miles from home for three weeks, so I can't co-try anything with you.

Good to know. I hadn't run across that site yet. I'll try it. *EDIT* I can't find the kernel of the day. On the download page, there seem only to be full releases. Can you post a link?

I learned how to recompile the kernel JUST for this problem. That is how I install a new kernel. I download the tarball from kernel.org and recompile it. I'll check out the kernel you mentioned above.

Are you new to Suse or new to Linux? I can explain how to recompile the kernel if you need it. However, so far that hasn't solved my probs. So maybe I shouldn't.

SONOVA..!! Are you SERIOUS? "Hi, we sold you a product, and we are sorry it doesn't work. Just send it back and we'll deal with it"?!?! HolY! How many times have I wished this. I wish Shuttle had this program. MSI, huh? Maybe I need TWO x86_64 machines, you know, just to be sure.....

First a description of the system:

MSI Neo4 K8N SLI board with AMD X2 Dual Core (the one with 512 K) CPU and 3.4 GB RAM.

From the very first SuSE screen it takes 60 seconds to boot to an operational KDE system. To that you have to deduct the 6 or 7 seconds standard waiting time when the very first boot menu is shown. So make it something like 54 seconds total time to have a KDE sytem (excluding BIOS and hardware RAID boot time).

I still have to run a standard kernel-compiling time test but the feel of the machine is fast.

And this is without the smp kernel. What will happen when there'll be 2 recognized CPUs at it ? I don't know but am certainly looking forward to it.

I think RAM plays a role in standard operation speed and this is why I spent the extra. I have the impression that a kernel compile is much faster using 4 GB of RAM than with 1 GB using same processors.

Yeah, it's indeed not that clear. You have to click on YaST package repositories. Here's the link:

http://opensuse.org/index.php/YaST_package_repository

No, I'm not new to Linux. I've been running systems I've made (following Linux From Scratch method) since quite a few years, privately and professionally, and now I'm back with a distro - SuSE 9.3 - for a little while, to explore. To see in which state a well-known Linux distro is, what services they offer, etc... My systems were so far 2.4-based and I'm preparing a new one on the 'new' kernels. When I say prepare I mean to do all the extra steps that are not included in LFS and that I've automated through time. My installation system is script-based but I'm moving parts to Perl now. I still don't have a package-oriented approach (as in easy binary upgrades) but I'm really considering the use of the file system as package manager like GoboLinux does and the epckg (or somesuch name) packager does.

This being said, when I use (and pay !) for a distro I expect it to have fully automated tools for all installation needs and at least a good description of what to manually do for exceptional cases such as replacing the kernel out of the automated way. As I've said, I tried simply installing the irqbalance and new smp kernel packages over the 2.6 X86_64 kernel but that does not work. I could fiddle with it more and eventually make it work, but that's not my intent when using a distro (and I don't have that much time either). So I wrote to Novell for support ;-)

But if you have any hint, don't hesitate ! I think I have to build an initrd, but I'm not sure.

Cheers.

Forgot about that...

Kinda cool, eh ? That's the actual offer:

http://www.msicomputer.com/msiapps/SLICampaign.aspx

Customers just have to enter the serial number to see if it's OK. If so, they'll get assigned an update case number and I guess someone at MSI starts to wait for the mobo to arrive.

Cheers.

Linux From Scratch? Sounds in depth.

I don't think I am quite there yet.

Yes, I agree that when you pay for a distribution, you expect certain things. Thus far, I have been very happy with Suse. This is the worst time I have had. However, I think it is merely bleeding edge growing pains. Not know knowing my APIC from my initrd isn't helping either.

Linux From Scratch? Sounds in depth.

I don't think I am quite there yet.

Yes, I agree that when you pay for a distribution, you expect certain things. Thus far, I have been very happy with Suse. This is the worst time I have had. However, I think it is merely bleeding edge growing pains. Not know knowing my APIC from my initrd isn't helping either.

Bah, nothing much. Just compile using an extra small partition everything that makes a small Linux system and then you boot this partition, basically. Of course, there are some details here and there... But the HTML book is really well made and then once you get this basic system running you can go forward with Beyond Linux From Scratch, in which you get to add all those funny things like an X server, networking apps, all those libraries, security stuff, Gnome, KDE, and why not, you can compile your own Firefox and Open Office (which I did not - in fact, I did not ever compile Gnome or KDE. I'm used to WindowMaker and now with SuSE 9.3 I experience temporarily some eye candy stuff with KDE, all fine, but I tend to prefer simpler things). There's a LFS forum right here on LinuxQuestions. So I'm looking forward to eventually build my own smp X86_64 Linux system. This knowledge is useful if you work in embedded or dedicated projects.

If you just want to take a look :

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

Cheers.