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Old 05-01-2007, 07:42 PM   #1
AtomicAmish
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/var/log/messages: "Use a HIGHMEM enabled kernel"


Are there pre-compiled kernels for memories over 1 G?

I'm using a system with over 1 G of memory, running Etch, and I'm looking for a way to use all my physical memory.

I understand I could enable highmem and re-compile the kernel, but I'm hoping there are other options. Are there?
 
Old 05-01-2007, 08:01 PM   #2
Dutch Master
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IIRC the standard Etch kernel is already HIGHMEM enabled. I happen to have 1 GB RAM also (2x 512 MB) but it shows up as 1 GB perfectly. Open a rootterminal (or issue the su command in a normal terminal) and issue the command
Code:
cat /proc/meminfo | grep MemTotal
This gives you the total of installed RAM in your system. If you omit the pipe you'll get info on all memory in the system.
 
Old 05-01-2007, 08:17 PM   #3
AtomicAmish
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Quote:
localhost:/# cat /proc/meminfo | grep MemTotal
MemTotal: 906792 kB
free told me I had only the 906792 kB, so I knew it wasn't enabled. I have 512 MB plus a 1GB I installed last week. At the time, Fedora showed 1.4 GB total. It's shared with the video RAM.

This was the default on the net install.

These lines were in /var/log/messages:
Quote:
Apr 24 21:15:02 localhost kernel: Warning only 896MB will be used.
Apr 24 21:15:02 localhost kernel: Use a HIGHMEM enabled kernel.
Apr 24 21:15:02 localhost kernel: 896MB LOWMEM available.

Last edited by AtomicAmish; 05-01-2007 at 08:18 PM.
 
Old 05-01-2007, 08:36 PM   #4
Dutch Master
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Found it: linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem Install with apt or aptitude:
Code:
apt-get install linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem
 
Old 05-01-2007, 08:52 PM   #5
AtomicAmish
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Excellent, Dutch Master. I appreciate your help.

It gave errors, and doesn't look like it's installed.

Quote:
localhost:/# apt-get install linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem
Suggested packages:
linux-doc-2.6.18
The following NEW packages will be installed:
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 16.4MB of archives.
After unpacking 51.4MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
Get:1 http://distro.ibiblio.org etch/main linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem 2.6.18.dfsg.1-12 [16.4MB]
Get:2 http://distro.ibiblio.org etch/main linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem 2.6.18+6 [2062B]
Fetched 16.4MB in 4m32s (60.1kB/s)
Preconfiguring packages ...
Selecting previously deselected package linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem.
(Reading database ... 73964 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (from .../linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem_2.6.18.dfsg.1-12_i386.deb) ...
Could not find /usr/sbin/yaird. at /var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst line 238, <STDIN> line 9.
Done.
Selecting previously deselected package linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem.
Unpacking linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem (from .../linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem_2.6.18+6_i386.deb) ...
Setting up linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (2.6.18.dfsg.1-12) ...

Hmm. The package shipped with a symbolic link /lib/modules/2.6.18-4-686-bigmem/source
However, I can not read the target: No such file or directory
Therefore, I am deleting /lib/modules/2.6.18-4-686-bigmem/source

Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Failed to find suitable ramdisk generation tool for kernel version
2.6.18-4-686-bigmem on running kernel 2.6.18-4-486 in /usr/sbin/yaird
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (--configure):
subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 9
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem:
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem depends on linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem; however:
Package linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
Apparently, it's missing the source package?

Last edited by AtomicAmish; 05-01-2007 at 08:55 PM.
 
Old 05-01-2007, 09:00 PM   #6
Dutch Master
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You'll need the tools to create a initrd image. The initrd tools have been evolved to cramfs. The package you'll need is called cramfsprogs, install it as you tried the linux-image. Actually, you could install both at the same time, just add the cramfsprogs to the line:
Code:
apt-get install cramfsprogs linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem
This will install both the tool and kernel
 
Old 05-01-2007, 09:09 PM   #7
AtomicAmish
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This returns similar messages:

Quote:
localhost:/# apt-get install cramfsprogs linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
cramfsprogs is already the newest version.
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
2 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (2.6.18.dfsg.1-12) ...
Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Failed to find suitable ramdisk generation tool for kernel version
2.6.18-4-686-bigmem on running kernel 2.6.18-4-486 in /usr/sbin/yaird
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (--configure):
subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 9
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem:
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem depends on linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem; however:
Package linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Last edited by AtomicAmish; 05-01-2007 at 09:10 PM.
 
Old 05-01-2007, 10:25 PM   #8
JackieBrown
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Do you have yaird installed? If so remove it and install initramfs-tools (which I thought was the default tool.)

You might have a problem since apt if trying to complete your last request first.

If so then grab it from http://packages.debian.org/cgi-bin/d...=all&type=main and use dpkg to install it.

Then use apt-get install -f

If it still insists on yaird then check if yaird is installed (but it shouldn't care.)

Last edited by JackieBrown; 05-01-2007 at 10:33 PM.
 
Old 05-01-2007, 10:34 PM   #9
AtomicAmish
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JackieBrown
Do you have yaird installed? If so remove it and install initramfs-tools
OK, I did have yaird. Removed it and installed initramfs... Here are the results. The same result with aptitude.

Quote:
localhost:~# apt-get install initramfs-tools
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
initramfs-tools is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
2 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (2.6.18.dfsg.1-12) ...
Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Failed to find suitable ramdisk generation tool for kernel version
2.6.18-4-686-bigmem on running kernel 2.6.18-4-486 in /usr/sbin/yaird
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (--configure):
subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 9
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem:
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem depends on linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem; however:
Package linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
OK, sorry, I didn't see your edit at first.

Unfortunately, it looks like the same messages again:

Quote:
localhost:~# apt-get install -f
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
2 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (2.6.18.dfsg.1-12) ...
Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Failed to find suitable ramdisk generation tool for kernel version
2.6.18-4-686-bigmem on running kernel 2.6.18-4-486 in /usr/sbin/yaird
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem (--configure):
subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 9
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem:
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem depends on linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem; however:
Package linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem
linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Last edited by AtomicAmish; 05-01-2007 at 10:52 PM.
 
Old 05-01-2007, 11:09 PM   #10
AtomicAmish
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Dutch Master, JackieBrown - I appreciate your help, but I'm going to look at other alternatives for now.
 
Old 05-04-2007, 06:05 PM   #11
AtomicAmish
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I have one computer, so I have now set up a dual boot to always have a working system when needed. A new net install of Debian is here and running well; I'm in it now.

Will post info on how this goes.
 
Old 05-04-2007, 07:26 PM   #12
Dutch Master
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Good thinking! But you really didn't have too Just install a virtual machine (VMWare, Qemu) running Debian and experiment to your heart's content. If you screw it up, remove the image and start from scratch again. When you choose Qemu, (which is in the Etch repo's btw ) make sure you install the KQemu kernel module as well. It really improves the speed of Qemu...
 
Old 05-04-2007, 09:06 PM   #13
AtomicAmish
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Thanks for the advice, DM. I've run VMWare under Fedora and PCLOS and it's neat. Somehow, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, though. I like the total immersion of actually running an OS / necessity being the mother of invention.

Anyway, I did play around with Debian a little in VM so I'm starting from the top of the instructions. I'll keep posting here, probably over the next week.

edit: Well, that was much easier than I was expecting. Thought I had to learn to compile, but the full memory is there on reboot!

Quote:
MemTotal: 1491832 kB
Thanks so much for your help, DM.

Last edited by AtomicAmish; 05-04-2007 at 09:25 PM.
 
  


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