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Since it's displaying more than 3GB of memory, I don't think it's a kernel config problem, so I doubt switching to a different kernel will change anything. Plus, 32 bit works just fine with up to 4GB. But, as to where the memory went, I dunno, unless there's some set-aside for a graphics card or something like that.
# aptitude show linux-image-2.6.14-2-686-smp
Package: linux-image-2.6.14-2-686-smp
State: installed
Automatically installed: no
Version: 2.6.14-3
Priority: optional
Section: base
Maintainer: Debian Kernel Team <debian-kernel@lists.debian.org>
Uncompressed Size: 51.8M
Depends: yaird | initramfs-tools | linux-initramfs-tool, module-init-tools (>= 0.9.13)
Suggests: linux-doc-2.6.14 | linux-source-2.6.14, lilo (>= 19.1) | grub, fdutils
Conflicts: hotplug (< 0.0.20040105-1)
Provides: linux-image-2.6, linux-image
Description: Linux kernel 2.6.14 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4 SMP machines
This package provides the binary image and pre-built loadable modules for Linux kernel 2.6.14 on multi-processor Pentium Pro/Celeron/Pentium II/Pentium
III/Pentium 4 machines.
This packages is produced using an updated kernel packaging system and replaces older kernel-image packages
Now i am thinking that might not be the right kernel for me:
Code:
# aptitude search linux-image
v linux-image -
v linux-image-2.6 -
v linux-image-2.6-386 -
p linux-image-2.6-486 - Linux kernel 2.6 image on x86
p linux-image-2.6-486-etchnhalf - Linux 2.6-etchnhalf image on x86
p linux-image-2.6-686 - Linux kernel 2.6 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem - Linux kernel 2.6 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6-686-bigmem-etchnhalf - Linux 2.6-etchnhalf image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6-686-etchnhalf - Linux 2.6-etchnhalf image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6-686-smp - Linux 2.6 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4 SMP - transition package
p linux-image-2.6-amd64 - Linux kernel 2.6 image on AMD64
p linux-image-2.6-amd64-etchnhalf - Linux 2.6-etchnhalf image on AMD64
p linux-image-2.6-k7 - Linux kernel 2.6 image on AMD K7
p linux-image-2.6-k7-smp - Linux 2.6 image on AMD K7 SMP - transition package
p linux-image-2.6-vserver-686 - Linux kernel 2.6 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6-vserver-k7 - Linux kernel 2.6 image on AMD K7
p linux-image-2.6-xen-686 - Linux kernel 2.6 image on i686
p linux-image-2.6-xen-vserver-686 - Linux kernel 2.6 image on i686
i linux-image-2.6.14-2-686-smp - Linux kernel 2.6.14 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4 SMP machines
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-486 - Linux 2.6.18 image on x86
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-686-bigmem - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-amd64 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD64
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-k7 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD K7
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-vserver-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-vserver-k7 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD K7
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-xen-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on i686
p linux-image-2.6.18-4-xen-vserver-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on i686
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-486 - Linux 2.6.18 image on x86
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-686-bigmem - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-amd64 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD64
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-k7 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD K7
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-vserver-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-vserver-k7 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD K7
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-xen-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on i686
p linux-image-2.6.18-5-xen-vserver-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on i686
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-486 - Linux 2.6.18 image on x86
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-686-bigmem - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-amd64 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD64
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-k7 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD K7
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-vserver-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-vserver-k7 - Linux 2.6.18 image on AMD K7
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-xen-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on i686
p linux-image-2.6.18-6-xen-vserver-686 - Linux 2.6.18 image on i686
p linux-image-2.6.24-etchnhalf.1-486 - Linux 2.6.24 image on x86
p linux-image-2.6.24-etchnhalf.1-686 - Linux 2.6.24 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.24-etchnhalf.1-686-bigmem - Linux 2.6.24 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-2.6.24-etchnhalf.1-amd64 - Linux 2.6.24 image on AMD64
p linux-image-486 - Linux kernel image on x86
p linux-image-686 - Linux kernel image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-686-bigmem - Linux kernel image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-amd64 - Linux kernel image on AMD64
p linux-image-k7 - Linux kernel image on AMD K7
p linux-image-vserver-686 - Linux kernel image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
p linux-image-vserver-k7 - Linux kernel image on AMD K7
p linux-image-xen-686 - Linux kernel image on i686
p linux-image-xen-vserver-686 - Linux kernel image on i686
IIRC, a 32-bit kernel can be configured for one of four levels of memory support.
1) Up to 896Mb (I think)
2) Up to 3 and a fraction GB (where the BIOS, not Linux, determines the size of that fraction, typically about 1/4 or 1/2).
3) Up to 16GB
4) Up to 64GB
So it sounds like you have kernel support at the 3 and fraction GB level and want the up to 16GB level. You don't want the up to 64GB level (it has overhead and other issues you don't want).
I'm not sure whether "bigmem" in a prebuilt Debian kernel means up to 16GB or up to 64GB. But I expect it would be up to 16GB. Running a 32-bit kernel on a system with over 16GB would be very strange, doing that and using Debian distribution and wanting to use a prebuilt kernel would be way beyond strange. So it would make no sense for the Debian repository to provide a 32-bit kernel with support for over 16GB.
Yeah, well, 86 bit does not support 4GB of RAM. Check whether you can install the 86 bit kernel-server or move on to 64 bit.
I guess you mean x86, 32 bits.
You are going to need HIGHMEM enabled if you want to use all your ram under x86 (at a slight penalty), you can as well migrate to 64 bits and use all your ram normally without any problem.
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