Custom Fedora RPM kernel...

[Thetargos]

Hello all... I made some RPMs based on a custom set of patches, preserving all of the Fedora's official patches (now thtat the kernels are not based off the -AC tree). For the time being I only have AMD64 packages built and am in the process of building generic x86_64, athlon and i686 packages of these. However I'd like to know before I put my machines to build these, if any one would be interested in testing them and provide feedback.

These packages are (as I said above) based on the official Fedora pathces and (for the time being) the Con Kolivas tree (to provide lower latency desktop and overall improved system performance) and the -nitro patch normally used by Gentoo people (yes I have too a gentoo system).

The full list of patches applied follows:

patch-2.6.14.2.bz2
blackhawk-logo.patch -- A quick and dirty logo I made, most probably I will change it with the newer Fedora logo

Fedora Patches.

linux-2.6-bzimage.patch
linux-2.6-x86-tune-p4.patch
linux-2.6-x86-apic-off-by-default.patch
linux-2.6-x86-vga-vidfail.patch
linux-2.6-ppc64-build.patch
linux-2.6-ppc64-eeh-panic.patch
linux-2.6-serial-of.patch
linux-2.6-xen.patch
linux-2.6-xen-additional.patch
linux-2.6-xen-compile.patch
linux-2.6-build-nonintconfig.patch
linux-2.6-build-userspace-headers-warning.patch
linux-2.6-build-qconfig-qt-lib64.patch
linux-2.6-build-reference-discarded-opd.patch
linux-2.6-execshield.patch
linux-2.6-execshield-xen.patch
linux-2.6-execshield-vdso.patch
linux-2.6-xen-vdso-note.patch
linux-2.6-modsign-core.patch
linux-2.6-modsign-crypto.patch
linux-2.6-modsign-ksign.patch
linux-2.6-modsign-mpilib.patch
linux-2.6-modsign-script.patch
linux-2.6-modsign-include.patch
linux-2.6-debug-slab-backtrace.patch
linux-2.6-debug-list_head.patch
linux-2.6-debug-taint-vm.patch
linux-2.6-debug-taint-check.patch
linux-2.6-debug-singlebiterror.patch
linux-2.6-debug-spinlock-taint.patch
linux-2.6-debug-spinlock-panic.patch
linux-2.6-debug-Wundef.patch
linux-2.6-debug-disable-builtins.patch
linux-2.6-debug-sleep-in-irq-warning.patch
linux-2.6-debug-reference-discarded-return-result.patch
linux-2.6-debug-panic-stackdump.patch
linux-2.6-devmem.patch
linux-2.6-devmem-xen.patch
linux-2.6-crash-driver.patch
linux-2.6-crash-xen.patch
linux-2.6-sleepon.patch
linux-2.6-default-elevator.patch
linux-2.6-max-symlinks.patch
linux-2.6-optimise-for-size.patch
linux-2.6-default-clocksource-tsc.patch
linux-2.6-scsi-advansys-enabler.patch
linux-2.6-scsi-megaraid-legacy.patch
linux-2.6-scsi-advansys-pcitable.patch
linux-2.6-NFSD-non-null-getxattr.patch
linux-2.6-NFSD-ctlbits.patch
linux-2.6-net-sundance-ip100A.patch
linux-2.6-net-atm-lanai-nodev-rmmod.patch
linux-2.6-net-acenic-use-after-free.patch
linux-2.6-crashdump-common.patch
linux-2.6-netdump.patch
linux-2.6-netconsole.patch
linux-2.6-diskdump.patch
linux-2.6-crashdump-reboot-exports.patch
linux-2.6-dump_smp_call_function.patch
linux-2.6-procfs-i_nlink-miscalculate.patch
linux-2.6-atkbd-dell-multimedia.patch
linux-2.6-mcs-canonicalise-getxattr.patch
linux-2.6-module_version.patch
linux-2.6-ide-floppy-eject.patch
linux-2.6-cx88-silence-debug.patch
linux-2.6-swsusp-nofreeze.patch
linux-2.6-input-kill-stupid-messages.patch
linux-2.6-input-usblegacy.patch
linux-2.6-serial-tickle-nmi.patch
linux-2.6-missing-exports.patch
linux-2.6-radeon-backlight.patch
linux-2.6-ide-tune-locking.patch
linux-2.6-autofs-pathlookup.patch
linux-2.6-8139too-suspend.patch
linux-2.6-selinux-hush.patch
linux-2.6-agp-sworks-hang.patch
linux-2.6-smsc-ircc2-pnp.patch
linux-2.6-ide-scsi-check_condition.patch
linux-2.6-usbhid-wireless-security-lock.patch
linux-2.6-net-sk98lin-vpd.patch
linux-2.6-w1-hush-debug.patch
linux-2.6-pwc-powerup-by-default.patch
linux-2.6-kauditd-suspend.patch
linux-2.6-firmware-timeout.patch
linux-2.6-suspend-mxcsr.patch
linux-2.6-i8k-dmi.patch
linux-2.6-acpi-silence-cutoff.patch
linux-2.6-acpi-thinkpad-c2c3.patch
linux-2.6-obsolete-idescsi-warning.patch
linux-2.6-obsolete-oss-warning.patch
linux-2.6-unexport-symbols.patch
linux-2.6-vm-oomkiller-debugging.patch
linux-2.6-vm-silence-atomic-alloc-failures.patch

Con Kolivas Patches.

2.6.14_to_staircase12.1.diff
schedrange.diff
schedbatch2.9.diff
sched-iso3.2.patch
smp-nice-support7.diff
1g_lowmem1_i386.diff
isobatch_ionice2.diff
rt_ionice.diff
pdflush-tweaks.patch
hz-default_values.patch
hz-no_default_250.patch
mm-swap_prefetch-18.patch
vm-mapped.diff
vm-lots_watermark.diff
vm-background_scan-1.diff
sched-staircase12.1_12.2.patch
mm-kswapd_inherit_prio.patch
mm-prio_dependant_scan.patch
mm-batch_prio.patch
sched-staircase12.2_13.patch

Nitro Patches.

linux-2.6-e100-badeeprom.patch
linux-2.6-shfs-0.35-rc4.diff
usbhid-readd-kconfig.patch
shutup-unneeded-warnings.patch
acpi_dsdt_initrd_initramfs.patch
git-alsa.patch
git-libata-all-1.patch
git-scsi-misc.patch
git-ntfs.patch
hz-extra_values.patch
parport-mutex.patch
ide-probe-delay.patch
increase-MAX_MP_BUSSES.patch
kmalloc-max.patch
posix-locks-match.patch
readahead-tune.patch
stack-limit.patch
unmap_vmas-lat.patch
reiser4-for-2.6.14-1.patch

Even though the tree to build these kernels is patched with the reiser4 patch, it is not configured by default!. In order to have reiser4 support you'd have to have installed in your system the resier4progs package and would have to install the SRPM of the kernel, edit the config file, enable reiser4 support, and rebuild with that tree. I added it just because some people are using reiser4 in Fedora systems. This feature is considered to be EXTREMELY EXPERIMENTAL and should NOT be enabled unless you REALLY KOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!™

Note: The default configuration for these kernels is based off the configuration for the official Fedora kernels, with a few tweaks here and there to favor peroformance and still retain full stability (or at least that's the goal)

Now, anyone interested in testdriving these babies?

[storlied]

i have absolutly no clue what this post is about... but it sound intresting...... explain
do you have a patched custom kernel that gives great performance??? idk

[Thetargos]

Originally Posted by storlied

i have absolutly no clue what this post is about... but it sound intresting...... explain
do you have a patched custom kernel that gives great performance??? idk

Yes...

When you've been in the Linux community for a while, you start to see people wanting to get the most out of their systems, or the latest patch to support x, y, z device, or improved a, b, c... Well my idea behind this all was based on that. Since i was running Red Hat 9 Shrike, I've been running custom kernels with some added patches to get an edge on performance. So I thought that there should be someone offering these kind of kernels in an RPM format easily deployable and installable by people. At the time I could build my own kernels and configure them to my heart's content, but I did not know how to build an RPM off the sources, nor how did RPM actually worked... I only had heard a few things about these governing files called spec files which control the behavior of RPM when building packages. So I dug into it and started to think of a way to share these.

Why did I start using custom kernels in the first place? Well, back in the 2.4.x era of kernels, it was a voiced secret that Red Hat kernels were a tad slower than a reference "vanilla" kernel, and that wasn't true as such, since it deeply depends on how the kernel is configured and what is the task the computer will be performing and stuff like that... And it actually made sense that Red Hat had these types of kernels, since it was to be run on a variety of environments and systems, and the computer should stay stable. And this was perfect for servers and OK for desktops. However as you added more interactive applications and games to the mix, the kernel became a bottle neck.

Under normal circumstances, there should little to no reasons to want to run a custom-made kernel. Still this has a disadvatage: You would have to configure it and build it yourself, having a binary RPM kernel around makes things a lot easier, since you can easily install the kernel you need on a broad range of systems, not matter if they're all alike (meaning you can strim even more the kernel to only have compiled in what you really need) or a broad variety of systems, which means you configure it more like a general purpose one able to interface with a lot of systems, in both cases you win, because you'd only have to build the kernel once and install as many times as you need.

So the reason behind this whole effort to offer these kind of kernels is to have a better performing kernel, but truly Fedorian in its roots, I did not want to skip any of the patches from Fedora (only a couple are not listed due duplication with some of the other patches), so these are actually revamped fedora kernels with improvements to make them a bit more extensible and faster.

When I made the migration from Windows to Linux, I was an avid gamer, and I still am, and for applications such as games (especially those as demanding as today's), the kernel can make all the difference between "somewhat playable" and "fully playable". Of course there are lots of variables that affect performance, even at kernel level, so I'm trying to stick to what the Fedora guys have done by providing widely compatible configurations with the tweaks where they count. These are mainly desktop kernels, which mean they're not as robust as a kernel that would be more suited for a server which could also make a fairly good desktop kernel. These are desktop kernels, that could be fairly decent server kernels, but not viceversa.

What I'm asking is to see if there's people interested in such kernels, and if there are, I'd be more than happy to share what I've made to the kernel in order to make it a bit more useable for gamers and generally people who need low latency systems (like musicians, and other scientific applications) and give them a try.

[storlied]

How can I add "patches" to my FC3 x86_64 machine? where can i find such patches?.. do i have to recompile the kernel?... i hope not......i mean...patches... should be something i can just apply....... i do want to get the most outta my system... performance wise... iv been lookin for tweaks n all sorts of things for a long time..... uhm...people say recompiling the kernel, gives a minimal performance increase.... n freankly... i dont wanna bother with it.... they said its a waste of 4 hours.... but uhm.... do you know how to shorten application startup time?....latency.... like i said... i dont really wanna recompile a kernel... seems like too much work... what can i do to get more performance without doin that?

[storlied]

n btw... yes.. if you have a complete "performance" kernel... i'd be glad to use it... i just dont wanna make one myself.... iv been searchin for a Long time for something like this.... a kernel made by others thats for performance..

[Thetargos]

Originally Posted by storlied

How can I add "patches" to my FC3 x86_64 machine? where can i find such patches?.. do i have to recompile the kernel?... i hope not......i mean...patches... should be something i can just apply....... i do want to get the most outta my system... performance wise... iv been lookin for tweaks n all sorts of things for a long time..... uhm...people say recompiling the kernel, gives a minimal performance increase.... n freankly... i dont wanna bother with it.... they said its a waste of 4 hours.... but uhm.... do you know how to shorten application startup time?....latency.... like i said... i dont really wanna recompile a kernel... seems like too much work... what can i do to get more performance without doin that?

Well, those patches you find them by searching the web, Google's your friend

Actually the Gentoo community forum is a good place to start

And onto your questions:

1. Kernel recompilation is not recommended for every user, just for some, like when a certain critical device is not being picked up by your current kernel and such.
2. Speed wise, kernel recompilation can give you 0 performance gain, and 4 hours of your time lost, true. However, careful tuning of your kernel is critical if you go down this path, and that's where patches kick in. Kernel patches are different from "traditional" patches, in the sense that they're code patches, this is, they're actually text files with fixes to the underlying source code (in Linux and Unix you'll hear a lot about patches, and most the time people refer to these text patches). Once you apply these patches, some new features will be available to you to play with, and enable/disable some others.
3. For some people the whole point of (re)compiling their own kernels is to have a minimalistic kernel (as small as possible) tailored for thier machine and their machine alone, i.e all other hardware support is stripped out of the kernel, some claim this gives you an edge in performance and memory foot print (a small one, at that), but it's nice to have a kernel well tailored to your system, however if something goes wrong and you have to change, say, your motherboard, you should always have to keep a "fall back" kernel to have functioning system, otherwise your over specialized kernel will not be able to pickup and use your new motherboard.
4. Kernel-level tweaking can help you improve performance where most computers idle and waste resources at: I/O operations handling.
5. For shorter application startup, there are other tweaks (system tweaks) like PreLink, which accelerates application startup by trying to pre-load libraries, reducing application startup, however this also has to do with the previous point, I/O as information has to be read from the disk.
6. Latency is another issue which can be adressed at kernel level, by means of what's called the "tick" rate, or processor time given to applications while executing (fora lack of a better explanation), by augmenting this time, your application will have more processor time, reducing the latency for such application (however this can have unforseen consequences on other applications, like system services).

I don't have Fedora Core 3 Heidelberg installed anymore (though I've got access to plenty of machines with it, but none with x86_64 processors), so I can't offer FC3 x86_64 packages, I may be able to get at most i686 and athlon optimized kernel for FC3, the rest are for FC4 only, I'm affraid, as that's what I've got. And yes, the idea is to save you all the hassle of configuring and building up your own low-lat-dekstop kernel by providing pre-compiled, binary RPMS.

[storlied]

damn... tis what i was lookin for.... someone who made a performance kernel for x86-64.... i was about to ask if i gave you my specs n what i wanted in the kernel, if you could make me one......

[storlied]

is there something like prelink for FC3? that would work with x86_64

[Thetargos]

PreLink already comes in FC3. There are other system tweaks you could perform to get the most out of your system... I'm in the process too of writting a "performance guide" for Fedora, not really a howto, rather tips on what to look to increment your performance without having to under go heavy tasks (as kernel recompile or application re-compile), but I'm not done yet.

About building you a kernel, that's what I'm doing, only for FC4, since I don't have access to an FC3 machine, what I could do is to lend you the .src.rpm and tell you how to rebuild it for x86_64, only in my configuration I make a distintion between generic x86_64, amd64 and em64t (or pretend to do so, as the default fedora kernel is built for a generic x86_64 architecture).

Edit
Problem is that the .src.rpm is almost 40Mb in size (ouch!)

[storlied]

hmm... do you think i could see what you got so far on that guide? or your notes or something..

[storlied]

since it's for FC4, would it work on mine?

[storlied]

oh jesus christ, 40mb......im on 56k....that will be an all nighter download... lol

[Thetargos]

Originally Posted by storlied

hmm... do you think i could see what you got so far on that guide? or your notes or something..

Problem with this is that most of it is on my head, but you can take a look at plenty of useful hints and tips over at www.fedorafaq.org, as I get around put on written words all that I've learnt, performance wise, in Fedora.

[storlied]

dude, get on msn... i added you..

[Thetargos]

Originally Posted by storlied

oh jesus christ, 40mb......im on 56k....that will be an all nighter download... lol

I know is quite a bit, drop me a line at thetargos at tutopia dot com and I'll give you a link to my FTP server from where you'll be able to download the file.