Intel Baytrail systems may become stable under Linux!
For two years, Intel Baytrail processors have been hanging under Linux. Baytrail is a generation of Atom processors and includes many low-end processors that I think of as Atoms but are called things like Pentium and Celeron. But not all Pentium and Celeron processors. <http://ark.intel.com/products/codename/55844/Bay-Trail> The bug report is <https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=109051> but started elsewhere. A few days ago, entry 724 (!) in that bug report noted the submission of a kernel patch that strongly reduces the problem. The thread for the patch is interesting: <https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/intel-gfx/2017-January/117932.html> - the fix doesn't fix all the underlying problems but very significantly improves stability. Perhaps to the point that the instability fades into the background noise of crashes. - the fix slightly cripples power management on these systems but much less than the only known work-around (preventing the use of cstates higher than 1) - this may slow down the search for residual bugs, but how can it be slower than the current process has been? - The fix was already in the kernel for Cherryview processors. I'm not sure what those are: it certainly includes Cherry Trail processors. <http://ark.intel.com/products/codename/46629/Cherry-Trail> - the bug started to become visible in Linux 3.17-rc1 and should be ameliorated in 4.11. What a long horrible run. Most of the life of the chips! I have a number of Atom systems that I never got around to Linuxifying due to fear of this bug and, for some, annoyance with 32-bit UEFI firmware. I will say that I've had a great experience with a netbook with a Celeron N2840 (Baytrail). Perhaps because I don't often play video content with it. Some of these Baytrail systems are still a nightmare for Linux due to non-systematic and undocumented connection of the SoCs to the peripheral circuits. Here's a sample thread for one such system (more than 200 entries!): <https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=95681>
On 12/02/17 11:49 AM, Michael Hill via talk wrote:
On Sun, Feb 12, 2017 at 10:56 AM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
A few days ago, entry 724 (!) in that bug report noted the submission of a kernel patch that strongly reduces the problem.
Good to hear. Thanks for the update, Hugh.
Mike
Hugh, I took this as a cue to revisit one or my own baytrail devices. The Vensmile battery powered miniPC. I went out of my way to get the model with 64GB of storage, which has a different (harder to open) case. http://www.banggood.com/Vensmile-W10-Quad-Core-2GB-RAM-64GB-ROM-Windows-8_1-... https://androidtvbox.eu/vensmile-ipc002-w10-mini-pc-with-64gb-or-32gb-and-ba... Popped the latest multi-arch Debian ISO (8.7.0) into my trusty ZALMAN external drive with virtual CD/DVD function. https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235059 Added USB hub for a USB-Ethernet adapter and my keyboard/mouse, and was off to the races. I must report successful 64-bit install, even so far as to get the wireless working. My setup notes are attached for the curious. -- Scott Sullivan
On Sun, Feb 12, 2017 at 03:34:06PM -0500, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:
Popped the latest multi-arch Debian ISO (8.7.0) into my trusty ZALMAN external drive with virtual CD/DVD function. https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235059
What is "virtual CD"? You mean, you dd ISO to a disk, and the device identifies itself to PC as "CD drive" with the ISO image as "CD"? -- William
On 12/02/17 10:47 PM, William Park wrote:
On Sun, Feb 12, 2017 at 03:34:06PM -0500, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:
Popped the latest multi-arch Debian ISO (8.7.0) into my trusty ZALMAN external drive with virtual CD/DVD function. https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235059
What is "virtual CD"? You mean, you dd ISO to a disk, and the device identifies itself to PC as "CD drive" with the ISO image as "CD"?
Your describing dumping an ISO on any mass-storage device, and hoping that the BIOS is new enough[1] to go 'awh fuckit' and boot the image anyways. The ZALMAN enclosure does something far more clever. It report two separate USB devices. One is a Mass Storage devices, the hard drive in the enclosure. The other is a CD/DVD rom drive. The firmware in the ZALMAN, then knows how to read FAT or NTFS file systems. It will read from a predefined directory on the harddrive, and let you select iso files to 'place in the tray' of the CD/DVD rom drive it's pretending to be. The computer legitimately sees a USB CD/DVD rom, and I can use the controls on the ZALMAN to eject and insert different 'disks' at will. [1]: You go far enough back in PC firmware history, you'll find that BIOS didn't originally and won't do that. It's extra code, but came along as a good idea somewhere to just be agnostic about the storage media, and that propagated forward. There only really a 3-5 companies that write PC bios firmware. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS#Vendors_and_products -- Scott Sullivan
On Sun, Feb 12, 2017 at 3:34 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
Popped the latest multi-arch Debian ISO (8.7.0) into my trusty ZALMAN external drive with virtual CD/DVD function.
My experience is similar on my ASUS T100TA, but I started with the Debian multi-arch 8.6.0 on a USB stick and keep it upgraded to stretch/sid. For kernels I've been following the (infrequent) Ubuntu packages from the T100TA G+ community. I have bootable 4.7 and 4.8 kernels installed, but 4.4.14 has been the best so far... - I have my music library installed and the headphone jack functions. - no camera yet but I don't miss it. - a great size for writing docs at a hackfest, paired with my laptop-size ThinkPad Bluetooth keyboard. (I did this at Red Hat in the summer.) It will boot GNOME continuous in a VM. Issues I haven't taken the time to resolve: - no tap support (screen or touchpad--the touchpad requires an actual click) after 4.4, kind of essential when I'm using it without the extra keyboard. - screen rotation was non-functional but sprung to life after a recent upgrade (kernel firmware, maybe?). It defaults to upside-down in landscape mode, so I had to un-rotate it (at the command line) and lock it. Mike
On 12/02/17 03:34 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:
The Vensmile battery powered miniPC. I went out of my way to get the model with 64GB of storage, which has a different (harder to open) case.
http://www.banggood.com/Vensmile-W10-Quad-Core-2GB-RAM-64GB-ROM-Windows-8_1-...
https://androidtvbox.eu/vensmile-ipc002-w10-mini-pc-with-64gb-or-32gb-and-ba...
So I have second of this type of baytrail battery powered mini PC. This one from ainol which has a much bigger battery, but crappier wifi. http://www.ainol-novo.com/ainol-mini-pc-black.html Anyways, I went digging for ubuntu on baytail, and came across some builds from a third party that intergrating all the various bits and pieces, along with patching in progress kernel support. https://linuxiumcomau.blogspot.com/ I remember hearing about this guys work years ago, and it seems the dev community is getting closer to sorting out almost all the kinks. Gave the alpha of lubuntu 17.10 a try, and wifi and battery info work out of box. These were my biggest wants. -- Scott Sullivan
participants (4)
-
D. Hugh Redelmeier -
Michael Hill -
Scott Sullivan -
William Park