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Subject: TCP-Group Digest 96/261
X-BBS-Msg-Type: B
TCP-Group Digest Mon, 23 Dec 96 Volume 96 : Issue 261
Today's Topics:
Linux Kernel AX.25 in 4 Meg (5 msgs)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 15:08:09 -0600
From: Steve Sampson <ssampson@oklahoma.net>
Subject: Linux Kernel AX.25 in 4 Meg
Just a report that 4 Meg is not enough memory to run Linux. I recently
converted some junk box parts (486SLC/66, 200MB, 1.4FD) to run the
Kernel AX.25 stuff. It was interesting, but very unreliable.
First I compiled a kernel with the bare essentials, and wound up with
a 400k kernel (compressed). (I usually get a 300k kernel without AX.25,
so this seems reasonable. Once the kernel starts (2.1.14 version) it
blocks out 2k for cache and buffers (also reasonable). I set up an
8 Meg swap partition and watched it over a couple of weeks. It never
went
past 3.5 k. One should notice right away, that a floppy-only version
will not work with 4 Meg of RAM. My experiance shows something on the
order of 8 Meg as a minimum.
My settup was a serial port to a KPC-9612. I then ran mkiss on the
/dev/cua0 device, and then two kissattach on the PTY's produced by
mkiss. I then ran mheardd but found it to be rather useless in a
router, and only consumed memory and swap. I also did not run a crond.
I did run a sendmail and NFS mount to a remote anonymous FTP directory.
These last two pretty much peaked the machine out, and would not be
used in a final router design. I adjusted /etc/inittab to get rid of
all getty's except one).
All looked rather interesting and settup was on the order of two days
playing and reading the help files. What was not interesting, was a
random kernel panic and reboot. This was usually well into a telnet
to the box for configuration (and use of the only getty). At one point
the hard drive became very active. Then it consumed the whole machine.
I let it go to see what it would do, and the thrashing was quite brisk
at the start, and then got slower and slower as heard by the hardrive.
Finally it thrashed every three seconds when I got tired of it and hit
the reset. No process time was ever given back to the user.
My conclusion, is that a 2.1.x kernel cannot operate in 4 Meg of RAM.
I'm now considering going to the Dallas swap meet to get some more
33 pin memory, or just putting JNOS on it :-) One thing I do like
about the NOS's is the addition of TCP compression. Something sorely
needed for 9600 and below.
Steve
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 19:42:04 -0500
From: "Gary L. Grebus" <glg@balrog.k8lt.ampr.org>
Subject: Linux Kernel AX.25 in 4 Meg
Steve,
I've been running a Linux router for the last year or so. It ran for quite a
while in 4 MB (I've since thrown in an extra 4 MB because I had it).
The config is a 1.3.30 kernel, inetd, klogd, axattach, and 1 getty. I also
run the stats collection program from monax25. All the disk is NFS mounted,
including 8 MB of swap. I've been able to run a couple of telnet's into it at
the same time with no problems.
My 1.3.30 kernel is about 344K compressed, so the 2.1.x kernel may be part of
what pushes it over the 4MB limit.
FWIW, mheard seems to have a memory leak. Memory and swap was always
exhausted after a few hours of running it.
My main motivation for using Linux for routing was to be able to run
standalone data collection and monitoring programs. It's especially nice with
NFS-mounted
disk, since I can do the analysis, archiving etc on the server system.
73,
/gary
Gary L. Grebus Home: glg@k8lt.ampr.org
Brookline, NH Work: grebus@zk3.dec.com
Ham Packet: K8LT@W1ON.FN42JM.MA.USA.NOAM
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 13:20:36 +1100
From: Terry Dawson <terry@perf.no.itg.telstra.com.au>
Subject: Linux Kernel AX.25 in 4 Meg
Steve Sampson wrote:
> My conclusion, is that a 2.1.x kernel cannot operate in 4 Meg of RAM.
> I'm now considering going to the Dallas swap meet to get some more
> 33 pin memory, or just putting JNOS on it :-) One thing I do like
> about the NOS's is the addition of TCP compression. Something sorely
> needed for 9600 and below.
The stability problem is a 2.1.14 issue. The 2.1.* kernels are
very alpha at the moment and in the middle of huge changes.
You should repeat your testing with the production 2.0.27 kernel.
You may also have failed to take into account the way that linux
allocates buffers. It will make active use of as much memory
as it can for buffering/caching after swapping out idle processes.
So while it may have looked like you didn't have any free memory
that may simply have been because the kernel had chosen to use the
memory for caching at the time.
I can't speak for 2.1.* as I haven't yet tried it in that configuration,
but 4Mb is enough for a Linux based router without any end-user services
with 2.0.*.
Terry
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 18:28:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Phil Karn <karn@qualcomm.com>
Subject: Linux Kernel AX.25 in 4 Meg
>33 pin memory, or just putting JNOS on it :-) One thing I do like
>about the NOS's is the addition of TCP compression. Something sorely
>needed for 9600 and below.
A quick hack to do compression over TCP with Linux is to install ssh
(secure shell) and enable the compression option. Just specify "-c
none" to disable encryption if you want to run it legally over amateur
radio.
Phil
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 16:27:16 +1100
From: Terry Dawson <terry@perf.no.itg.telstra.com.au>
Subject: Linux Kernel AX.25 in 4 Meg
Gary L. Grebus wrote:
> The config is a 1.3.30 kernel, inetd, klogd, axattach, and 1 getty. I also
> run the stats collection program from monax25. All the disk is NFS mounted,
> including 8 MB of swap. I've been able to run a couple of telnet's into it
at
> the same time with no problems.
>
> My 1.3.30 kernel is about 344K compressed, so the 2.1.x kernel may be part
of
> what pushes it over the 4MB limit.
>
> FWIW, mheard seems to have a memory leak. Memory and swap was always
> exhausted after a few hours of running it.
You ought to consider upgrading to a newer kernel (2.0.27) and the
later ax25-utils. The kernel code and the ax25-utils have improved
quite a bit since 1.3.30.
Running something like 'simpleinit' and being careful with your
choice of shell and other programs can save you quite a bit of
memory.
Terry
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 00:53:33 -0500
From: "Kevin Lawrence" <Kevin.Lawrence@MCI.Com>
unsubsrcibe
------------------------------
End of TCP-Group Digest V96 #261
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