2006-11-28 23:46:33

by Alexandre Pereira Nunes

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Subject: 2.6.18 tsc clocksource + ntp = excessive drift; acpi_pm does fine.

Hi,

with default boot I got tsc clocksource selected on an debian's
2.6.18-3-k7 SMP build (but UP machine). ntp keeps bothering me with this
message:
frequency error 512 PPM exceeds tolerance 500 PPM

If I remove ntp's drift file and restart, it goes fine for a while and
then it goes with that behaviour again.
If I remove ntp's drift file, then do a: echo acpi_pm
>/sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/available_clocksource ;
and then restart ntp, it goes fine "forever".

Any toughs, something I should look at?

I'll be glad to give more feedback.

I don't know if that happened with 2.6.17, but I'm pretty sure that with
2.6.16 it was fine.

- Alexandre


2006-11-29 01:03:07

by john stultz

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Subject: Re: 2.6.18 tsc clocksource + ntp = excessive drift; acpi_pm does fine.

On Tue, 2006-11-28 at 21:46 -0200, Alexandre Pereira Nunes wrote:
> Hi,
>
> with default boot I got tsc clocksource selected on an debian's
> 2.6.18-3-k7 SMP build (but UP machine). ntp keeps bothering me with this
> message:
> frequency error 512 PPM exceeds tolerance 500 PPM

Hmmm. Could you send me your dmesg? Also what frequency is your cpu?

Also does booting w/ "noapic" change the behavior?

> If I remove ntp's drift file and restart, it goes fine for a while and
> then it goes with that behaviour again.
> If I remove ntp's drift file, then do a: echo acpi_pm
> >/sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/available_clocksource ;

I think you mean "current_clocksource" there...

> and then restart ntp, it goes fine "forever".
>
> Any toughs, something I should look at?
>
> I'll be glad to give more feedback.
>
> I don't know if that happened with 2.6.17, but I'm pretty sure that with
> 2.6.16 it was fine.

Yea, its likely the generic timekeeping changes for i386. Previously
(pre-2.6.18) it probably defaulted to the acpi pm timer and was fine.
The new code is a bit more aggressive in trying to use the TSC.

As a short term workaround, you can put "clocksource=acpi_pm" on your
grub line and that will force the clocksource at boot.

thanks
-john

2006-11-29 01:29:56

by Alexandre Pereira Nunes

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Subject: Re: 2.6.18 tsc clocksource + ntp = excessive drift; acpi_pm does fine.

processor : 0
vendor_id : AuthenticAMD
cpu family : 6
model : 8
model name : AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2600+
stepping : 1
cpu MHz : 2133.046
cache size : 256 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 1
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse syscall mmxext 3dnowext 3dnow up ts
bogomips : 4270.91


Attachments:
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cpuinfo.txt (418.00 B)
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2006-11-29 11:26:23

by Alexandre Pereira Nunes

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Subject: Re: 2.6.18 tsc clocksource + ntp = excessive drift; acpi_pm does fine.

[cut]

>
>Also does booting w/ "noapic" change the behavior?
>
>

No, it didn't. It behaves exactly as before.

- Alexandre