Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Tue, 25 Mar 2003 11:21:04 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Tue, 25 Mar 2003 11:21:03 -0500 Received: from fionet.com ([217.172.181.68]:1518 "EHLO service") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Tue, 25 Mar 2003 11:21:01 -0500 Subject: System time warping around real time problem - please help From: Fionn Behrens Reply-To: fionn@unix-ag.org To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Organization: United Fools of Bugaloo Message-Id: <1048609931.1601.49.camel@rtfm> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Ximian Evolution 1.2.2 Date: 25 Mar 2003 17:32:11 +0100 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 2443 Lines: 65 Hello all, I have got an increasingly annoying problem with our fairly new (fall '02) Dual Athlon2k+ Gigabyte 7dpxdw linux system running 2.4.20. The only kernel patch applied is Alan Cox's ptrace patch. To say it right away: the system is not overclocked or anything and never was. It has decent cooling and is used as a combined workstation and server. I cant say exactly when it started but the system clock tends to begin jumping around real time in an erratic manner, usually after about 12-48 hours of uptime. The maximum time jump is about 5 seconds back or forth so the time is always "about" right. To give you an example to visualize, you can watch asclock in X and see the second clock-hand jumping like 3 seconds backwards, then 5 seconds forth, 2 back and 1 forth or so within 2 or 3 seconds. For a demonstration I wrote the following short example in python: t = 0 while 1: n = time() if t > n: print t, ">", n t = n Running this loop returned the following lines: 1048608745.61 > 1048608745.60 1048608745.63 > 1048608745.62 1048608745.65 > 1048608745.64 1048608748.23 > 1048608745.67 1048608748.27 > 1048608745.71 1048608748.30 > 1048608745.74 1048608748.34 > 1048608745.78 1048608748.42 > 1048608745.86 1048608748.47 > 1048608745.91 1048608748.52 > 1048608745.96 [----cut----] So you see the time() on this system is constantly overtaking itself and jumping back. It almost looks like two parallel time()s are there and it switches back and forth between them. I recompiled the kernel, I upgraded the BIOS to the latest version available, I disabled ntp and tried some more I dont recall yet - no success. Due to the erratic timer, working on the machine is no fun. Software crashes are regularly - naturally. No programmer expects system timers going back in time. I am pretty desperate and I'd appreciate any hints on what to check. I'll glady present any system detail that you might miss for a proper analysis on request per email or on freenode (Fionn). Thank you in advance, F. Behrens (Not a subscriber of this list) -- I believe we have been called by history to lead the world. G.W. Bush, 2002-03-01 - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/