[PATCH] local APIC blacklist rules updates
This patch removes the x86 local APIC blacklist rules for the Microstar 6163 and Intel AL440LX mainboards. These boards do work with local APIC enabled. Heavily tested. Please apply. Long story: When I worked on the initial UP_APIC code, these two mainboard (MS-6163 and AL440LX) were the only ones that caused hangs when the local APIC was enabled. At the time, I attributed these hangs to broken BIOSen and implemented DMI scan blacklist rules to prevent enabling the local APIC on them. However, the last year I've observed hangs on other mainboards that initially were believed to be safe for local APIC. The hangs turned out to be caused by APM's DISPLAY_BLANK option: When this option is enabled, APM will invoke BIOS and graphics card BIOS code without disabling the local APIC first. In many cases, a local APIC timer interrupt while APM is trying to blank the console will hang the system. APM also has two other options that can hang the system: CPU_IDLE and building APM as a module, both of which causes it to do BIOS calls without disabling the local APIC first. On all my systems, the only reliable configuration is to keep APM's DISPLAY_BLANK and CPU_IDLE disabled, and to build APM non-modular.
Showing
Please register or sign in to comment