On Saturday 20 May 2006 10:38, Roy Schestowitz stood up and spoke the
following words to the masses in /comp.os.linux.misc...:/
> __/ [ Aragorn ] on Saturday 20 May 2006 07:19 \__
>
>> On Saturday 20 May 2006 05:51, Ignoramus23298 stood up and spoke the
>> following words to the masses in /comp.os.linux.misc...:/
>>
>>> What would be the load average, 1 or 2?
>>
>> The number represented by the load average is only a representation
>> of the average amount of processes that are waiting in the queue to
>> be executed. It has nothing to do with how many CPU's there are.
>
> Good explanation. There is no need to repeat it, but perhaps only to
> stress that load average can go as high as you wish, depending on how
> estimates are calculated over 30 (this depends on the distribution),
> 5, and 1 minute(s).
Normally, it's the last 1, 5 and 15 minutes in most distributions... ;-)
>> On the other hand (and as /Handover/ /Phist/ has explained in his
>> reply) an SMP machine - and that includes hyperthreaded CPU's and
>> dual-core CPU's - is much better at multitasking/multithreading than
>> any single CPU machine.
>
> This also promotes applications that are designed differently, I
> suppose, as to take advantage of multithreading.
Indeed it does. ;-)
>> All functions well - i.e. the OS doesn't hang or anything - but the
>> videocard regularly fills the screen with a solid color, both in the
>> GUI and in character mode login consoles, and thus renders the
>> machine
>> unusable as a workstation. Quite an interesting thing if you're in
>> the middle of typing an e-mail or a Usenet post... :-/
>
> Yes, this happens to me whenever a screenshot is grabbed, once in 10
> minutes. I have become used to it, so I just carrying on working as if
> all is normal. You could possibly 'nice -n19' the processes that you
> have control over. The can make all the difference in the world.
Well, no... There is nothing wrong with any processes. Everything runs
as it should, but the videocard sends a solid color to the monitor.
There is nothing on the screen anymore but this color, from corner to
corner. It just makes you blind at the wheel, so to speak. That's why
I then use my /Ctrl+F12/ shortcut to switch to my root console on the
12th virtual desktop, and then type...
reboot
.. blindly. I can manage that without too much of a chance for typos...
;-)
>> I keep a root console window open on my last virtual desktop and I
>> have shortcut keys for switching from one virtual desktop to another,
>> so I can easily and cleanly reboot the machine if need be.
>
>
> When all else does not work, CTRL+ALT+F1 in Mandriva/KDE and off you
> go to 'top', 'kill', 'killall' and the various shortcut in 'top'. It
> has saved me many times before. *smile*
No, when I do that, then the screen usually just becomes another fully
solid color. Or else it might stay the same color - it varies,
actually.
It really *is* nothing but a hardware failure. Often, the videocard
will also mess up the rest of the system at boot time then by sending
back some incorrect voltage or whatever it does, causing the kernel to
suddenly see three out of seven logical CPU's - my system has four
logical CPU's... :-/
>> The videocard is due for replacement one of these days, though. ;-)
>
> Passing on the kernel panic to somebody else on eBay? J/K
No, passing it on to the wastebin, probably... ;-)
--
With kind regards,
*Aragorn*
(Registered GNU/Linux user #223157)
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