Re: VIA 686 timer bugfix incomplete

[Vojtech Pavlik]

On Thu, Nov 08, 2001 at 03:29:45AM +0800, Steve Underwood wrote:
> Alan Cox wrote:
> 
> >>but it seems that the patch was incomplete: The bug is still triggered on my
> >>computer using 2.4.14, but the bugfix seems to work whith -ac kernels.
> >>
> > 
> > The first piece is in.
> > 
> > 
> >>you can see what's missing to actually work around the via timer bug. I hope
> >>this will go into 2.4.15.
> >>
> > 
> > I don't plan to submit it until the locking fixes for the timer access are
> > done and we know the real cause
> 
> 
> If the messages:
> 
> probable hardware bug: clock timer configuration lost - probably a 
> VIA686a motherboard.
> probable hardware bug: restoring chip configuration.
> 
> are really related to a VIA686A bug, why do they erratically appear on 
> Compaq ML370's, which use ServerWorks chip sets? Is there a common bug 
> between these chip sets? Seems unlikely.

Just to make sure: Is on the system the Ftape of any joystick driver in
use? If not, then:

The ServerWorks chip set has a bug that is shared with old Intel Neptune
chipset most likely. This is a problem per se, but also triggers the VIA
bug workaround. The VIA bug test can be enhanced to detect this false
alarm, but the Neptune-like bug still stays and is dangerous as well.

At least the VIA workaround told us something fishy is happening on
non-VIA hardware as well.

For example on my VIA686a/cg (late revision), the workaround is never
triggered.

-- 
Vojtech Pavlik
SuSE Labs