Entries from August 2010 ↓

The search for the perfect kernel scheduler is like searching for the Holy Grail. Linux 2.6 started with the O(1) scheduler, which solved a lot of issues for real-time processes. However, it didn’t scale to large NUMA (non-uniform memory access) machines. The Linux kernel can scale to 4096 processors. Not all the processors have to share the same bus architecture and memory. Rather, a machine could consist of multiple 16 to 24 processor systems connected by a high-speed bus. This is the world of NUMA, as each system has its own memory that can be shared with other systems. The Completely Fair Scheduler (CFS) scaled to large NUMA machines, but created problems with systems that had less than 16 cores. CFS also scales well to the high core count of new GPUs (Graphic Processing Unit), which can also run non-graphical processes. For mobile devices with less than 16 cores, it creates problems with heating.

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After installing PCLinuxOS Xfce, I was ready for the GRUB configuration issues. One experiment, however, forced me to install it twice. Although similar to PCLinuxOS Xfce, PCLinuxOS LXDE also different. I am not just referring to the memory footprint. How does it compare to PCLinuxOS Xfce?

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Since the HP laptop used for this test only has a 30 gigabyte disk, I split the space used by Fedora 13 between PCLinuxOS Xfce and PCLinuxOS LXDE. With only 512 megabytes of memory, lighter weight desktops are a plus. Besides, this was a chance to compare Xfce and LXDE from one Linux community. This is my first round with PCLinuxOS, so my comments do not reference any previous versions.

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Linux Mint 9 is my favorite Ubuntu derivative, but still is not my favorite Linux distro. OpenSuse still holds the number 1 spot, but Linux Mint is getting closer to being number 1. After all the problems with Fedora 13, it was a pleasure to install something that worked.

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I installed Fedora 13 on Friday the 13th. Friday the 13th as unlucky day may be a myth, but my experience with Fedora 13 was not.

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