Re: How can Linux demage a motherboard?

Hi Mark,

So you're trying to run the Opteron box off a hard disk linux installation
that was setup on a different cpu architecture and motherboard? That's no
surprise that
didn't work too well. Intel and AMD use different power management
systems
Opteron uses "Cool-n-Quiet" and Intel uses speedstep. Since the intel and
AMD
32bit and 64bit architectures are pretty compatible (EMT64<->AMD64 or i386
on either)
the kernel itself was ok, it does some hardware detection at boot time so
it should
work on either. But when it loaded cpuspeed the power driver is hard coded
in the
/etc/cpuspeed.conf file on most Linux's so it was likely trying to load an
inappropriate power module. Also, /etc/modprobe.conf might be suggesting
modules to the kernel for loading that are really for Intel

What you are saying regarding the powermanagement is in line with my
thoughts, I suspected something on this line.

Try installing linux on the Motherboard from scratch or only use an image
on a hard disk from another server that's got exactly the same hardware.
Another easy test would be to try a Live Linux CD like Knoppix and see
if it reproduces the weird fan problem, I bet it won't.

On the other hand, in your suggestion you have forgotten the fact that now
the server doesn't run for more that 5 five minutes in first go after couple
of hours of resting, and the second and subsequent startups are only a few
seconds.....

Here is my real dilemma:
The OS loaded some driver, module, etc and changed some behaviour. That is
understandable but that should only affect the server when the OS is
loading.
Here on the other hand, once the wrong image is booted up the first time the
problem becomes permanent and not dependent on the OS any more, so tha
changes are written some where into/onto the motherboard.....that is fine, I
can leave with that too.

But where does it gets written to so neither the BIOS reset or the bios
patch can reverse it?

Considering all simptoms, it seems like some sensory process gets adjusted
to just below the normal oprating temperature.
For example the CPU operates normally @ 50 degrees and normally the max
operating temperatue is 80 degrees.
Using this examplle, my stuffed image somehow managed to adjust the max
operating temperature to 49.8 degrees. When I turn on the machine the first
time, it takes a little while to get up to the 50 degrees, so I have say 5
minutes...but next roung only 10 seconds, and after that it is down to 1 or
2 seconds.

Any more clues?

TIA,

Tom







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