SLES 9 IO problem

There are some aphids in the garden right now.

I have an interesting problem with SLES9. I know it isn't my favorite linux distribution either, but it is pretty good for business that like support and it is a great java platform.

The interesting problem is with I/O. On a default install on various platforms, if you run a high I/O job the system becomes unresponsive. I believe it is a problem with the kernel version, because none of the other Linux distributions I've tried have it.

SLES9 is stuck in a heavily patched 2.6.5 kernel, and if you look through the kernel changelog, you'll see plenty of virtual memory and I/O improvements.

Today, I think I'll try a vanilla 2.6.12 or later kernel- because if my suspicions are right, somewhere between 2.6.5 and 2.6.12 the bug is fixed.

Two laws that stifle the growth of technology in the US

These are the two worst laws for a gardener of silicon rust:

the DMCA ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMCA )

and

the Patriot Act ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act )

These laws do not encourage the things that brought the great innovations that the US is famous for like the Internet, Unix, ethernet, etc. They would inhibit a Bell Labs or a Xerox PARC or even the children of products from Xerox Parc (like Apple and 3Com and the like).


If you are a citizen and want to see the U.S. keep up with the world in technology, write you congress person and contribute to the EFF ( http://www.eff.org/ ). If you can, do more. If you can't anything will help.