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2GB RAM problem


Guest Jorem
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Guest Jorem

I have a problem with my new memory.

I bought 2 x 1024 MB Kingston memory and the memory is recognized by the BIOS.

 

My computer boots into Mandrake and everything works fine. But when I look at my memory I see that only 1GB is recognized by Mandrake.

 

What do I have to do so that Mandrake recognizes my total of 2GB RAM?

 

Can I change this somewhere in Mandrake?

 

Thanks for your help,

 

Ciao Jorem

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Install the enterprise_kernel

 

 

shouldn't it work up to 4GB without?

the x86 limit is 868MB (or something) not 1GB and if he has a whole GB the next HIMEM kernel support is 4GB then 16GB.

 

The enterprise kernels I found were crap and undocumented. I could never get other stuff to work with them (like nforce and nvidia drivers)... and of course you don't know what your kernel actually is! If you wanna use vmware or wine etc. you will have probs.

 

I found the best comprimise to be get the kernel-source.srpms and compile it with 4GB support...

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Guest Jorem

Gowator, thanks for your reply and I think you are right.

 

I have 883 MB when I look at my control panel, but in other parts Mandake gives another figure, 904. But not exactly 1GB.

 

So it can be the kernel what you said.

 

I am using that computer as my server now and is updating the kernel easy to do or are there a lot of risks to that. Is there an easy way for this? I have Mandrake 10.0 now, whitch kernel should I use? (sorry but I do not have any experience with kernel stuff because with 512 MB everything worked just fine with my kernel)

 

Thanks for your help,

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Im lost then because whenever I compile a kernel its 4GB or 16GB himem support...though I haven't had to for a while.... is this a 2.6 thing.

Up until recently, i didn't even know about the kernel-i586-up-1GB........

 

Jorem,

To be honest, for the few Mbs your missing i wouldn't even bother installing another kernel, its hardly worh it.

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anon: that'd be because it's not the right one :). If he installs that kernel he'll still only have 1GB, as it's a 1GB kernel (the -up indicates that it's a single-processor kernel, not that it supports 'upwards' of 1GB). The correct kernel to use in this situation is -i686-up-4GB or -enterprise , both of which have highmem support.

 

Kernels are a bit confusing as the scheme changed slightly with (I think) 10.1. Prior to 10.1, the default kernel was compiled for i586 up to 1GB of RAM, and there were other kernels available if you needed more memory support. -enterprise supported up to 4GB with SMP (multiprocessor support), if I remember right; -i686-up-4GB supported a single CPU up to 4GB (and was compiled with i686 optimizations on the basis that no-one would be using an i586 CPU with more than 1GB of RAM).

 

From 10.1 on, this changed around a bit - now the _default_ kernel is built for i686 with support for more than 1GB of RAM (I think 4GB with 10.1 and 64GB with 2005). So we now provide a -i586-up-1GB kernel for people with i586 CPUs - this is the same kernel as used to be the default. In 10.1, I think we provided a -i686-up-64GB kernel for anyone with more than 4GB (yeah, all those huge amounts of people...) In 10.2, we provide a -i686-up-4GB kernel for one special case - Intel Dothan CPUs, which don't support the pae extension and don't work with the default (64GB) kernel.

 

Confused yet?!

 

Let's give a summary:

 

10.0

-----

 

default: supports i586> CPUs with <1GB of RAM

enterprise: supports i586> multi-CPU machines up to 4GB of RAM

-i686-up-4GB: supports i686> single-CPU machines up to 4GB of RAM

smp: supports i586> multi-CPU up to 1GB

 

10.1

-----

 

default: supports i686> CPUs up to 4GB of RAM

-i586-up-1GB: supports i586> CPUs up to 1GB of RAM

-i686-up-64GB: supports i686> CPUs up to 64GB of RAM

-enterprise: multi-CPU i686> up to 4GB (I guess)

-smp: not sure what the difference between this and enterprise is

 

2005

------

 

default: supports i686> CPUs up to 64GB of RAM (doesn't work on Dothan)

i586-up-1GB: supports i586> CPUs up to 1GB of RAM

i686-up-4GB: supports i686> CPUs up to 4GB of RAM (works on Dothan)

-enterprise, -smp: see 10.1

 

I love kernels. :)

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Guest Jorem

Thanks Adamw,

 

It was the kernel-i686-up-4GB-2.6.3.7mdk that solved the problem. It was on the Mandrake 10.0 Power Pack ++ CD1.

 

Whem I used urpmi kernel-i686-up-4GB-2.6.3.7mdk it worked just fine.

After the restart I had to fix my screen resolution but the rest was just working fine.

 

I testend it on my laptop now and will do it on my server tomorrow and hopefully all my memory works fine than.

 

Thanks for all the help,

 

Ciao Jorem

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................ (the -up indicates that it's a single-processor kernel, not that it supports 'upwards' of 1GB).

 

From the MDA control centre on kernel-i586-up-1GB

Description: kernel-i586-up-1GB

This package includes a kernel that has appropriate configuration options enabled for the typical desktop with more than 1GB of memory.

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I am using the 2.6.11-6 kernel and I have Corsair Twinex 1Gb and it reads as 1.011.45 Gb.

I have not needed to go to the -up-1Gb or the -up- 4Gb kernels.

When I was using the 2.6.8 kernel, my readings were correct as well so I think later kernels have the necessary correction. With earlier kernels it read approx. 890Mb

I have not compiled the kernels by the way.

I have successfully completed a total upgrade by way of easy-urpmi, to Mandriva 2005 and without a major hitch (or even a minor one either).

 

Cheers. John

Edited by AussieJohn
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yep, that's right - as I mentioned, since between 10.0 and 10.1, the default kernel has been a highmem one.

This is a really important step :banana::banana::banana: to Mandri.......

 

Many useful apps and drivers are compiled agains the standard kernel (skype, nvidia drivers, vmware, ... etc.) and can be very fiddly if you use the other kernels

 

Once you step into modifiying kernels to make stuff work you open a whole can of worms... because you need to do it every time you upgrade etc. so this makes life considerably easier for many I hope!

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