[Bug 304660] [NEW] extensive disk writing may cause out of memory error

Wed Dec 3 05:05:26 UTC 2008

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: linux-image-2.6.15-52-amd64-server

When writing a lot of files (> 1GB) to a USB hard disk, Linux will use
up all the memory and start killing processes, making the computer
highly unstable. Below is the kern.log. It had no swap by incident.
Enabling swap seems to have fixed the problem. However, even without
swap, it shouldn't use all the memory just to do I/O, right?

Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336035] lowmem_reserve[]: 0 0 0 0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336038] Node 0 HighMem free:0kB min:128
kB low:128kB high:128kB active:0kB inactive:0kB present:0kB pages_scanned:0 all_
unreclaimable? no
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336043] lowmem_reserve[]: 0 0 0 0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336046] Node 0 DMA: 2*4kB 2*8kB 0*16kB
1*32kB 1*64kB 0*128kB 1*256kB 1*512kB 1*1024kB 1*2048kB 1*4096kB = 8056kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336055] Node 0 DMA32: 186*4kB 8*8kB 10*
16kB 0*32kB 1*64kB 0*128kB 1*256kB 0*512kB 1*1024kB 0*2048kB 1*4096kB = 6408kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336063] Node 0 Normal: empty
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336065] Node 0 HighMem: empty
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336068] Swap cache: add 0, delete 0, fi
nd 0/0, race 0+0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336070] Free swap  = 0kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336072] Total swap = 0kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.336074] Free swap:            0kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342497] oom-killer: gfp_mask=0x201d2, o
rder=0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342501] Mem-info:
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342503] Node 0 DMA per-cpu:
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342506] cpu 0 hot: low 0, high 0, batch 1 used:0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342509] cpu 0 cold: low 0, high 0, batc
h 1 used:0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342511] cpu 1 hot: low 0, high 0, batch
 1 used:0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342514] cpu 1 cold: low 0, high 0, batc
h 1 used:0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342516] Node 0 DMA32 per-cpu:
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342519] cpu 0 hot: low 0, high 186, bat
ch 31 used:147
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342522] cpu 0 cold: low 0, high 62, bat
ch 15 used:13
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342525] cpu 1 hot: low 0, high 186, bat
ch 31 used:24
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342527] cpu 1 cold: low 0, high 62, bat
ch 15 used:7
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342529] Node 0 Normal per-cpu: empty
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342532] Node 0 HighMem per-cpu: empty
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342535] Free pages:       14524kB (0kB
HighMem)
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342540] Active:20582 inactive:448112 di
rty:165685 writeback:281 unstable:0 free:3631 slab:13547 mapped:20328 pagetables
:1313
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342552] Node 0 DMA free:8056kB min:32kB
 low:40kB high:48kB active:56kB inactive:3960kB present:11996kB pages_scanned:10
...
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342583] lowmem_reserve[]: 0 0 0 0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342585] Node 0 DMA: 2*4kB 2*8kB 0*16kB
1*32kB 1*64kB 0*128kB 1*256kB 1*512kB 1*1024kB 1*2048kB 1*4096kB = 8056kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342594] Node 0 DMA32: 201*4kB 8*8kB 10*
16kB 0*32kB 1*64kB 0*128kB 1*256kB 0*512kB 1*1024kB 0*2048kB 1*4096kB = 6468kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342603] Node 0 Normal: empty
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342605] Node 0 HighMem: empty
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342608] Swap cache: add 0, delete 0, find 0/0, race 0+0
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342610] Free swap  = 0kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342612] Total swap = 0kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.342614] Free swap:            0kB
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.351610] 524280 pages of RAM
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.351613] 9047 reserved pages
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.351615] 448720 pages shared
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.351617] 0 pages swap cached
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.351684] Out of Memory: Killed process 4028 (vmware-vmx).
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.357467] 524280 pages of RAM
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.357470] 9047 reserved pages
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.357472] 448718 pages shared
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.357473] 0 pages swap cached
Dec  2 19:05:05 cladms002 kernel: [12339.357534] Out of Memory: Killed process 4028 (vmware-vmx).

** Affects: linux-source-2.6.15 (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

-- 
extensive disk writing may cause out of memory error
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/304660
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Kernel
Bugs, which is subscribed to linux-source-2.6.15 in ubuntu.