Swapper: page allocation failure

Jonathan Hirschman jonathan at hirschman.net
Tue Aug 3 20:42:38 UTC 2010


I keep on getting the error shown below (along with lots of other stuff 
from kern.log); I can't figure out exactly if this is a serious issue, 
and if so, why it is happening.

Some details:

+ Current system is Hardy Server x64
+ Same problem has happened on Lucid Server x64, Debian 5.05
+ Same problem has happened using either sk98lin or sky2 as the network 
driver
+ Same problem has happened using either an md raid as swap, or an 
extended partition of one drive
+ RAM has been tested successfully with MemTest86+ for 24+ hour period
+ The problem always happens during very high-speed network operations, 
i.e., netcatting a bunch of files, via tar, from one machine on the LAN 
to this one.
+ memory looks like this during such operations:

$ free -m
              total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:           971        964          7          0          0        885
-/+ buffers/cache:         78        893
Swap:         1905          0       1905

+ Lastly, the machine doesn't fall down if I'm using Debian 5.05 or 
Hardy. It cratered pretty badly with Lucid.




[  702.089684] swapper: page allocation failure. order:1, mode:0x4020
[  702.089691] Pid: 0, comm: swapper Not tainted 2.6.24-26-server #1
[  702.089692]
[  702.089693] Call Trace:
[  702.089695]  <IRQ>  [<ffffffff8028c57d>] __alloc_pages+0x2fd/0x3d0
[  702.089723]  [<ffffffff802aeed0>] new_slab+0x220/0x260
[  702.089727]  [<ffffffff802af205>] __slab_alloc+0x2f5/0x410
[  702.089739]  [<ffffffff8827b88c>] 
:sk98lin:FillReceiveTableYukon2+0x18c/0x630
[  702.089748]  [<ffffffff8827b88c>] 
:sk98lin:FillReceiveTableYukon2+0x18c/0x630
[  702.089751]  [<ffffffff802b0491>] __kmalloc_node_track_caller+0x121/0x130
[  702.089756]  [<ffffffff803ea7ab>] __alloc_skb+0x7b/0x160
[  702.089764]  [<ffffffff8827b88c>] 
:sk98lin:FillReceiveTableYukon2+0x18c/0x630
[  702.089770]  [<ffffffff803f01a0>] netif_receive_skb+0x3b0/0x4a0
[  702.089779]  [<ffffffff8827d2e9>] :sk98lin:SkY2Poll+0x5c9/0x1150
[  702.089786]  [<ffffffff80431740>] tcp_delack_timer+0x0/0x250
[  702.089791]  [<ffffffff803f2838>] net_rx_action+0x128/0x230
[  702.089797]  [<ffffffff802440d5>] __do_softirq+0x75/0xe0
[  702.089802]  [<ffffffff8020d52c>] call_softirq+0x1c/0x30
[  702.089805]  [<ffffffff8020ed45>] do_softirq+0x35/0x90
[  702.089808]  [<ffffffff80244058>] irq_exit+0x88/0x90
[  702.089810]  [<ffffffff8020ef90>] do_IRQ+0x80/0x100
[  702.089812]  [<ffffffff8020b390>] default_idle+0x0/0x40
[  702.089815]  [<ffffffff8020b390>] default_idle+0x0/0x40
[  702.089817]  [<ffffffff8020c8b1>] ret_from_intr+0x0/0xa
[  702.089818]  <EOI>  [<ffffffff8020b3b9>] default_idle+0x29/0x40
[  702.089826]  [<ffffffff8020b418>] cpu_idle+0x48/0xe0
[  702.089833]
[  702.089834] Mem-info:
[  702.089835] Node 0 DMA per-cpu:
[  702.089838] CPU    0: Hot: hi:    0, btch:   1 usd:   0   Cold: hi: 
  0, btch:   1 usd:   0
[  702.089840] CPU    1: Hot: hi:    0, btch:   1 usd:   0   Cold: hi: 
  0, btch:   1 usd:   0
[  702.089842] Node 0 DMA32 per-cpu:
[  702.089844] CPU    0: Hot: hi:  186, btch:  31 usd:  57   Cold: hi: 
62, btch:  15 usd:  60
[  702.089846] CPU    1: Hot: hi:  186, btch:  31 usd:  39   Cold: hi: 
62, btch:  15 usd:  60
[  702.089849] Active:6341 inactive:225732 dirty:12992 writeback:220 
unstable:0
[  702.089850]  free:1319 slab:9940 mapped:1965 pagetables:699 bounce:0
[  702.089852] Node 0 DMA free:3852kB min:40kB low:48kB high:60kB 
active:52kB inactive:4136kB present:10476kB pages_scanned:13 
all_unreclaimable? no
[  702.089855] lowmem_reserve[]: 0 961 961 961
[  702.089858] Node 0 DMA32 free:1424kB min:3944kB low:4928kB 
high:5916kB active:25312kB inactive:898792kB present:984436kB 
pages_scanned:0 all_unreclaimable? no
[  702.089861] lowmem_reserve[]: 0 0 0 0
[  702.089863] Node 0 DMA: 2*4kB 0*8kB 1*16kB 0*32kB 0*64kB 0*128kB 
1*256kB 1*512kB 1*1024kB 1*2048kB 0*4096kB = 3864kB
[  702.089869] Node 0 DMA32: 10*4kB 0*8kB 0*16kB 1*32kB 1*64kB 0*128kB 
1*256kB 0*512kB 1*1024kB 0*2048kB 0*4096kB = 1416kB
[  702.089875] Swap cache: add 78, delete 67, find 5/7, race 0+0
[  702.089876] Free swap  = 1951504kB
[  702.089877] Total swap = 1951736kB
[  702.089878] Free swap:       1951504kB
[  702.096987] 253616 pages of RAM
[  702.096989] 4857 reserved pages
[  702.096990] 234339 pages shared
[  702.096991] 11 pages swap cached
[  702.097274] swapper: page allocation failure. order:1, mode:0x4020
[  702.097276] Pid: 0, comm: swapper Not tainted 2.6.24-26-server #1
[  702.097277]
[  702.097278] Call Trace:
[  702.097279]  <IRQ>  [<ffffffff8028c57d>] __alloc_pages+0x2fd/0x3d0
[  702.097297]  [<ffffffff802aeed0>] new_slab+0x220/0x260
[  702.097301]  [<ffffffff802af205>] __slab_alloc+0x2f5/0x410
[  702.097310]  [<ffffffff8827b88c>] 
:sk98lin:FillReceiveTableYukon2+0x18c/0x630
[  702.097317]  [<ffffffff8827b88c>] 
:sk98lin:FillReceiveTableYukon2+0x18c/0x630
[  702.097321]  [<ffffffff802b0491>] __kmalloc_node_track_caller+0x121/0x130
[  702.097325]  [<ffffffff803ea7ab>] __alloc_skb+0x7b/0x160
[  702.097333]  [<ffffffff8827b88c>] 
:sk98lin:FillReceiveTableYukon2+0x18c/0x630
[  702.097339]  [<ffffffff803f01a0>] netif_receive_skb+0x3b0/0x4a0
[  702.097348]  [<ffffffff8827d2e9>] :sk98lin:SkY2Poll+0x5c9/0x1150
[  702.097355]  [<ffffffff80431740>] tcp_delack_timer+0x0/0x250
[  702.097360]  [<ffffffff803f2838>] net_rx_action+0x128/0x230
[  702.097366]  [<ffffffff802440d5>] __do_softirq+0x75/0xe0
[  702.097370]  [<ffffffff8020d52c>] call_softirq+0x1c/0x30
[  702.097373]  [<ffffffff8020ed45>] do_softirq+0x35/0x90
[  702.097376]  [<ffffffff80244058>] irq_exit+0x88/0x90
[  702.097378]  [<ffffffff8020ef90>] do_IRQ+0x80/0x100
[  702.097380]  [<ffffffff8020b390>] default_idle+0x0/0x40
[  702.097382]  [<ffffffff8020b390>] default_idle+0x0/0x40
[  702.097385]  [<ffffffff8020c8b1>] ret_from_intr+0x0/0xa
[  702.097386]  <EOI>  [<ffffffff8020b3b9>] default_idle+0x29/0x40
[  702.097394]  [<ffffffff8020b418>] cpu_idle+0x48/0xe0
[  702.097401]
[  702.097402] Mem-info:
[  702.097403] Node 0 DMA per-cpu:
[  702.097405] CPU    0: Hot: hi:    0, btch:   1 usd:   0   Cold: hi: 
  0, btch:   1 usd:   0
[  702.097407] CPU    1: Hot: hi:    0, btch:   1 usd:   0   Cold: hi: 
  0, btch:   1 usd:   0
[  702.097409] Node 0 DMA32 per-cpu:
[  702.097411] CPU    0: Hot: hi:  186, btch:  31 usd:  57   Cold: hi: 
62, btch:  15 usd:  60
[  702.097413] CPU    1: Hot: hi:  186, btch:  31 usd:  39   Cold: hi: 
62, btch:  15 usd:  60
[  702.097416] Active:6341 inactive:225732 dirty:12992 writeback:220 
unstable:0
[  702.097417]  free:1319 slab:9940 mapped:1965 pagetables:699 bounce:0
[  702.097418] Node 0 DMA free:3852kB min:40kB low:48kB high:60kB 
active:52kB inactive:4136kB present:10476kB pages_scanned:13 
all_unreclaimable? no
[  702.097422] lowmem_reserve[]: 0 961 961 961
[  702.097424] Node 0 DMA32 free:1424kB min:3944kB low:4928kB 
high:5916kB active:25312kB inactive:898792kB present:984436kB 
pages_scanned:0 all_unreclaimable? no
[  702.097428] lowmem_reserve[]: 0 0 0 0
[  702.097430] Node 0 DMA: 2*4kB 0*8kB 1*16kB 0*32kB 0*64kB 0*128kB 
1*256kB 1*512kB 1*1024kB 1*2048kB 0*4096kB = 3864kB
[  702.097436] Node 0 DMA32: 10*4kB 0*8kB 0*16kB 1*32kB 1*64kB 0*128kB 
1*256kB 0*512kB 1*1024kB 0*2048kB 0*4096kB = 1416kB
[  702.097442] Swap cache: add 78, delete 67, find 5/7, race 0+0
[  702.097443] Free swap  = 1951504kB
[  702.097444] Total swap = 1951736kB
[  702.097445] Free swap:       1951504kB
[  702.104654] 253616 pages of RAM
[  702.104656] 4857 reserved pages
[  702.104657] 234339 pages shared
[  702.104658] 11 pages swap cached




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