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Bug#567433: marked as done (firmware-linux-nonfree: huge increase in used memory (RAM) right after system startup)

Your message dated Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:48:27 +0000
with message-id <1264736907.373.597.camel@localhost>
and subject line Re: Bug#567433: firmware-linux-nonfree: huge increase in used memory (RAM) right after system startup
has caused the Debian Bug report #567433,
regarding firmware-linux-nonfree: huge increase in used memory (RAM) right after system startup
to be marked as done.

This means that you claim that the problem has been dealt with.
If this is not the case it is now your responsibility to reopen the
Bug report if necessary, and/or fix the problem forthwith.

(NB: If you are a system administrator and have no idea what this
message is talking about, this may indicate a serious mail system
misconfiguration somewhere. Please contact owner@bugs.debian.org
immediately.)


-- 
567433: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=567433
Debian Bug Tracking System
Contact owner@bugs.debian.org with problems
--- Begin Message --- 
Package: firmware-linux-nonfree
Version: 0.22
Severity: normal

I was using the following kernel: "linux-image-2.6.30-2-686".
After last "aptitude full-upgrade" the new kernel "linux-image-2.6.32-trunk-686" was installed, and I'm using it since then.
This new kernel is "binary blob free", and the eventually required firmware files are now in user land, inside packages "firmware-linux" and "firmware-linux-nonfree". 

I have the following graphics card: ATI RV350 AP.
ATI RV350 AP needs the firmware file "R300_cp.bin", which is included in package "firmware-linux-nonfree". 
R300_cp.bin is the only firmware file my system needs.
So I had to install the package "firmware-linux", which automatically installed package "firmware-linux-nonfree" and updated initramfs image.
And now, when I run the command "dmesg | grep -i firmw" I see that "R300_cp.bin" is requested and loaded in memory (so everything is fine). 

Everything is fine except the used memory...
As a matter of fact, the memory (RAM) used right after gnome or lxde login is now 32 MB more than the memory used before installing "firmware-linux" and "firmware-linux-nonfree" ! 

I see this by running the command "free -m" right after system startup.
Before installing "firmware-linux" the system was using 97 MB in Gnome and 65 MB in LXDE. After installing "firmware-linux" the system began using 129 MB in Gnome and 97 MB in LXDE! Unistalling "firmware-linux" brings the used memory to 97 MB in Gnome and 65 MB in LXDE. 

I have found the culprit is only the file "R300_cp.bin".
Removing all files and directories inside /lib/firmware/ except the file "R300_cp.bin" (which resides in /lib/firmware/radeon/) mantains the system in the "memory hog state" (129 MB in Gnome and 97 MB in LXDE). Removing from /lib/firmware/ only the file "R300_cp.bin" (which resides in /lib/firmware/radeon/) brings the system (after next startup, of course) back to normal used memory state (97 MB in Gnome and 65 MB in LXDE).
Another thing very strange is the fact the size of firmware file "R300_cp.bin" is only 2,0 KB! So how can the system be using 32 MB just for loading a 2,0 KB file??
This is of great concern mainly because many old systems have 256 MB of RAM or even less... So a 32 MB increase in memory right after system startup in unaceptable. And this in order for the user to have exactly the same functionality he had with the refered firmware binary blob included in the kernel! 


-- System Information:
Debian Release: squeeze/sid
 APT prefers testing
 APT policy: (900, 'testing')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.30-2-686 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=pt_PT.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=pt_PT.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

firmware-linux-nonfree depends on no packages.

firmware-linux-nonfree recommends no packages.

Versions of packages firmware-linux-nonfree suggests:
ii initramfs-tools 0.93.4 tools for generating an initramfs ii linux-image-2.6.30-2-68 2.6.30-8squeeze1 Linux 2.6.30 image on PPro/Celeron 
ii  linux-image-2.6.32-trun 2.6.32-5         Linux 2.6.32 for modern PCs

-- no debconf information

--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message --- 
On Fri, 2010-01-29 at 03:08 +0000, Alter Ego wrote:
> Everything is fine except the used memory...
> As a matter of fact, the memory (RAM) used right after gnome or lxde 
> login is now 32 MB more than the memory used before installing 
> "firmware-linux" and "firmware-linux-nonfree" !
> 
> I see this by running the command "free -m" right after system startup.

You need to understand how the kernel manages memory before doing
anything with those figures.

> Before installing "firmware-linux" the system was using 97 MB in Gnome 
> and 65 MB in LXDE.
> After installing "firmware-linux" the system began using 129 MB in Gnome 
> and 97 MB in LXDE!
> Unistalling "firmware-linux" brings the used memory to 97 MB in Gnome 
> and 65 MB in LXDE.
> 
> I have found the culprit is only the file "R300_cp.bin".

No, this file is needed to enable DRI (accelerated 3D rendering etc).
By removing it, you disable DRI, and you save some memory.  This is not
a bug.

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings
You can't have everything.  Where would you put it?

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