Bug#657112: Please build linux-2.6 on Alpha with gcc-4.5
Source: linux-2.6
Version: 3.2.1-1
Severity: important
User: debian-alpha@lists.debian.org
Usertags: alpha
X-Debbugs-CC: debian-alpha@lists.debian.org
Justification: Crashes system in flaming heap of process/CPU lockups.
gcc-4.4 on Alpha produces bad code and is the reason for many crashes
that existed in quite of number of packages. The bug is fixed in gcc-4.5.
This is relevant to the kernel because the source package linux-2.6
requests that gcc-4.4 is used to build the kernel. Ouch! I hadn't
noticed that until now, when, wow, we finally (!) get a relatively new
Debian kernel built on Alpha, so I installed it with gusto and, strike a
light, it took my flash new buildd down in a flaming heap. See my
earlier report on this problem to the linux kernel list at:
https://lkml.org/lkml/2012/1/19/410
Please update the version of gcc-4.4 used to build the kernel on Alpha
to gcc-4.5. I suggest using gcc-4.5 rather than the default gcc-4.6 as
some people have reported that gcc-4.6 extends the data segment beyond
64kb (arch/alpha/Makefile specifies -msmall-data so the data segment
cannot exceed 64kB) thus linking fails. Actually, on a Debian kernel
that might not be a problem since almost everything is built as a
module, but we desperately need a _working_ kernel on Alpha so I suggest
not risking gcc-4.6 at the moment.
Cheers
Michael.
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