Patch-ID# 100635-01
Keywords: killable, aren't, state, processes, nice'd, runnable, hang, onrq, nice
Synopsis: SunOS 4.1.2: nice'd processes hang in run state and aren't killable on Sun4m
Date: 26 May 92

SunOS release: 4.1.2

Unbundled Product: 

Unbundled Release: 

Topic: nice'd processes hang in run state and aren't killable on Sun4m

BugId's fixed with this patch: 1090435

Architectures for which this patch is available: sun4m

Patches which may conflict with this patch: 

Obsoleted by: 4.1.3

Files included with this patch: 

Problem Description: 

1) nice values of 5 or less have very little impact on scheduling priority
   compared with 4.1.2 on a 4/490. nice values of 8 or greater all seem
   to have the same, rather dramatic, affect of putting processes at such
   a low priority that they very rarely run.

2) sending SIGKILL to a process with a nice value of more than 5 can 
   sometimes have no affect at all, apart from changing the nice value
   to zero. The process is runnable but never runs.



Install Instructions:

As root, make a backup copy of swtch.o and kern_clock.o:

        mv /sys/sun4m/OBJ/swtch.o /sys/sun4m/OBJ/swtch.o.FCS
        mv /sys/sun4m/OBJ/kern_clock.o /sys/sun4m/OBJ/kern_clock.o.FCS

Now install the patched files:

        cp swtch.o /sys/sun4m/OBJ
        cp kern_clock.o /sys/sun4m/OBJ

Rebuild the new kernel.
Please refer to the system and networking administration manual
for details on building and installing a new kernel.