tlug: L2 Cache question

[Neil Booth <NeilB@example.com>]

I built a new machine this weekend, to connect it to my other Linux
one and learn about networking, and decided to give AMD a go with an
AMD K2 350.  Anyway, to the point.  The install kept oopsing when
installing RPMS.  I know this is a high-stress part of the install,
and suspected the hardware.  I tried different memory I knew was OK,
but still the install oopsed. I tried turning down the CPU speed (I
wasn't overclocking anyway) but still it oopsed.  All oopses occurred
in different places.  I began to really suspect the CPU, but had the
idea of turning off the rather large 2MB of on-board L2 cache.
Installed no problems, and survived a full rpm -ba of the kernel
source.  When I turned the L2 cache back on, and tried the same
compile, the machine froze after about 90 seconds.

Am I right in thinking that this is not a Linux problem but a pure
hardware one?  After all, cache should be pretty transparent to the
O/S, apart from things like maintaining consistency across context
switches, right?  I'm going to take the motherboard back tomorrow, and
just wanted to make sure.

Kind of glad it's not the CPU.  It's nice to support the little
guy. And it blows the Pentium II 233 away.

Cheers,

Neil.
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