Clocksource/0: Time went backwards

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-source-2.6.22/+bug/146924

So I'm pretty sure this only happens with the broken xenified kernels built on the forward-ported suse xenified patches.

the xen debian wiki has some tips http://wiki.debian.org/Xen#A.27clocksource.2BAC8-0.3ATimewentbackwards.27 The clocksource setting can also be given as a kernel parameter as clocksource=jiffies.

the xensource bugzilla may have the answer. http://bugzilla.xensource.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=1098#c8

ok, so the guy from the xen list says:

------ Comment  #8 From Atsushi SAKAI  2007-11-01 20:34  [reply] -------

You should replace the function from opensuse kernel to linux 2.6.23
opensuse code does not consider sync to hypervisor.

====opensuse 2.6.22 xen3-patch-2.6.18 ===
+static cycle_t xen_clocksource_read(void)
+{
+       int cpu = get_cpu();
+       struct shadow_time_info *shadow = &per_cpu(shadow_time, cpu);
+       cycle_t ret;
+
+       get_time_values_from_xen(cpu);
+
+       ret = shadow->system_timestamp + get_nsec_offset(shadow);
+
+       put_cpu();
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_SMP
+       for (;;) {
+               static cycle_t last_ret;
+#ifndef CONFIG_64BIT
+               cycle_t last = cmpxchg64(&last_ret, 0, 0);
+#else
+               cycle_t last = last_ret;
+#define cmpxchg64 cmpxchg
+#endif
+
+               if ((s64)(ret - last) < 0) {
+                       if (last - ret > permitted_clock_jitter
+                           && printk_ratelimit())
+                               printk(KERN_WARNING "clocksource/%d: "
+                                      "Time went backwards: "
+                                      "delta=%Ld shadow=%Lu offset=%Lu\n",
+                                      cpu, ret - last,
+                                      shadow->system_timestamp,
+                                      get_nsec_offset(shadow));
+                       ret = last;
+               }
+               if (cmpxchg64(&last_ret, last, ret) == last)
+                       break;
+       }
+#endif
+
+       return ret;
+}

==> to Linux 2.6.23 xen_clocksource_read.

static cycle_t xen_clocksource_read(void)
{
        struct shadow_time_info *shadow = &get_cpu_var(shadow_time);
        cycle_t ret;
        unsigned version;

        do {
                version = get_time_values_from_xen();
                barrier();
                ret = shadow->system_timestamp + get_nsec_offset(shadow);
                barrier();
        } while (version != __get_cpu_var(xen_vcpu)->time.version);

        put_cpu_var(shadow_time);

        return ret;
}

I did

looks like the brokenness described above is in /arch/x86/kernel/time_32-xen.c so probably 32 only so don't worry. will change something else. trying to change ./arch/x86/xen/time.c instead, though it is rather different.

apt-get install build-essential fakeroot

apt-get build-dep linux-2.6
 apt-get sourcelinux-image-2.6.26-1-xen-amd64 
cd linux-2.6-2.6.26
fakeroot debian/rules debian/build debian/stamps
fakeroot make -f debian/rules.gen setup_amd64_none_amd64

cd debian/build/build_amd64_none_amd64/

...apply my patch...

cd ../../../
fakeroot make -f debian/rules.gen binary-arch_amd64_none_amd64

...

I used http://kernel-handbook.alioth.debian.org/ch-common-tasks.html#s-common-official to show me how to build a debian kernel.