Linux Kernel Fix for Rare Boot Hangs Since 2024
Linux kernel developers have released a fix to address rare boot hangs affecting systems since 2024.
Intelligence analysis by Qwen 2.5 (3B)
Linux kernel developers have released a fix to address rare boot hangs affecting systems since 2024, related to the non-blocking console 'NBCON' code.
The Linux kernel developers fixed a problem where some systems would hang during boot, especially those with SMP configurations. They moved the start of the console printing code later in the boot process to prevent hangs.
Analysis
{"heading_1":"Background on the Issue","content_1":"The issue has been affecting Linux systems since September 2024, when the non-blocking console 'NBCON' code was introduced in the printk() code.","content_2":"Various bug reports have been filed, with the root cause being the non-blocking console 'NBCON' code interfering with early SMP setup on some hardware platforms.","content_3":"Linutronix engineer John Ogness provided the fix, postponing the start of the console printing KThreads to later in the boot process to avoid boot hangs."}
Key points
- Fix released for rare boot hangs affecting Linux systems since 2024
- Issue related to the non-blocking console 'NBCON' code
- Fix involves postponing the start of the console printing KThreads to later in the boot process
- Fix is expected to be backported to other kernel branches
- Fix is related to the printk() code, introduced in September 2024
The fix should improve stability and reliability for systems with SMP configurations, reducing the risk of boot hangs.
While the fix should resolve the issue, there is a risk that some systems with specific hardware configurations may still experience boot hangs.