[daip] Problem with Athalon CPU

[Eric Greisen]

Nanni Mauro writes:
 > Hello Eric
 > 
 > We are useing AIPS  (31DEC07 - 31DEC06)  with  PC Computer 
 > OS   Linux  Fedora   Core 3 - 4 - 5 - 6.
 > On the Athalon CPU  we have problem with TV tasks.
 > With IMAGER  or  TVWIN  the speed of the graphic pointer
 > is very very slow,  and decrease with the use/time.  Became unusable in
 > a short time.
 > On Intel CPU we do not have these problems.
 > Please note thet we are working  in a YP  network environement end
 > the test was mode with the same user, the same software on different CPUs.
 > 
 > I remember the same problem  with "the boxes"  many years ago, ( but 
 > some the
 > compuers in use at our institute  at that time was so slow  that  the  
 > problem was 
 > not so clear)  but  different release ol the software  fix it.
 > 

The issue I believe has to do not with AIPS itself but with how
interupts are handled in the operating system.  I had the impression
here that the OS would sometimes just ignore interupts for some period
of time.  Note that programs like XAS are driven by interupts - e.g.
cursor-moved interupt tells XAS to do something.  Our systems gurus
seem to have done something to our operating systems (RedHat Linux)
because the TV troubles seem to have gone away, but I do not know what
they ended up doing.  I am Cc'ing them on this message to see if they
have any advice, but you should consult your systems people about the
interupt system on Athlon in this operating system.

AIPS does seem to find the small deficiencies in O/S's for some
reason...

Good luck,

Eric Greisen