Latest Kernel with AMD 32-bit processor

[fredringwald]

It appears that ubuntu distribution kernels since linux-image-4.8.0-22-lowlatency are compiled for AMD 64-bit processors. I am running an AMD A8-5600K four-core processor, and I am unable to run the latest kernels. I am currently running linux-image-4.8.0-22-lowlatency, but have had to remove package linux-image-lowlatency because the auto update installs later kernels which don't appear to support my processor.

The following page suggests that the latest kernel only supports AMD 64 bit processors:

https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-hwe/4.8.0-45.48~16.04.1

I would appreciate any advice or information regarding ubuntu kernel support for my AMD 32 bit processor.

Thank you!

[jscythe]

"AMD A8-5600K" is both AMD64 and i386 processor, BOTH i386-32 and AMD64/x86-64 bit.

The following page suggests that the latest kernel only supports AMD 64 bit processors where EXACTLY does it says so? Page says both "Architecture i386 amd64".

unable to run the latest kernels - How EXACTLY you are not able to run "latest" kernels and what you see on screen? - record video and post youtube link if you can't explain.
Btw, any particular reason why you use lowlatency and not generic kernel?

[fredringwald]

jscythe,

First, please let me thank you for your reply. I have several responses to your questions.

1) I agree, it appears that I was wrong regarding the capability of my A8 processor. I drew that conclusion when I was not able to get Chrome for linux to work after Google dropped support for AMD 32-bit processors, and knew that my processor was several years old.

2) Sorry, I wasn't complete in my statement regarding the page I referenced. Under architectures, the only AMD architecture that I saw was AMD64, and I intended to say that the only AMD architecture supported was AMD64, I was inappropriately ignoring the long list of other architectures that I thought were not relevant to my situation.

3) The latest kernels (everything I have tried since linux-image-4.8.0-22-lowlatency) will start to boot, won't finish, and will then return me to my BIOS screen where I can choose to enter BIOS setup. The video at: https://youtu.be/2DjKyANL-v8 shows this process. I have scrubbed my /var/log/syslog and cannot find any information suggesting why the later kernels aren't completing the boot process.

4) I am using the lowlatency kernels because that was the default kernel installed by the ubuntu studio installation disc when I shifted to ubuntu studio years ago. They have served me well, and I haven't given my kernel choice a second thought since. From the genesis of linux in the early 1990s until about 10 years ago when my work demands ramped up, I compiled my own kernels regularly. I was an early user of minix and Coherent, wrote a number of programs in c, pascal, and other languages, and regularly compiled and ran emacs, gcc, etc., as well as many other projects. I recently retired, and have discovered that linux has changed a lot in the last 10 years, and I have a lot to learn to catch back up to the point of fluency that I once had.

Again, thank you for your reply to my question. I will welcome any help offered, and will gladly provide additional information as needed to isolate the problem.

Fred Ringwald

[jscythe]

Alright, from video it looks like boot process went far enough into device enumeration, but it may be UEFI/BIOS issue too. Could you please share content of tail (around 300 lines) "/var/log/dmesg" (or dmesg.log) and possibly "/var/log/boot.log" before failure?

[fredringwald]

jscythe,

I appreciate the response, and don't know how to provide the information you have requested. My /var/log/dmesg file have file creation times from last July. The dmesg command only provides kernel ring buffer messages from the current boot, which was successful since I booted linux-image-4.8.0-22-lowlatency after linux-image-4.8.0-45-generic did not complete the boot process. As I scour my /var/log/syslog, I don't find meaningful boot messages associated with the incomplete boot of linux-image-4.8.0-45-generic. I have a /var/log/boot from last August, and a /var/log/boot.log from today that doesn't have meaningful data from the incomplete boot.

Is there a way to enable the boot logging or some other way to capture it so we can figure this out?

Sorry to be a pain, I just don't see a way to capture the data.

Thank you,

Fred Ringwald