How to downgrade python

whywhy · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 40

I am thinking of downgrading python as I am facing some problem with portage.

What would be a good way to go about it ?

Do I just mask the version of python I have now and then run a "emerge -NDup world" ?

Is there any extra steps I should do ?

Just asking as emerge / portage need python to run so I want to be sure about how to do it.

Jaglover · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:24 pm Post subject:

Generally, you do not want to downgrade python. What versions you have in mind?

whywhy · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 40

The version installed in my system now are :

dev-lang/python-2.6.5-r2
dev-lang/python-3.1.2-r3

I would like to try dev-lang/python-2.6.4-r1 or even dev-lang/python-2.5.4-r4.

Jaglover · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:42 pm Post subject:

2.6.4-r1 may be an option. Forget 2.5 as system python, it's going to break your Gentoo.

Still, why you need this downgrade? Maybe there is a better solution?

whywhy · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 40

The problem I am facing is in this post

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-836773-highlight-.html

basically I am getting seg fault in emerge / portage, I have done "emerge -e libtool" but that did not help.

So I thought I will try another version of python.

Jaglover · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:49 pm Post subject:

Random segfaults point to hardware problems. Bad RAM, overheating, dusty cases, out of spec PSU, etc.

whywhy · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 40

I have already changed the CPU, motherboard , RAM and casing fan but still getting seg fault

Jaglover · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:59 pm Post subject:

Bad hard drive (or cable), out of spec PSU.

DONAHUE · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:13 am Post subject:

you have done python-updater and lafilefixer --justfixit?

whywhy · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 40

Yes run python-updater and lafilefixer, I have also manage to do a "emerge -e libtool".

However when I try to run a "emerge -e system" it seg fault during the installation of libgmp and did not install the .so files and so kill my system, I have to go get the libgmp file from a stage3 tarball.

So is python one of those package that cannot be downgraded, like glibc ?

Perhaps the gentoo handbook can include a section about what packages cannot be downgraded, that way users will be more careful doing emerge -Du.

I actually think the problem might be with glibc but as that package cannot be downgraded, there is not much I can do with it.

John R. Graham · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 11:25 am Post subject:

Build messages leading up to the segfault can be instructive (and tasty). Why don't you feed us some? :wink:

- John
_________________
I can confirm that I have received between 0 and 499 National Security Letters.

whywhy · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 40

There is not much log to go on, portage would sometime seg fault right from the start like so,

tux64 ~ # emerge -NDup world

These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating dependencies... Segmentation fault

And there will be a entry in the kernel log like this,

log-2010-07-23-05:07:16:Jul 22 21:43:35 [kernel] emerge[30243]: segfault at 10737675 ip 00007f721d7472a9 sp 00007fffbd985a10 error 4 in libpython2.6.so.1.0[7f721d6c8000+157000]

idella4 · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 1:34 pm Post subject:

downgrading python goes against the grain of gentoo. emerge and portage tun on python.
Aside from python-updater, try
emerge -u python
or
emerge -e python
which amount to the same thing.

whywhy · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 40

here the python that is on my system :

equery list python
[ Searching for package 'python' in all categories among: ]
* installed packages
[I--] [ ] app-admin/eselect-python-20100321 (0)
[I--] [ ] app-admin/python-updater-0.8 (0)
[I--] [ ] dev-lang/python-2.6.5-r2 (2.6)
[I--] [ ] dev-lang/python-3.1.2-r3 (3.1)
[I--] [ ] dev-python/notify-python-0.1.1-r1 (0)

emerge does not seg fault everytime I used it, it just happen kind of randomly. There is no pattern to the seg fault, it can happen right after a reboot, or after the system was up for a whole day, or at a time when there is high I/O, or even when the system is idle.

DONAHUE · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 2:29 pm Post subject:

Genone · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 2:42 pm Post subject:

Even if it's not hardware related it's very unlikely that a downgrade of python (which is of course possible) would solve your segmentation faults. Also note that current portage versions require at least python-2.6, so your downgrade options are somewhat limited.
But as others have said, non-reproducable segfaults in random locations definitely sound like hardware issues.

whywhy · n00b Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 40

I finally track down the problem, it is a hardware issue.

The 3rd core on my brand new AMD x4 635 is faulty, it fails under high load. With the way that process are schedule in linux/unix, this mean jobs will seg fault randomly with no apparent reason like how hot the CPU is running. As long as the job is not running on the faulty core, it will run fine.

I found the problem using the package "cpuburn", more details about cpuburn are here :

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/articles/hardware-stability-p1.xml

I am now running with maxcpus=2 until I can get the rma done.