Sean Doran <smd@ebone.net> writes:

> I have a theory that this is because I have "options NVNODE=3500"
> in my config file, and that the "max_softdeps = desiredvnodes * 4"
> code in gnusrc/gnu/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_softdep.c (line 880 in
> file version 1.4) results in not speeding up flushing
> enough.

Well, having NVNODE be the default didn't change all that
much.  Running update(8) had more of an obvious effect on
uptime during a "make build".

Adjusting the multiplier to 2 in the line referenced above
has allowed me to do a complete "make build" and other
activities without crashing.

Interestingly, my laptop runs a kernel that is largely the
same as the desktop that has been having trouble; the
difference is that the former has a pciide I/O subsystem,
while the latter has a pretty speedy SCSI one (PCI ahc
plus "options AHC_TAGENABLE" plus a fast disk).

        Sean.