Linux Fixmap: A Guide to Solving Memory Mapping Issues on Your System（linuxfixmap）
Most Linux systems, like other operating systems, require access to proprietary software components to work properly. For example, the /etc/hosts file is often used to dynamically update IP addresses for a system’s various services. In order to access these components, the system must allocate a specific amount of memory to them, known as a “fixmap.” This article will provide an overview of the Linux Fixmap, and provide instructions on how to use it to solve memory mapping issues.
A fixmap is basically a block of memory that the kernel sets aside for use by the proprietary software components. This block of memory is reserved and protected from regular memory allocations and deallocations, ensuring that the software components can always access the necessary data. This is useful when dealing with the complexities of dynamic memory allocations and deallocations, which can lead to unexpected system crashes.
Fixmaps are configured by the Linux kernel when the system boots. To configure a fixmap, you can either edit the /etc/fstab, or you can use a script like the Memory Fixmap Script. This script will allow you to specify the size of the fixmap, what type of memory it should use, and which devices it should map the memory to.
If you ever run into a situation where the kernel is unable to properly allocate memory, you can try using the fixmap to resolve the issue. To do this, you will need to use the fixmap kernel parameter “fixmap-map”. This parameter tells the kernel to allocate the specified amount of memory to the fixmap. For example, if you needed to allocate 64MB of memory to the fixmap, you would run the following command:
sudo echo “fixmap-map 0 4096 64M” > /proc/sys/kernel/fixmap-map
This command will tell the kernel to allocate 64MB of memory to the fixmap.
Once the memory is allocated, you can then use the “fixmap” kernel parameter to confirm that the fixmap is configured correctly. To do this, you can run the following command:
cat /proc/ppc/mm/fixmaps
This command will produce a list of all the fixmaps configured on your system.
Finally, you can use the “info” subcommand to get more information about a particular fixmap. For example, you could use the following command to get more information about the fixmap we configured earlier:
cat /proc/ppc/mm/fixmaps/0/info
This command will output a list of all the information about the fixmap, such as the amount of memory allocated to it, the type of memory used, and the device it is mapped to.
Using the Linux fixmap is a great way to get around memory mapping issues on your system. By properly configuring a fixmap, you can ensure that the software components on your system have the memory they need to function properly. With a little bit of knowledge and understanding, you can easily and quickly troubleshoot any memory mapping issues you may have on your system.
