Add compcache modules, allowing ubiquity installs on 256MB machines.

BTW, compcache is not loaded by default, so the initscript that loads it is responsible for the workarounds above. see:
   http://www.ucc.asn.au/~mccabedj/ccache/patch_livecd.tar.bz2
   (newroot/filestoadd/etc/init.d/compcache)
for an example initscript. With this proper deb, the insmod-ing nastyness of the initscript is unnecessary. A simply "modprobe compcache" will do.

I have now also made a freeze exception request on bug 193552, with modifications that cause ubiquity to load compcache modules and use compcache when no physical swap is available.

I’ve done some initial work on packaging compcache:
http://gitweb.heh.fi/?p=ion/ubuntu/compcache.git

It builds a compcache-source package, which can be used with ‘module-assistant auto-install compcache’ until compcache makes it into linux-ubuntu-modules, as well as a compcache-utils package, which contains the following init script and setting file:
http://gitweb.heh.fi/?p=ion/ubuntu/compcache.git;a=blob;f=debian/compcache-utils.init;hb=ubuntu
http://gitweb.heh.fi/?p=ion/ubuntu/compcache.git;a=blob;f=debian/compcache-utils.default;hb=ubuntu

Sorry, this sort of installer change needs to happen earlier in the release cycle. As nice as it would be to have the live installer working on lower-memory computers, we shouldn't be introducing new kernel modules into the installer the week of the beta.

I presume the best way forward is for me to wait until development on Ibex starts, then resubmit these debdiffs againsts an early snapshot of Ibex?

On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 01:05:24PM -0000, John McCabe-Dansted wrote:
> I presume the best way forward is for me to wait until development on
> Ibex starts, then resubmit these debdiffs againsts an early snapshot of
> Ibex?

Yes, that's correct.

I changed my packaging (linked above) to use debconf for the cache size setting instead of a config file in /etc/default.

I reckon the installer would just need to preseed compcache-utils/cache-size to a value such as ‘100 %’ to use something else than the compcache module’s default (25 % of the amount of RAM).

http://gitweb.heh.fi/?p=ion/ubuntu/compcache.git;a=blob;f=debian/compcache-utils.templates;hb=ubuntu

OK, I have updated this debdiff with compcache-0.3.

Unfortunately I am having difficulty creating a working intrepid base.tgz, so I do not know if it actually builds correctly on Intrepid.

It builds with debuild on hardy.

FYI, this is the error.
$ sudo pbuilder create --distribution intrepid --othermirror "deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid universe multiverse"
...
Building dependency tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these.
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  aptitude: Depends: libapt-pkg-libc6.7-6-4.6
  libept0: Depends: libapt-pkg-libc6.7-6-4.6
E: Unmet dependencies. Try using -f.

I uploaded the compcache-utils package to REVU: http://revu.tauware.de/details.py?package=compcache

The package contains an init script to start compcache early and a debconf script to configure the size.

Of course, that’s just the userspace portion and this bug is still pending on getting the compcache kernel patch to Ubuntu.

Note there is now a improved version of Compcache available, "better than compcache-0.3 in terms of space efficiency, speed and also has lot of cleanups". However this new version of compcache is a kernel patch rather than a module.

See: http://code.google.com/p/compcache/

Good point. I removed the kernel module source altogether from the package, now it only contains the system scripts.

http://revu.tauware.de/details.py?package=compcache-debian

Migrating this forward to the actively developed "linux" kernel package since linux-ubuntu-modules was merged with the "linux" kernel package for Intrepid.

Additionally, this looks like it may be resolved with Intrepid since I'm seeing the following. Care to test and confirm. Thanks.

ogasawara@emiko:~$ modinfo compcache
filename: /lib/modules/2.6.27-7-generic/kernel/ubuntu/compcache/compcache.ko
description: Compressed RAM Based Swap Device
author: Nitin Gupta <email address hidden>
license: GPL
srcversion: EA8EA5496ED1E0C3A19D7B8
depends: lzo_decompress,tlsf,lzo_compress
vermagic: 2.6.27-7-generic SMP mod_unload modversions 586
parm: compcache_size_kbytes:compcache device size (in KB) (ulong)

Per a decision made by the Ubuntu Kernel Team, bugs will longer be assigned to the ubuntu-kernel-team in Launchpad as part of the bug triage process. The ubuntu-kernel-team is being unassigned from this bug report. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeamBugPolicies for more information. Thanks.

Got the same thing in jaunty .

$ modinfo compcache
filename: /lib/modules/2.6.28-4-generic/kernel/ubuntu/compcache/compcache.ko
description: Compressed RAM Based Swap Device
author: Nitin Gupta <email address hidden>
license: GPL
srcversion: EA8EA5496ED1E0C3A19D7B8
depends: lzo_decompress,tlsf,lzo_compress
vermagic: 2.6.28-4-generic SMP mod_unload modversions 586
parm: compcache_size_kbytes:compcache device size (in KB) (ulong)

juancarlospaco@ibex:~$ lsb_release --release --codename ; echo " " ; cat /etc/initramfs-tools/initramfs.conf | grep --ignore-case Compcache ; sudo apt-cache search compcache ; dpkg -l | grep --ignore-case compcache ; dpkg -l | grep --ignore-case comp-cache
Release: 8.10
Codename: intrepid

# COMPCACHE_SIZE: [ "x K" | "x M" | "x G" | "x %" ]
# An empty value - compcache isn't used, or added to the initramfs at all.
# You can optionally install the compcache package to configure this setting
# via debconf and have userspace scripts to load and unload compcache.
COMPCACHE_SIZE=""
juancarlospaco@ibex:~$

so..., Compcache is missing from the Repos!!!!!!!

Since Intrepid at least the compcache module have been included in the Kernel packages. The kernel side of this issue is therefore closed. The bug discription only mentions the kernel so presumably the entire bug is closed for the development releases. Moving Fix Released.

I need to add compcache to a desktop install, not a live cd. its ubuntu 9.10 . anyone know where i can get a repo with debs for that?

@Ahron

I think this question would be best asked somewhere like
    https://answers.launchpad.net/

However I'll note that I don't think that compcache-0.6 is packaged as a deb anywhere, although it is trivial to install from the .tar.gz.

I'd suggest submitting a bug requesting that compcache be updated for Lucid.

In the meanwhile, compcache-0.5 appears to be in 9.10 by default (no need to apt-get anything), although without the wrapper scripts. You can enable it by doing something like:

$ sudo modprobe -q --ignore-install ramzswap disksize_kb="50"
$ sudo swapon /dev/ramzswap0

You can then disable it by doing:

$ sudo swapoff /dev/ramzswap0
$ sudo rmmod ramzswap

Please apply the notify patch, which allows freeing the unused memory.

@albertoj.diaz

The notify patch will be in Maverick (Because Maverick will use 2.6.35 and the 2.6.35 upstream will have the notify patch). Someone will need to update the Ubuntu userspace to use the new userspace API though.

Due to changes upstream, previous solution must be reworked for Maverick.
Should we reopen this bug or create new?

Refer to:
https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/381059
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=blob;f=drivers/staging/ramzswap/ramzswap.txt

Also (for near future, in case patches will land in 2.6.35):
http://kerneltrap.org/mailarchive/linux-kernel/2010/6/1/4577590

Eugene,
    I'd prefer a new bug that way we have distinct threads from both times it was reworked. I defer to Andy on his personal preference, but I suspect he will say much the same. As an aside, my main reason for saying this is the fact that it will be reworked based on a different kernel than this one. :)

Thanks!

~JFo

This was replaced by zram, see zram-config:
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/zram-config