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#1 2005-05-19 17:27:06

mavric
Member
From: B.C. Canada
Registered: 2004-01-03
Posts: 24

Pacman --> hard drive prob

When I use pacman to search or upgrade packages, my laptop's hard drive makes a strange noise (a squeal). The noise is completely different from normal operation (ie: using slocate, loading programs). It doesn't sound healthy.

Is it a problem with the hard drive itself? No; I've replaced the drive (diff manufacturer even) and the problem still exists.

Anyone else with a laptop experience this?

Would you try pacman -Ss audio (for example) and put you ear close to the drive? Let me know...

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#2 2005-05-19 18:26:50

Snowman
Developer/Forum Fellow
From: Montreal, Canada
Registered: 2004-08-20
Posts: 5,212

Re: Pacman --> hard drive prob

I tried  pacman -Ss audio and didn't heard any unusual sound.  Searching and upgrading are quite hard drive extensive.  You can try to defrag your pacman database.  The search will be faster with less HD reading. Check out the original post: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=11840 or the script by Penguin: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=11954

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#3 2005-06-02 15:02:24

Kin
Member
From: Oberfranken / Europe
Registered: 2004-01-23
Posts: 137

Re: Pacman --> hard drive prob

Hi,

I have the same "problem" here. (IBM Thinkpad R50e, IBM Travelstar IC25N020ATMR04-0 )

I start pacman -S ..., then it hangs for a while and it seems it searches the harddrive for something, it sounds like an unhealthy access to the harddrive.


Kin

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#4 2005-06-02 15:07:59

phrakture
Arch Overlord
From: behind you
Registered: 2003-10-29
Posts: 7,879
Website

Re: Pacman --> hard drive prob

try the "pacman defrag" scripts / ideas / whatever from the user contrib section

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#5 2005-06-04 06:17:10

mavric
Member
From: B.C. Canada
Registered: 2004-01-03
Posts: 24

Re: Pacman --> hard drive prob

Good idea Phrakture;
I tried out the 'defrag' method before I posted though.

It's odd, I wonder why this is pacman specific. It's quite unlike the sound normal access to the hard drive produces when searching for files (ie slocate).

Perhaps incorporating database functionality into pacman will fix this...

I wonder if it is still being considered.

By the way - the room must be absolutely quiet before you can hear the squealing. It happens for a few seconds right after issuing pacman -Ss or -Sy etc. Again, it doesn't seem to be a good sound.

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#6 2005-06-05 19:04:52

apeiro
Daddy
From: Victoria, BC, Canada
Registered: 2002-08-12
Posts: 771
Website

Re: Pacman --> hard drive prob

I've never heard of this problem before.  But it's hard to blame the software for a hardware "squeal".  Granted, pacman opens a lot of small files on startup, but if they are optimized (ie, situated next to each other) then it shouldn't be a big issue.  It's just open/read/write/close system calls like any other program would use, nothing special.  A top-level "find" command, by all logic, should emit the same squeal of pain from your hard drive.

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