Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Sat, 21 Apr 2001 07:05:57 -0500
From:      Steve Price <steve@havk.org>
To:        Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com>
Cc:        "Thomas M. Sommers" <tms2@mail.ptd.net>, advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: top uptime!
Message-ID:  <20010421070557.D41536@bsd.havk.org>
In-Reply-To: <3AE111DB.BE02664D@softweyr.com>; from wes@softweyr.com on Fri, Apr 20, 2001 at 10:51:39PM -0600
References:  <20010421093009.M72002@wantadilla.lemis.com> <Pine.LNX.4.21.0104201716040.17317-100000@pilchuck.reedmedia.net> <20010420212338.Z41536@bsd.havk.org> <3AE0FADE.5801FF96@mail.ptd.net> <3AE111DB.BE02664D@softweyr.com>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Fri, Apr 20, 2001 at 10:51:39PM -0600, Wes Peters wrote:
> "Thomas M. Sommers" wrote:
> > 
> > Steve Price wrote:
> > >
> > >.  However the uptime counter
> > > (cat /proc/uptime) is counted in seconds in a 32bit variable.  So it
> > > isn't possible for a Linux box to show more than 497 days of uptime
> > > because the uptime rolls over then.  FWIW.
> > 
> > But 497 days is only about 4.3e7 seconds, whereas 32 bits can count
> > about 2e9 seconds (signed).
> 
> Microseconds?

microseconds, milliseoconds, jiffies, spiffies, ... who the heck
cares.  The point was that Linux has a 32-bit variable that it
uses to keep track of uptime with.  That counter rolls over at
497 days or so I'm led to believe. So someone (or some box)
running Linux can't legitimately claim to have an uptime longer
than that.  I've been told that is why you don't see Linux at
the Netcraft link provided earlier.

I didn't actually whip out pen and paper or a calculator to try
and do the math.  I could care less about what Linux can and
cannot do.  I was just passing on information that had been given
to me that seemed plausible and relevant to this discussion.  Pick
nits if you must.  I'm going back to finish up the Alpha package
bits for the 4.3 release.

-steve

To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20010421070557.D41536>