> > > > > These day update-menus seems to hang, causing infinite load averages > > > > > when doing > > > > > `apt-get upgrade -u'. > > > > > > > > i think it isn't a infinite loop, it is (sometimes) very recursivly but > > > > it will > > > > end after 5 - 20 minutes. > > > > > > Well... at least it's something my box (128 MB RAM) cannot handle. I was > > > happy > > > I could stop it when the load average was at 63 and 96 MB swap was in > > > use... I > > > could do half of the dishwash while waiting for the X server performing > > > the > > > switch to VC1 (a text console). > > > > I have had similar problems lately, I did a major upgrade the other > > day (about 200 packages upgraded and/or installed) which brought my > > system to a screeching halt with load averages over 30. Lots of > > update-menus and dpkg processes running. > > > > Funny thing was, the CPU was 80% to 90% idle. I was using all 64 megs > > of RAM and anywhere from 50 to 95 megs of swap. I have a feeling that > > was the problem, I've noticed disk performance to be really bad. > > (This is on a WallStreet Powerbook) > > For me, disk performance is a bit better (U2W-SCSI 7200 RPM Quantum Viking > connected to a Sym53c875). But it couldn't cope with the update-menus.
This sounds like an old update-menu problem, fixed for about two weeks. Are you using menu 2.1.3-1.1? Thanks, Hartmut