pcscd, sun java, 100% CPU usage

[Tod Merley]

On Jan 1, 2008 9:51 PM, Jeff Krebs <jkrebs at tconl.com> wrote:
> Oddest issue with pcsc. I'm getting 100% CPU usage while running pcscd.
>
> Now to story...
>
> Finally got my CAC Card setup running and working.  I'm able to do what
> I need to do with PKI certificates and such.  Athena reader, Athena
> driver.  Started with java-1.7.0-icedtea.  Joy and happiness abounding
> except...
>
> IcedTea just wasn't doing it. CNN video wasn't working.  Odds and ends
> borked or not functioning.
>
> Managed to get all SunJava 1.6.0r3 packages built and installed under
> Fedora 8.  Even the jdbc and fonts.  My machine passed the Java.com test
> and even updated the java applets (hadn't seen that before).  Java works
> wonderful, everything seems to function  very well.  Except...
>
> Now, after removing IcedTea and installing Sun-Java, my CPU is at 100%.
> Top shows pcscd as #1, burning over 91% of the CPU.  This is a P4 1.6
> Ghz, and I have 1.2 G of RAM. I can stop pcscd through the "Services"
> configuration interface (via /usr/sbin/system-config-services).  The
> system CPU usage immediately drops to around 7%.  Much weeping and
> gnashing of teeth...
>
> Now, the question.  What's going on?  Why does Java appear to cause a
> race condition in pcscd?  I can certainly disable pcscd when I don't
> need it, but when I do need it, will I have to face high CPU usage?
>
>
> Jeff Krebs
>
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Hi Jeff Krebs!

I too do not understand what would make the smart card reader manager
go bonkers.  Perhaps Sun's java makes it look for the CAC verification
module which perhaps it cannot find?

The question your e-mail made me ponder is "how can one find out"
"what's going on?". I have found some possible answers. Some I have
heard mentioned in this forum.

strace - ltrace - lsof ... :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strace     (also man strace)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ltrace      (also man ltrace)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lsof_%28Unix%29  (also man lsof)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gdb   (also man gdb)

Looking from the Java end:

http://jamonapi.sourceforge.net/

Probably for the developer - The Linux Test Project:

http://ltp.sourceforge.net/

I have never gone so far into finding the actual problem as these
tools can take us.  Hopefully someone who has will chime in.

I would love to hear what you do find and how you found it!

Good Hunting!

Tod