Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2015 April 18

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April 18

Arrangement of category pages in MediaWiki software

I'm a volunteer editor with the LGBT UK History Project, a wiki using MediaWiki software (version 1.21.2). There is an oddity with the display of Category pages. For instance the page showing the "CHE groups" category (http://www.lgbthistoryuk.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:CHE_groups) lists the groups in this category alphabetically, except that the "Central London CHE Group" entry is shown in the middle of the entries starting with the letter L. This is presumably related to the fact that the page in question has been renamed from "London Central CHE Group" and is still occupying roughly its original position in the sequence despite having been renamed. Is this a known feature of the software? Can anything be done to correct it?--rossb (talk) 11:30, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

Try doing a null edit on the category page to purge the cache. -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 14:07, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

It's odd that the article gets its own "C" heading in the middle of the L's. I haven't seen this in ten years at the English Wikipedia. A null edit on the article (or any other edit after the move) may have better chances of fixing it than a null edit on the category page. If neither works then try to remove the categories from the article, save the article, and then readd the categories. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:32, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

Shutdown mechanism

What is the mechanism that shuts down a computer if the CPU overheats?--BoldEditor (talk) 20:51, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

Not sure of the specifics, but it would seem to be more likely to be hardware-only mechanism, rather than relying on software, as I would expect a "Shutdown due to overheating in 9..8..7..." message if software was involved. StuRat (talk) 20:54, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

With Intel CPUs at least, there appears to be a sensor built in: "When processor core temperature reaches a factory preset level, the sensor trips and processor execution is halted until after the next reset cycle". [1]. AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:22, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

There is still a temperature sensor in the CPU, but I'm not certain the hardware shutdown mechanism exists any more. The manual says it was implemented in P6 family, P4, Xeon, and Pentium M processors. It doesn't mention Core processors, and later it does mention them when talking about newer thermal monitoring mechanisms. -- BenRG (talk) 03:41, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

If you mean an orderly shutdown (asking if you want to save changes, etc.), that would be the OS, but I don't know if any do that. If you mean an abrupt power down, generally that would be the job of the embedded controller. There may also be a pure hardware mechanism in some CPUs, but see my response to AndyTheGrump. -- BenRG (talk) 03:41, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

If you are primarily interested in Intel processors, consider reading the Intel Processor Operation Temperature FAQ. That page refers you to more technical information for individual processor models. In general, it is the role of the system provider to guarantee with high confidence that software can not possibly run in such a way as to cause damage to the CPU. This often means using an external controller; for example, Apple computers that use Intel CPUs typically contain a System Management Controller to monitor thermal levels and control active cooling (fans). Other system vendors may use different software- or hardware- solutions. Nimur (talk) 15:12, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

Some M/B-manufacturers have build some protection. See the BIOS settings. Intel monitors its CPUs by themself. When too hot, the clock signal is ignored. A static operation keeps all registers like frozen with less use of energy. Switching a gate generates heat. When cooled down, the CPU will continue as usual. If the computer accidentially resets, know, it is a failure! --Hans Haase (有问题吗) 19:36, 19 April 2015 (UTC)