[mod.computers.vax] Problems with VMS-MAIL

XBR2YD15@DDATHD21.BITNET (Knobli_2) (11/12/86)

Hello,

we have a problem with VMS-MAIL.

At our site (4 x 11/780 with 4MB and >30 user almost everyday, 1 IBM
Mainframe with MVS) we are running a self-developed program, which delivers
IBM-Batch-Output files to our VAX-Users. To notify the VAX user that there
are files for her/him, we use VMS-Mail.

The main programm (FORTRAN) is running as a detached process. MAIL is done
inside a subprocess. Primary input for this subprocess is a mailbox created
by the main-process. The subprocess runs LOGINOUT.EXE to process DCL commands.

Everytime the main-process decides to notify a user, it sends a record of
format:

$ MAIL user file /subject="some text"

into the mailbox and our subprocess reads it and delivers the MAIL. Or to be
correct it should deliver the MAIL. Our problem is, that after delivering
MAIL for two or three weeks (we have very reliable systems (the only good
to say about the performance)) it suddenly decides to say:

%STR-F-INSVIRMEM, Insufficient virtual Memory

instead of delivering MAIL. Due to the fact that we have stopped error
handling in this subprocess, it doesn't die and the consequences are, that
nobody gets MAIL, everybody gets the desired files (whitout knowing it) and
our operators don't see a problem (ok, we could issue a warning to them, but
they wouldn't see it). After a while I see the problem and restart the
whole thing for the next two or three weeks.

I would like to know if this behaviour is known and if there is a workaround.
I'm not going to write a SPR (I gave the reasons for this some month ago at
this place and I'm not going to start the same argument again).

Possibly the problem lies in the working set of the subprocess

LIM=150 QUO=200 EXT=1000

but I don't want to increase it due to our undersized memory until I have
(hopefully) got some suggestions over this line.


Regards

Martin Knoblauch

<XBR2D96D@DDATHD21.BITNET>