mark@gizzmo.UUCP (mark hilliard) (07/20/87)
Help! I have been having SERIOUS system crashes with no warning, panic
messages or any other indication at all except that it always happens
during a uucp transfer. The system just stops. Even the keyboard
leds stop working (caps). I just recently installed the new version
of hdb and I am thinking that the problem is with it. I have reinstalled
the old hdb version 2 and will run it again. I have the combo board
installed and a modem tied to it is my window to the world.
Has anyone else seen a problem like this? I would be very
greatfull for your inputs.
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{mhuxu,u1100a}-----\
Mark Hilliard seismo!rochester!kodak!gizzmo!mark
N2HHR {ethos,fthood}-----/riddle@woton.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle ) (07/21/87)
>> From: mark@gizzmo.UUCP (mark hilliard) >> Subject: 3b1 crashes >> Newsgroups: comp.sys.att >> Date: 19 Jul 87 23:55:31 GMT >> >> Help! I have been having SERIOUS system crashes with no warning, panic >> messages or any other indication at all except that it always happens >> during a uucp transfer. The system just stops. Even the keyboard >> leds stop working (caps). I just recently installed the new version >> of hdb and I am thinking that the problem is with it. I have reinstalled >> the old hdb version 2 and will run it again. I have the combo board >> installed and a modem tied to it is my window to the world. We have been experiencing exactly the same symptoms, except for the part about hdb (I don't even know what that is). Since we have over a dozen 3B1s, we've been able to notice something of a pattern: all of our machines which crash like this have expansion boards with revisions of J or greater. We have a few E and F expansion boards, and none of the machines with those have had trouble. We have our machines under a service contract, but AT&T seems to want to come up with a more definitive explanation of the problem before they'll replace our boards. (Our situation is complicated by the fact that our 3B1s communicate via an ISN, something which AT&T seems frown on for some reason.) It might help us find a solution if any of you with similar problems would let us know whether you, too, have expansion boards with revisions J, K or L. Thanks. --- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.") --- Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Shriners Burns Institute. --- riddle@woton.UUCP {ihnp4,harvard,seismo}!ut-sally!im4u!woton!riddle
rdkuphal@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Kuphal) (07/22/87)
>From: mark@gizzmo.UUCP (mark hilliard) >Newsgroups: comp.sys.att >Subject: 3b1 crashes >Date: 19 Jul 87 23:55:31 GMT > >Help! I have been having SERIOUS system crashes with no warning, panic >messages or any other indication at all except that it always happens >during a uucp transfer. The system just stops. Even the keyboard >leds stop working (caps). I just recently installed the new version >of hdb and I am thinking that the problem is with it. I have reinstalled >the old hdb version 2 and will run it again. I have the combo board >installed and a modem tied to it is my window to the world. > Has anyone else seen a problem like this? I would be very >greatfull for your inputs. > I had the experience of having a 3b1 at home for awhile for work related computing and had the same experience you have had. After one month of fooling around with it, here are my results and a conclusion : 1. On my machine, it ALWAYS happens when uucp transfers are being done. 2. First was using the non-HDB uucp, so got the HDB uucp, it does does the same thing. By the way, I re-loaded the system at least 10 times during that month. 3. If you are lucky to be still on when it is happening, look around in /bin /usr/bin /etc with ls -l and notice the STRANGE file permissions and file sizes etc. (You must do this quick tho!!) The machine is quickly trashing files until it has trashed files that are needed to keep itself running!!!! 4. I finally got a message (mail) from the system as it was thrashing itself to death. Seems it was running out of SWAP space, and removing processes to regain SWAP space. Consulsion, this thing needs more SWAP space!! Problem: I have not found a person that can tell me in easy terms how to re-configure the hard disk to get more swap space, and YES IT WAS CONFIGURED FOR MULTI-USER !!!! For the person on the att.sys.unixpc AT&T group: Now you have THREE machines with the same problem, so I guess I CAN KNOCK the machine now HUM ????? As you guessed, I work for AT&T, and the AT&T news group did not have any answers either. PS: AT&T service replaced the drive 3 times in response to this problem, (found out the person that had the machine before me was having strange problems also). I GOT RID OF THE MACHINE, it was useless to me. This machine did not have a combo board, in fact I removed the DOS-73 board to try in isolate the problem, no luck there either. Lots of luck
vince@tc.fluke.COM (Craig Johnson) (07/25/87)
While not experiencing actual crashes, a couple of us here who have 7300's have noticed that uucp causes an abnormal number of disk errors to be logged in /usr/adm/unixlog (I think that's the right file). It seems that the errors are only retries. Usually one retry is sufficient though I have seen more than one. Up to now we have just figured that uucp is a heavy/hard/not-nice/worst-than-average disk user and wrote it off to be just something that you should expect when you thrash the disk that hard. I'm beginning to wonder now if there is more to it... Craig V. Johnson John Fluke Mfg. Co. Everett, WA
rmfowler@texrex.uucp (Rex Fowler) (12/18/90)
Well, after all my begs and pleas for help with my frequent 3b1 crashes, I have finally SOLVED the problem! It was just a matter of +5 and +12 not being enough juice to keep my memory chips happy. I cranked 'em up to 5.1 and 12.4 and it looks like I'm set. Thanks to everyone who offered assistance over the last couple of months. In fact, checking my power supply was one of the first suggestions I received. But since it was right on 12.0 and 5.0, I didn't mess with it. Now if I could just get Lenny, Gil, or John to sell me a kit so that I can hook up my other 190M Priam :^) -- Rex Fowler <rmfowler%texrex@cirr.com> UUCP: egsner!texrex!rmfowler