[comp.unix.questions] help needed on TK50/4.3BSD MicroVAX II problem

jwp@larry.UUCP (Jeffrey W Percival) (08/05/87)

We have a MicroVAX II running 4.3BSD, with a TK50.
When we try to use the TK50, it behaves badly:
if I tar out a few small files, everything is fine.
The tar finishes, and a "tar tv" shows me the file
names.  If I try to tar out a directory with larger
files (approx. 80 blocks, according to tar), the
thing appears to hang the system.  The console says
"panic: sleep" and nobody's terminal responds.

Our DEC person has no trouble running his diagnostics tape
on our TK50, so it is not an obvious hardware failure.

We used to use the TK50 a lot, but lately it had been
rendered idle by the addition of an AVIV reel-to-reel drive.
After a long period of non-use, I tried to make a TK50 tape
and discovered the problem described above.

Any thoughts?
-- 
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Jeff Percival (jwp@larry.sal.wisc.edu)