[news.software.b] Suspected bug in News 2.11 Patch 14

witr@spooky.UUCP (Robert Withrow) (12/14/87)

I have what appears to be a bug new to news 2.11 patch level 14 that is
causing havoc on my (SysV 2.2 -286 Microport) system.  This isnt
happening on each news batch, but is has happened with several...
The scenario is this:

	1) uucico starts uuxqt to ``rnews'' a batch of arriving compressed
	news.

	2) rnews starts ``compress -d'' to uncompress the news.

	3) rnews starts another ``rnews'' for some reason, probably to
	read the uncompressed news input.

	4) the new rnews reads through the batch and works fine until
	(I presume) it gets to the end of the batch, and then it decides
	that the `inbound news is garbled' and dies.

	5) the newest rnews process stays in <defunct> state.  Nothing
	else happens.

	6) These process chains stack up over time, a new chain being created
	each time uucico runs, eventually crasing the system due to
	insufficient swap space.

I havnt had this problem before patch level 14.  What gives???????????

+++ Appended are extracts from the ps listing and the log file....

     UID   PID  PPID  C    STIME TTY      TIME COMMAND
    root     0     0 53 20:43:40 ?       18:48 swapper
    root     1     0  0 20:43:40 ?        0:03 [ init ]
    root     0     0  3 20:43:40 ?        0:07 swapper
    uucp   230   137  0 21:17:23 cons1    0:00 sh -c PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/lbin
    uucp   137     1  0 21:10:58 cons1    0:01 UUXQT 
    uucp   231   230  0 21:17:23 cons1    0:01 rnews 
    uucp   232   231  0 21:17:24 cons1    0:08 compress -d 
    uucp   235   231  0                   0:00 <defunct>

		+++ Note, process 235 was `rnews'

(The log --- Lots of stuf..... Then:)

Dec 13 21:17	uunet	Duplicate article <1329@murdu.OZ> rejected. Path: uunet!munnari!murdu!u3369429
Dec 13 21:17	uunet	Duplicate article <8712040527.AA06002@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> rejected. Path: uunet!husc6!hao!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!FALCON.BERKELEY.EDU!NIELAND
Dec 13 21:17	uunet	Duplicate article <ID2960.D871203.T145858.CAIRNS@UPEI> rejected. Path: uunet!husc6!rutgers!labrea!jade!ucbvax!UPEI.BITNET!CAIRNS
Dec 13 21:17	uunet	Duplicate article <4800007@uiucdcsm> rejected. Path: uunet!husc6!uwvax!oddjob!gargoyle!ihnp4!inuxc!iuvax!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uiucdcsm!grunwald
Dec 13 21:17	local	: Inbound news is garbled


-- 
Robert Withrow, R.W. Withrow Assoc., 27 Greenwood Ter., Swampscott, MA 01907
      witr@spooky.UUCP (uunet!spooky!witr), (Work) +1 617 593 8452.