[comp.dcom.modems] UUCP Timeout problem

dwm@fibercom.COM (David W. Minnich) (04/25/91)

Well, this one has me baffled.  I'm trying to set up a UUCP connection from
a site in the UK to one of my machines in the USA.  The UK machine is a Sun SLC
running SunOS 4.1.1revB, the USA machine is a Sun 3/160 running SunOS 3.5.  The
SLC is polling the 3/160.  The SLC is connected to a Hexacom modem (about which
I know little or nothing) and the 3/160 is connected to a Telebit TB+.  I'm
trying to make a connection at 2400 baud, at MNP4.

When I initiate the poll (with debugging level set to 9), I see that the SLC
places the call correctly (it works through the chat script and the connection
succeeds).  However, at the point that the remote uucico kicks in, things 
start to go awry.  The remote uucico responds with a "Shere" message, to which
the local uucico responds with "Smyname -x9".  At this point, I see no more
messages passed between the two uucico processes.  It appears that the remote
uucico times out, and the remote system redisplays the login prompt, at which
point the local uucico decides that the call failed, and exits with an exit
code of 101 (whatever that means).

I know (well, I strongly believe :^) that the 3/160 end of things is set up
correctly.  That machine is regularly polled by other machines in the same way
as this SLC is trying to.  However, all of the currently operational
connections have Telebits at both ends.  The UUCP config files (Devices,
Dialers, Permissions, and Systems) are the same as those of one of my working
connections with the exception of the differences necessitated by the Hexacom
modem... e.g. the connection sequence in the Dialers file, and the device
name/speed in the Devices and Systems files.  In any case, the modem-specific
part of the connection appears to be occuring successfully.

Does anyone have any ideas about what's going on here?  Could it be a modem
problem?  Something to do with MNP (none of my other connections use it)?
Something to do with the intercontinental phone line?

Lacking any answers, does anyone have any constructive suggestions for how I
go about debugging this problem further?

Followups have been directed to comp.dcom.modems.

Thanks in advance.

--dave
-- 
David W. Minnich               INTERNET: dwm@fibercom.com
FiberCom, Inc.                 UUCP: ...!uunet!fibercom!dwm   
P.O. Box 11966                 PHONE: (703) 342-6700, (800) 423-1183 ext. 347
Roanoke, VA  24022-1966        FAX: (703) 342-5961

murray@motto.UUCP (Murray S. Kucherawy) (04/26/91)

dwm@fibercom.UUCP writes:
>Does anyone have any ideas about what's going on here?  Could it be a modem
>problem?  Something to do with MNP (none of my other connections use it)?
>Something to do with the intercontinental phone line?
>
>Lacking any answers, does anyone have any constructive suggestions for how I
>go about debugging this problem further?

I was experiencing this problem with dialups as well.  If the problem you
are having is anything like the problem I had, then the difficulty is on
the machine being polled.  The scenario was the same (roughly) as what you
have described, but I managed to track the problem to the fact that the
account that was being used to login for UUCP was unable to access the
uucico program and UUCP data files because of file protections.  Check them
out and you may find the source of your difficulties.

Good luck!

=============================== Murray S. Kucherawy ==========================
Motorola Canada, Ltd.     Communications Division, Toronto      [on work term]
University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada               2B Math/Computer Science
Internet: murray@motto.UUCP (work)       mskucherawy@watmath.UWaterloo.ca (UW) 
UUCP:     uunet!utai!lsuc!motto!murray   uunet!watmath!mskucherawy