[comp.sys.sun] Server Crashes with remote tape use in SunOS 4.1.1

dodgson@cs.wmich.edu (Harry Dodgson) (03/16/91)

I have upgraded the servers here to SunOS 4.1.1.  I have crashed the
tapehost twice so far trying to access a tape from a remote machine.  This
is the configuration each time:

try 1.
tapeHost Sun3/60, 16Meg RAM, 32Meg Swap, 1/4" tape drive
client Sun4/280, 32Meg RAM, 80Meg Swap
running extract_unbundled to install SUN Fortran 1.3.1

try 2.
tapehost Sun4/470, 32Meg RAM, >64Meg Swap, 8mm tape
client Sun3/60, 16Meg RAM, 32Meg Swap (same as above)
running rrestore with "ifs" switches.

Both times the tapehost paniced, crashed, and rebooted.  Both tapehosts
are acting as servers, the 4/470 is the primary NIS server and exports
most of it's file structure - the 3/60 is secondary NIS server and exports
one directory.  All three units were recently upgraded to SunOS 4.1.1 and
have only a few local customizations to /etc for our site.  Both servers
also run DNS if that matters.

Our department currently does not receive the SUN bug fixes so I don't
know if this has been documented yet.

Harry Dodgson Jr.           | Internet  dodgson@sol.cs.wmich.edu  -(35.132.4.2)-
Western Michigan University | UUCP      ...uunet!sharkey!wmichgw!wmu-cs!dodgson
Computer Science Department | Voice     (616) 387-5803
Kalamazoo, MI  49008        | Office    4420 Dunbar Hall

eggert@uunet.uu.net (Paul Eggert) (03/23/91)

dodgson@cs.wmich.edu (Harry Dodgson) writes that his remote SunOS 4.1.1
tapehosts crashed.  We had a similar problem with remote dumping with a
4.1.1 Sun-3/60 8mm tapehost.  At first the kernel paniced with a ``psig
action'' message.  Sun sent us a patch for bugid 1032534, but the dumps
still fail with the following message:

	st1:  tape synchronization lost
	psig: "rmt" signal 14 was masked, put back.

Sun knows about this problem, but doesn't have a fix yet.  As a stopgap we
moved our tape drive to a 4.1.1 Sparcstation 1+, and we are crossing our
fingers.