Sun-Spots-Request@RICE.EDU (William LeFebvre) (11/21/87)
SUN-SPOTS DIGEST Friday, 20 November 1987 Volume 5 : Issue 62
Today's Topics:
A fix for NFS problems
Re: How to find the NFS file system on which a file is mounted (2)
Re: Need information on Electronic Publishing Systems
Re: Questions about 2400 baud tip and uucp
Re: plot(5) tool
Re: BUG in libmath.a on Sun 3.4
Sun and cdc wren/scsi
read-modify-write on Sun's
"dbx" problems
Delinquent ttyp* terminals
Pascal question
Questions on Shoebox Upgrade
CDC Drives and Sun 4/280?
Anyone know how to get kadb to work with nd supplied kernels?
Anyone ported timed to the Sun?
CAI package for Calculus?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 12 Nov 87 05:37:38 GMT
From: chris@amethyst.ma.arizona.edu (Chris Ott)
Subject: A fix for NFS problems
I decided to post this article, since there is a very good possibility (I
think) that many other people are having the same problem.
sparks@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Steve Gaarder) writes:
> We, too, are having lots of trouble with NFS. We have two Iris 3020's
> which are set up as clients with a Vaxstation II/GPX running Ultrix
> 2.0 as the server. We have the following trouble:
>
> 1. "pwd" does not work in most (but not all) NFS directories. It gives
> "read error in .."
>
> 2. C-shell scripts do not work in the same directories. The error here is
> "file not found". Bourne shell scripts run fine.
>
> 3. Occasionally, if there are 2 or more users running ld, the server
> or one of the clients will crash.
>
> Any and all suggestions for fixes would be greatly appreciated. Students
> have managed to cope ok, but our developers now refuse to work in NFS
> directories.
At my lab, the IRISes have a file system mounted from a Sun, and I had the
same problems, initially. Fortunately, the IRISes are on maintainence, so
I called the Hotline. The engineer told me the problem: the IRIS's file
system uses 16-bit I-node numbers, while the Sun's file system uses 32-bit
I-node numbers. I suspect you are having the same problem with your
system.
This is how they told me to fix it: remake the Sun's file system (the
Vax's, in your case) so that only 65535 I-nodes are reserved. This way,
you can never get an I-node number that is larger than the IRIS's 16 bits
can represent. Unfortunately, "mkfs" only has a parameter to set the
number of bytes per I-node. This isn't a real problem, though, since you
just have to take the number of bytes in the file system and divide it by
65535. For example, on my file system, there are 237200000 bytes
(approximately). Divide it by 65535 and you get 3620. So, when I did the
"mkfs", I told it to allocate one I-node for every 3620 bytes. Of course,
the Vax may use blocks instead of bytes, in which case you will have to
convert the size of the file system to blocks.
If it helps any, the name of the "mkfs" parameter in the "man" pages for
my system is "nbpi". It may be different for yours, but I'm not sure.
I haven't had any problems since.
Chris Ott
Computer-Aided Engr. Lab It is impossible to make anything foolproof
University of Arizona because fools are so ingenious.
Internet: chris@spock.ame.arizona.edu
UUCP: {allegra,cmcl2,hao!noao}!arizona!amethyst!spock!chris
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 87 10:10:05 EST
From: Dan Trinkle <trinkle@purdue.edu>
Subject: Re: How to find the NFS file system on which a file is mounted (1)
I have several programs that do this, they work on SunOS 3.2, 3.4, Mt.
Xinu BSD with NFS, and Sequent Dynix 3.0. You stat() the file, check the
major device (using major() macro) to see that it is 0xFF (NFS, at least
in my experience), then use the minor device as an index into the mntent
table. Beware that the minor device is the number (0 based) of the nfs
type mount (don't count 4.2 types). Here is the source for the program I
have called fstat that demonstrates the feature. It is called fstat, a
user command interface to stat() information. You must define -DNFS to
get NFS stuff to work.
Daniel Trinkle trinkle@cs.purdue.edu ARPA
Computer Science Department trinkle%purdue.edu@relay.cs.net CSNET
Purdue University {ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!purdue!trinkle UUCP
West Lafayette, IN 47907 (317) 494-7844 PHONE
[[ The program is too large to include in a digest. It is in the archives
as "sun-source/fstat.c". It can be retrieved via anonymous FTP from the
host "titan.rice.edu" or via the archive server. For more information
about the archive server, send a mail message containing the word "help"
to the address "archive-server@rice.edu". --wnl ]]
------------------------------
Date: 13 Nov 87 01:59:43 GMT
From: eggert@grand.sm.unisys.com (Paul Eggert)
Subject: Re: How to find the NFS file system on which a file is mounted (2)
Try statfs(2). Use getmntent(3) + statfs(2) to grab the fsids of all the
mounted file systems; then compare your file's fsid to the list. This
will work unless the mount table changes underneath you. The following
program (with dumb memory management, and with error checking replaced by
abort()) prints the name of a filesystem given the name of a file in that
filesystem.
[[ This one is much shorter than fstat.c. --wnl ]]
#include <stdio.h>
#include <mntent.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/vfs.h>
#define FSIDS 100
int fss;
fsid_t fsid[FSIDS];
char dir[FSIDS][100];
initialize()
{
struct statfs s;
struct mntent *m;
FILE *f = setmntent("/etc/mtab", "r"); if (!f) abort();
while ((m = getmntent(f))) {
if (sizeof(dir[0]) <= strlen(m->mnt_dir)) abort();
strcpy(dir[fss], m->mnt_dir);
if (statfs(m->mnt_dir, &s) < 0) abort();
if (FSIDS <= fss) abort();
fsid[fss++] = s.f_fsid;
}
endmntent(f);
}
char *file_system_name(f) char *f;
{
int i;
struct statfs s;
if (statfs(f, &s) < 0) abort();
for (i=0; i<fss; ++i)
if ( fsid[i].val[0] == s.f_fsid.val[0]
&& fsid[i].val[1] == s.f_fsid.val[1]
)
return dir[i];
abort(); return 0;
}
main(argc, argv) char **argv;
{
initialize();
while (*++argv)
printf("%s\n", file_system_name(*argv));
return 0;
}
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 87 10:25:23 EST
From: "H.David Scarbro" <ileaf!io!penguin!hds%umb.edu@relay.cs.net>
Subject: Re: Need information on Electronic Publishing Systems
Interleaf has an email address that requests for information or literature
and questions can be sent to. It is:
UUCP: ..!{sun!sunne,harvard!umb}!leafmail-misc!hds
Internet: ileaf!leafmail-misc@umb.edu
H. David Scarbro UUCP: ..!{sun!sunne,harvard!umb}!ileaf!hds
Internet: ileaf!hds@umb.edu
Interleaf, Inc., Ten Canal Park, Cambridge, MA 02141
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 87 02:48:03 EST
From: harvard!spdcc!m2c!applix!jim@rutgers.edu (Jim Morton)
Subject: Re: Questions about 2400 baud tip and uucp
tip and uucico support for the Hayes 2400 modem command set is only
supported in SunOS 3.2 and later.
Jim Morton, APPLiX Inc., Westboro, MA
UUCP: ...ames!harvard!m2c!applix!jim
...rutgers!harvard!m2c!applix!jim
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 87 05:31:17 PST
From: shipley%widow.Berkeley.EDU@lilac.berkeley.edu
Subject: Re: plot(5) tool
There is a Program called xplot on hoser.berkeley.edu [128.32.152.19]
(look in X/berkeley/xplot via anonymous ftp) that works well.
I did not write this program I am just passing the information along.
Pete Shipley:
email: shipley@violet.berkeley.edu
ucbvax!violet!shipley
[[ As the name implies, this is an X program. I believe the original
poster wanted a SunView plot tool. But thanks for the information. --wnl ]]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 87 16:16:59 CST
From: William LeFebvre <phil@Rice.edu>
Subject: Re: BUG in libmath.a on Sun 3.4
Remember the "bug" in libmath.a that was mentioned in issue 58?
Basically, log(-10.1) returns NaN like it is supposed to, but errno
doesn't get set to 33. In my remark I said "Under 3.2, this program
behaves correctly". I was wrong. Someone from Sun has pointed out to me
that SVID compatibility is not guaranteed unless you compile with -fsoft.
The original poster said that he had a Sun3/75 with 68881. Presumably, he
compiled with -f68881. I just checked, and compiling the test program
under V3.2 with -f68881 does indeed duplicate the problem. Errno isn't
set when the 68881 generates an error. This is apparently documented
somewhere deep within the Floating-Point Programmer's Guide. This problem
will likely be fixed in V4.0.
William LeFebvre
Department of Computer Science
Rice University
<phil@Rice.edu>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 87 21:39:57 +0100
From: helge@nta-odin.arpa (Helge Skrivervik S-DATA)
Subject: Sun and cdc wren/scsi
We have been manufacturing disk subsystems for the sun 3 series using the
cdc wren drives for about 6 months and recommend these strongly. They are
fast, stable and cheap and runs immediately on all sun3 models (we have
not tested the 200 series). Here are some things to watch out for for:
when setting up the disk, tell the system you are using the adaptec
controller; you have to specify the minimum number of spare tracks even
though these will never be used; ignore the 'bad format on volume'
message; formatting id normally not required (the units come
preformatted), but works fine using sun standalone diag for both drive
types.
The 3/60 will only run a generic kernel. I believe there are some minor
incompatibilities in the scsi interface that shows up on this system
because it is faster than the others. using the generic kernel probably
increases the overhead enough to bypass the problem. Also, 3.4 bootsd
won't work on the 3/60, use 3.2 boot. The wren 4 (300MB) won't boot a 3.2
kernel, use 3.4. Througput on continuous reads is 540kb/s for the wren 3
and about 700kb/s for the wren-4.
We have about 50 systems in the field, increasing daily.
With regard to the 8" disks from cdc, we have not tested these on the sun
yet. It took us quit a while to get all the switch settings right on the
Pyramid and the alliant, but it works (SMD), and we expect no serious
problems on the suns. The speed is about average for standard SMD disks.
We hope to thest the new sabre (cdc) 800 MB ESMD drive soon, and will
report the results.
Good luck.
helge@ucbvax
(sdata!helge@nta-odin.arpa)
------------------------------
Date: 11 Nov 87 15:51:45 GMT
From: ll-xn!atexrd!munsell!jwf@rutgers.UUCP (Jim Franklin)
Subject: read-modify-write on Sun's
There is a hardware bug in the Sun-3/100 series that prevents the use of
read-modify-write instructions (such as TAS, CAS) to do interprocessor
synchronization across the VMEbus. Sun acknowledges this in "User's Guide
to the Sun-3/100 VMEbus", Part #800-1487-01:
> RMW instructions must not be used while DVMA is occurring, as the
> 68020 will not relinquish and retry on deadlock during RMW cycles,
> which will cause timeout bus errors.
As we understand it, the block diagram for a Sun-3/100 board is essentially
+---------+ +---+ +----------+ ||
| MC68020 |<===>| |<===>|VMEbus |<===>|| V
+---------+ | | |MASTER INT| || M
|SUN| +----------+ || E
+---------+ |MMU| +----------+ || B
|SUN LOCAL| | | |VMEbus | || U
|MEMORY |<===>| |<===>|SLAVE INT |<===>|| S
+---------+ +---+ +----------+ ||
Using a logic analyzer, we have observed that the timeout occurs if the
disk controller issues AS* and DS* at approximately the same time the CPU
starts to execute the CAS instruction. We have guessed that the failure is
caused by the following "deadly embrace" scenario:
1. The disk controller arbitrates for, and is granted mastership of,
the VMEbus.
2. The CPU starts executing the CAS instruction. As no higher priority
requests are pending, the MMU begins servicing the CPU. The MMU gives
the mapped address to the VMEbus master interface.
3. The Sun VMEbus master interface issues a request for the bus, but must
wait for the disk controller to finish transfers before the request will
be granted.
4. The disk controller asserts AS* and DS*. The Sun VMEbus slave interface
decodes the address and determines that it should respond. It issues a
request for the MMU, but must wait for the CPU to finish its transfer
before the request is granted. This completes the "deadly embrace".
Does anyone know if this hardware bug has been fixed on the Sun-3/200
series or the Sun-4? I.e., do the RMW instructions on these processors
work across the VMEbus? Thanks ...
{harvard!adelie,{decvax,allegra,talcott}!encore}!munsell!jwf
Jim Franklin, Eikonix Corp., 23 Crosby Drive, Bedford, MA 01730
Phone: (617) 663-2115 x415
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 87 17:52:57 EST
From: Nathaniel Mishkin <apollo!mishkin@eddie.mit.edu>
Subject: "dbx" problems
I'm trying to use "dbx" and getting:
Reading symbolic information...
gettype: file index too large, fileindex 26, nextfile 25;
at "=s60inq_port:(26,2)=*(26,3)=...
The thing I'm trying to debug isn't really very large -- only about 20
modules. If I use "-g" on only a handful of the modules, the problem
seems to go away. I updated to from SunOS 3.0 to 3.3 in the (apparently
vain) hope that the bug would be fixed. Does anyone have any explanation
or workaround? Thanks.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 87 15:57 PST
From: <jon@uclastro.bitnet>
Subject: Delinquent ttyp* terminals
To Sun Spots,
A couple of general questions:
a) A problem with owner-less ttyp* terminals. An example to explain
the problem: You are in suntools with a shelltool, console,
vt100tool, and a tektool running. You do a 'w' in the shelltool
and you see (approximately):
User tty what
user console suntools
user ttyp0 shelltool <<CONSOLE>>
user ttyp1 shelltool
user ttyp2 vt100tool
user ttyp3 tektool
Now, exit suntools without quiting any of the windows and do the 'w'
command again, and you see:
User tty what
user console w
user ttyp2 -
user ttyp3 -
The ttyp2 and ttyp3 users will be shown like this until someone
needs ttyp2 and 3 (when creating windows, etc.). Doing a 'ps -ax'
does not show any processes attached to these ttyp*'s. Why
do they not get 'dequeued'? How would one get rid of them?
b) Speaking of 'w', where does 'w' get its information for the 'what'
field? Sometimes when I do 'w', the 'what' field for my process
will show 'w', sometimes '(w)', sometimes '%%pp[[' (non-sensical
characters), and sometimes apparently random file names. Other
processes seem consistent, but 'w' appears to have problems with
its own process. Has anyone else ever seen this? Am I going crazy?
(Don't answer that :-) ).
Jonathan Eisenhamer
UCLA Astronomy
JON@UCLASTRO.BITNET
BONNIE::JON (SPAN 5828)
(213) 206-8596
p.s. This is for SunOS 3.2.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 87 21:42:51 +0100
From: helge@nta-odin.arpa (Helge Skrivervik S-DATA)
Subject: Pascal question
has anyone seen the following message from pc:
6prep.p, line 5310: stack overflow: too many local variables
any hints as to what we can do (except chopping up the program...)??
helge@ucbvax
(sdata!helge@nta-odin.arpa)
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 87 18:02:27 PST
From: John Bossert <bossert@thebes.thalatta.com>
Subject: Questions on Shoebox Upgrade
Like many Sun users, I'm appalled at the price Sun wants to upgrade a 70
Mb shoebox to 140 Mb. Thus, I'm investigating alternatives.
I have found a source for Micropolis 1355 disks (160 Mb formatted, ESDI)
and Adaptec SCSI-ESDI controllers for under $1500. This looks very
attractive to me (though I wish the 360 Mb 1558's were obtainable) but I
have no idea as to the drawbacks.
I'm looking for comments from *experienced* users who have replaced the
st506 70 Mb drive in 3/50 shoeboxes with higher capacity ESDI drives.
We're currently running SunOS 3.3.
I'm specifically looking for comments along the lines of:
Am I totally wrong in my proposed solution?
Is there a better priced alternative? Better performance alternative?
Will the new disk and controller just drop in?
Will the existing power supply handle a bigger disk?
The 1355 draws 4.3A Max at start-up, 2.0A average.
Given 2 or 3 diskless 3/50's, would a shoebox with, say, 360 Mb
of disk make a *adequate* server while pennies are saved for
a 3/180 or such?
Thanks.
In-Real-Life: John Bossert, Thalatta Corporation, (+1 206 643 7187)
Domain: bossert@Thalatta.COM Path: uw-beaver!uw-entropy!thebes!bossert
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 87 13:46:24 +0200
From: amf@bengus.cs.bgu.ac.il (Fuhrmann Amir)
Subject: CDC Drives and Sun 4/280?
I am currently installing A Sun 4/280, with it I am getting A Fujitsu
Drive with SMD Controller. I am interested in increasing this capacity by
adding other drives. A possible source is CDC. They offer high capacity
disks at very low prices. They offer the following disks:
9720-368 - 368 MB (Unformatted)
9720-500 - 491 MB (Unformatted)
9720-736 - 736 MB (Unformatted)
All disks have SMD-O, SMD-E and SCSI interfaces.
I am interested to know if anyone has had experience with these disks at
all and specifically in the configuration described. Should I expect
problems?
On the face of it, all seems well. Am I wrong??
Amir Fuhrmann
BITNET : amf@bengus
ARPA : amf%bengus.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu
UUCP : amf!bengus!humus!mcvax!.... (fuzzy connection)
INTERNET : amf%bengus.bgu.ac.il@csnet-relay
------------------------------
Date: 14 Nov 87 23:16:01 GMT
From: jason@violet.berkeley.edu (Jason Venner)
Subject: Anyone know how to get kadb to work with nd supplied kernels?
I can get kadb to boot, but it seems to be unable to load the kernel I
want to single step.
Thanx -- jason
Jason Venner
UUCP {tektronix,dual,sun,ihnp4,decvax}!ucbvax!jade!jason
New style jason@jade.berkeley.edu
ARPA | CSNET jason%jade@Berkeley.ARPA
BITNET jason@ucbjade.BITNET
------------------------------
Date: 13 Nov 87 22:58:41 GMT
From: trwrb!lou@aero.arpa (Lou Nelson)
Subject: Anyone ported timed to the Sun?
I have started to port /etc/timed from 4.3BSD and am having a lot of
trouble. I'm trying to do the port to a Sun 3/280 running OS 3.2. If
anyone has already done this, or has advice, please let me know.
Thanks.
Lou Nelson
lou@aerospace.aero.org
trwrb!aero!lou
------------------------------
Date: 15 Nov 87 20:00:52 GMT
From: Alan Cabrera <13501ADC%msu.bitnet@rutgers.edu>
Subject: CAI package for Calculus?
I would like to get my hands on a CAI package that would assist calculus
students in learning calculus. More specifically, I would like a graphics
package that would graphically portray the method of computing volumes by
cross sections and cylindrical shells.
The student should be able to select simple formulas and view the shape on
the screen. The student should also be able to select the number of
washers/cylinders to be used to approximate the volume of the object and
view the new set of washers/cylinders.
Does such a package exist? It would be nice if the package ran on a Sun
workstation. I don't mind a package that would have to be purchased but
prefer a PD program.
Thanks.
-------
Alan D. Cabrera Bitnet: 13501adc@msu
Computer Laboratory Internet: cabreraad@clvax1.cl.msu.edu
Room 400d Computer Center
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1042
------------------------------
End of SUN-Spots Digest
***********************