[unix-pc.general] /dev/syscon

jimmy@denwa.uucp (Jim Gottlieb) (09/25/88)

A friend's 3B1 often boots up such that when he logs in he is on
/dev/syscon rather than on /dev/w1.  Similarly, windy won't work.  It
looks like the Window Manager is having problems, but the question is
why.  I checked his /etc/rc and /etc/inittab and they are both
identical to mine.  All the standard processes are listed with a ps,
but the wmgr appears to use a suspicously low amount of CPU.  Any ideas?

Thanks...
-- 
Jim G.        E-Mail: <jimmy@denwa.uucp>  or  <jimmy@pic.ucla.edu>
^^^^^^    V-Mail: (213) 551-7702  Fax: 478-3060  The-Real-Me: 824-5454

richard@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Richard Foulk) (09/25/88)

} A friend's 3B1 often boots up such that when he logs in he is on
} /dev/syscon rather than on /dev/w1.  Similarly, windy won't work.  It
} looks like the Window Manager is having problems, but the question is
} why.  I checked his /etc/rc and /etc/inittab and they are both
} identical to mine.  All the standard processes are listed with a ps,
} but the wmgr appears to use a suspicously low amount of CPU.  Any ideas?

I've forgotten the details now, but SysV used to have a bug whereby
it would misbehave if the syscon entry in the /dev directory occurred
before the console entry.

Do something like "od -c /dev" on both machines and compare the relative
positions of console and syscon.

To move the console to the beginning of the directory do something
like this:

	ln firstentry temp
	rm firstentry			# free up the first slot
	mv temp firstentry
	ln console console_temp		# grab the first slot
	rm console
	mv console_temp console

firstentry is whatever you find at the top of the list when you
do the "od -c /dev".

This is all just a guess, but earlier releases of SysV did really
funky things with syscon and console.

Richard

lenny@icus.islp.ny.us (Lenny Tropiano) (09/27/88)

In article <2426@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> richard@uhccux.UUCP (Richard Foulk) writes:
|>} A friend's 3B1 often boots up such that when he logs in he is on
|>} /dev/syscon rather than on /dev/w1.  Similarly, windy won't work.  It
|>} looks like the Window Manager is having problems, but the question is
|>} why.  I checked his /etc/rc and /etc/inittab and they are both
|>} identical to mine.  All the standard processes are listed with a ps,
|>} but the wmgr appears to use a suspicously low amount of CPU.  Any ideas?
|>
|>I've forgotten the details now, but SysV used to have a bug whereby
|>it would misbehave if the syscon entry in the /dev directory occurred
|>before the console entry.
|>
...
I don't think this is your problem.  I've seen this on a couple of machines
where for some reason (still unknown to me), /dev/syscon get's unlinked from
the other two names.

On my system...

crw-rw-rw-  1 root    sys       1,  0 Jan  1  1970 /dev/console 
				^ a total different device driver.
crw-rw-rw-  3 root    sys       7,  0 Jan  1  1970 /dev/syscon 
crw-rw-rw-  3 root    sys       7,  0 Jan  1  1970 /dev/systty 
crw-rw-rw-  3 root    sys       7,  0 Jan  1  1970 /dev/window 
	    ^ all linked together.

So to make sure things are right, just do this:

# ln /dev/window /dev/syscon
# ln /dev/window /dev/systty

This should solve your problems with the window manager...

-Lenny
-- 
Lenny Tropiano             ICUS Software Systems       [work] +1 (516) 582-5525
lenny@icus.islp.ny.us      Telex: 154232428 ICUS       [home] +1 (516) 968-8576
{talcott,boulder,hombre,pacbell,sbcs}!icus!lenny       attmail!icus!lenny
        ICUS Software Systems -- PO Box 1; Islip Terrace, NY  11752

bdb@becker.UUCP (Bruce Becker) (09/27/88)

In article <212@denwa.uucp> jimmy@denwa.uucp writes:
>A friend's 3B1 often boots up such that when he logs in he is on
>/dev/syscon rather than on /dev/w1.  Similarly, windy won't work.  It
>looks like the Window Manager is having problems, but the question is
>why.  I checked his /etc/rc and /etc/inittab and they are both
>identical to mine.  All the standard processes are listed with a ps,
>but the wmgr appears to use a suspicously low amount of CPU.  Any ideas?
>
>Thanks...
>-- 
>Jim G.        E-Mail: <jimmy@denwa.uucp>  or  <jimmy@pic.ucla.edu>
>^^^^^^    V-Mail: (213) 551-7702  Fax: 478-3060  The-Real-Me: 824-5454

You should check /dev. "ls -il /dev" should show that '/dev/window'
is the same inode as '/dev/syscon' & '/dev/systty' -

  115 crw-rw-rw-  1 root    sys       1,  0 Jan  1  1970 console 
  [...]
  180 crw-rw-rw-  3 root    sys       7,  0 Jan  1  1970 syscon 
  180 crw-rw-rw-  3 root    sys       7,  0 Jan  1  1970 systty 
  [...]
   51 crw-rw-rw-  1 bdb     users     7,  1 Sep 27 10:43 w1 
   52 crw-rw-rw-  1 root    sys       7,  2 Sep 27 10:38 w2 
   53 crw-rw-rw-  1 root    sys       7,  3 Sep 27 09:33 w3 
   54 crw-rw-rw-  1 root    sys       7,  4 May  1 22:35 w4 
   48 crw-rw-rw-  1 root    sys       7,  5 Sep 27 10:46 w5 
  [...]
  180 crw-rw-rw-  3 root    sys       7,  0 Jan  1  1970 window 

  If syscon or systty is wrong, delete & 'ln' to window.

Cheers,
-- 
Bruce Becker        Toronto, Ont.
Internet: bdb@becker.UUCP, becker@humvax.UUCP, becker@ziebmef.UUCP
BitNet:   BECKER@HUMBER.BITNET
"When in Rome, do as the Icelandic do" - Hrulf Sigurdsson