[comp.os.vms] Why does my VAXstation beep at me?

rarback@bnlux1.bnl.gov (harvey rarback) (06/14/91)

     I am having a weird problem which is beginning to drive me nuts:
 my VAXstation beeps at me and I don't know why!

     Background: until today it was an occasional problem when my
 VAXstation 3100/76 keyboard would ring the keyboard bell, usually three
 beeps (like new mail arriving).  As far as I could tell this was
 "unsolicited"--no new MAIL and  no one PHONing.  ACCOUNTing, ANALYZE/AUDIT,
 OPERATOR.LOG all showed no activity at the time.  SHOW SYSTEM didn't show
 any unexpected processes.  The warning bell, but not the margin bell on
 the DECterm is enabled. The beeps usually happen when there is no mouse or 
 keyboard activity.  Today the beeps have increased in frequency to one a
 minute or so and now usually occur one at a time, although earlier there
 were twenty or so in a row.

      Hardware: VS3100/76 with SPX, Sony monitor, standard LK201 keyboard.
                RZ24 internal disk, Wren VI and Python DAT drive in
                    external SCSI chasis.
                VT1300 boots from the VS3100, although I think the beeps
                    were there before the X terminal was installed.
                LN05 printer on VS printer port.
                The power up diagnostics were all passed the last time I
                    checked.
                
      Software: VMS 5.4-1, Multinet, EWS client.

 Does the collective wisdom of the net have any suggestions about what I 
 should try to fix this problem?

   ----
Harvey Rarback                ESnet/SPAN: BNLWBC::RARBACK (44821::RARBACK)
Medical Department
Brookhaven National Lab       Internet:   rarback@bnlwbc.med.bnl.gov
Upton, NY 11973               BITNET:     RARBACK@BNL
(516)  282-3758               UUCP:       ...philabs!sbcs!bnlux0!rarback

jareed@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Judith Ann Reed) (06/17/91)

(Disclaimer: I am not a guru, nor an expert, so I may be wrong!)       

I have a vaxstation running decwindows, and have seen this kind of beeping.
I suspect it is either msgs coming to your session manager window and not
elsewhere (is it iconified when you hear the beeps?) or else operator msgs
which are not being displayed, indicating system problems - frequency of
beeps points to this. Check your error logs. Check operator log on system.
If a satellite to a lavc, check vaxcluster manual for how to enable operator
log on node.  I ignore my beeps, assuming one of the above and keeping an 
eye on the boot node opcom and logs.