[comp.unix.ultrix] Need help with DEC WINDOWS on DEC 3100 stations

jmoore@cimlab.ecn.purdue.edu (James D Moore) (05/03/90)

I have a problem that I cannot seem to figure out. We recently
installed a Dec 3100 system and 3 Dec 3100 stations. We are running
Ultrix and DEC WINDOWS.

The problem is that whenever a person tries to log into the
client stations the DecWindows accepts the login and the password
and then seems to time out and return the login prompt. After
several tries (random number but usaly more than 5-6 tries)
it eventualy will allow a person to log into the system. From 
that point on all appears to work well. I have tried calling Dec 
Support about this and they seem to think  it has to do with 
"ethernet errors". I am quite familiar with unix but I have dealt 
little with setting up networks. I am not sure what to check. 
I was told to make sure that the thinwire net we are using
is not too long. However with only one station in the chain and a
cable well under the specified lengths I still have the problem.

Any suggestions on what to check would be extreemly appreciated.

Jim Moore
Purdue University
jmoore@cidmac.ecn.purdue.edu

eric@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Eric Fielding) (05/03/90)

In a recent article jmoore@cimlab.ecn.purdue.edu (James D Moore) wrote:
>The problem is that whenever a person tries to log into the
>client [DECstation 3100] the DecWindows accepts the login and the password
>and then seems to time out and return the login prompt. After
>several tries (random number but usaly more than 5-6 tries)
>it eventualy will allow a person to log into the system.

We have been having the same problem on our DECstation 3100 (Ultrix 3.1,
UWS 2.2) and it is not even running as a client but has its own system disks.
The number of times one has to re-do the login is not usually more than two
or three here, and at least half the time it works on the first try.

It might be my imagination, but it seems to get worse the longer the system
has been up (since we are trying to install new devices recently we have been
rebooting often and the problem has been less.

The only other variable that might be important is that we have "only" 12 MB
of memory (hoping to get more).

				++Eric Fielding
eric@geology.tn.cornell.edu

D. Allen [CGL]) (05/03/90)

>The problem is that whenever a person tries to log into the
>client stations the DecWindows accepts the login and the password
>and then seems to time out and return the login prompt. After
>several tries (random number but usaly more than 5-6 tries)
>it eventualy will allow a person to log into the system.

I had this problem running DECwindows on a vs2000 with not much
memory.  The code for /bin/login is broken.  The source we have shows
someone put a setbuffer() call in the wrong place, causing the passwd
to be read into a buffer that is then thrown away if the timing is
right, which it seems to be on slow machines.  Try this: type the login
name, and then type the <CR> and the passwd and <CR> as fast as you can. 
If you get it done inside of the time allowed by an alarm(1) call (up to
1 second), you'll get on.  My 3.1 source isn't on-line at the moment, so
I can't be more specific about the problem.
-- 
-IAN! (Ian! D. Allen) idallen@watcgl.uwaterloo.ca idallen@watcgl.waterloo.edu
 [129.97.128.64]  Computer Graphics Lab/University of Waterloo/Ontario/Canada

riley@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Daniel S. Riley) (05/03/90)

>In a recent article jmoore@cimlab.ecn.purdue.edu (James D Moore) wrote:
>>The problem is that whenever a person tries to log into the
>>client [DECstation 3100] the DecWindows accepts the login and the password
>>and then seems to time out and return the login prompt. After
>>several tries (random number but usaly more than 5-6 tries)
>>it eventualy will allow a person to log into the system.

Yet another data point...something like this happens on ours too.  
Usually only the first login attempt fails, it only seems to happen 
if the DECstation has been idle for awhile, and it only happens on 
the DECstations with only 8 MB (I haven't seen the problem on mine
since it was upped to 16 MB).  And I never saw it when I was running
the MIT X11R4 server (which I don't currently, mostly because of 
dxcalendar).

I'm now in the habit of hitting return twice before trying to log
into an 8 MB ds3100, just to get that first failure over with as 
quickly as possible.

-Dan Riley (riley@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu, cornell!batcomputer!riley)
-Wilson Lab, Cornell University

jmoore@cidmac.ecn.purdue.edu (James D Moore) (05/03/90)

In article <10193@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> eric@geology.tn.cornell.edu writes:
>In a recent article jmoore@cimlab.ecn.purdue.edu (James D Moore) wrote:
>>The problem is that whenever a person tries to log into the
>>client [DECstation 3100] the DecWindows accepts the login and the password
>>and then seems to time out and return the login prompt. After
>>several tries (random number but usaly more than 5-6 tries)
>>it eventualy will allow a person to log into the system.
>
>We have been having the same problem on our DECstation 3100 (Ultrix 3.1,
>UWS 2.2) and it is not even running as a client but has its own system disks.
>The number of times one has to re-do the login is not usually more than two
>or three here, and at least half the time it works on the first try.

I guess more info was needed about my post. We are also runnign Ultrix 3.1
with UWS 2.2.

>
>It might be my imagination, but it seems to get worse the longer the system
>has been up (since we are trying to install new devices recently we have been
>rebooting often and the problem has been less.
>

Hmmm ...  I see a patern here .... Any ideas what to check?

>The only other variable that might be important is that we have "only" 12 MB
>of memory (hoping to get more).
>
>				++Eric Fielding
>eric@geology.tn.cornell.edu

Our system configuration is as follows :
(1) 1 Dec3100 system 16mb (2) 3 Dec3100 Stations 8mb (3) 2 RZ55 disks
(4) 1 RZ33 (?) internal (4) TK50 (5) DEC LN03R Scriptprinter not connected
yet.



Jim Moore
jmoore@cidmac.ecn.purdue.edu

GEOMAGIC@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Daniel OConnell) (05/04/90)

>I have a problem that I cannot seem to figure out. We recently
>installed a Dec 3100 system and 3 Dec 3100 stations. We are running
>Ultrix and DEC WINDOWS.

>The problem is that whenever a person tries to log into the
>client stations the DecWindows accepts the login and the password
>and then seems to time out and return the login prompt. After
>several tries (random number but usaly more than 5-6 tries)
<it eventualy will allow a person to log into the system. From
>that point on all appears to work well. I have tried calling Dec
>Support about this and they seem to think  it has to do with
>"ethernet errors". I am quite familiar with unix but I have dealt
>little with setting up networks. I am not sure what to check.
>I was told to make sure that the thinwire net we are using
>is not too long. However with only one station in the chain and a
>cable well under the specified lengths I still have the problem.

>Jim Moore
>Purdue University
>jmoore@cidmac.ecn.purdue.edu

We have a similar configuration with a DEC5400 as a server. We
experienced a similar problem on one DEC3100. Turned out that
we forgot to completely reconfigure the rc.local file. One of the
peculiarities was forgetting to comment out the mop_mon entry.
A bunch of VAXstation3100's kept trying to load their brains from
the DEC3100. More importantly, we found that the NFS and local
daemon entries, or something like that were out of order. All
I can remember for sure was that the default rc.local file
required extensive reworking to get the 3100 to work gracefully.

Dan O'Connell
geomagic@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (VMS)
geomagic@geo1s.mps.ohio-state.edu (Ultrix)
geomagic@you.must.be.joking (Wylbur)

gengenba@forwiss.uni-passau.de (Michael Gengenbach) (05/05/90)

In article <1990May3.125502.14015@ecn.purdue.edu> jmoore@cimlab.ecn.purdue.edu (James D Moore) writes:
>The problem is that whenever a person tries to log into the
>client stations the DecWindows accepts the login and the password
>and then seems to time out and return the login prompt.

I had the same problem after the installation of our DECstations.

>After several tries (random number but usaly more than 5-6 tries)
>it eventualy will allow a person to log into the system. From 

I didn't try to log in more than a few times, so I don't know, if
this would work. But I figured out, that the problem was with
/etc/svcorder. The first service (YP or BIND, I can't remember) 
wasn't running correctly. When I put 'local' in front of /etc/svcorder, 
everything worked allright.

I hope this helps.

Michael
--
Michael Gengenbach   \/\/\/\/\/  gengenbach@forwiss.uni-passau.de
FORWISS               \/\/\/\/
University of Passau  /\/\/\/\   Phone: +49 851/509-496
West Germany         /\/\/\/\/\  Fax  : +49 851/509-497