bill@wrangler.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy) (04/29/91)
This one is absolutely bizarre, hopefully there's something very simple
to get around it.
The default partitioning on wrangler (32/400, Vr3) didn't suit me so I
ran a complete backup so that I could re-install (repartition really).
Everything proceeded normally until I got to the prompt asking me for a
root device name. The only device it found (and the only one it should
have) was sda1 for the first multibus SCSI. What is crazy is that I
could not type in sda1. There was nothing from the keyboard or to the
screen from that point on. I have been using the Televideo 955 console
ever since forever, but back in the haze I remember Towers being fussy
about their console (for no good reason since Vr3) so I grabbed an old
ADDS Viewpoint, reset and navigated my way to the same place, same result.
The only thing that I have done with the install tape since the initial
installation is turn the write-protect to the protected (from me) position
and put it in a safe place. I did retension it before I started the
re-install attempt and the console (9600bps 7, even, 1) worked just fine
up to the point of failure and works just fine now. I tried a ^Q in case
something might have stopped up the terminal, so I must ASSume that
something has gone crazy with the install tape. Has anyone else heard of
or seen anything like this? Is there any way around it? All I really want
to do is repartition, I guess it's obvious (since I'm posting from it) that
other than what I've described, the system is working OK. I got the same
behavior twice each with two different terminals, each of which works OK
for anything else. I was also able to enter the tape device name and the
other keyboard commands to get to the point of failure. I'm absolutely
stumped...
--
Bill Kennedy uucp {att,cs.utexas.edu,pyramid!daver}!ssbn.wlk.com!bill
internet bill@ssbn.WLK.COM or ssbn!bill@attmail.COMrey@safn2.UUCP (rey) (04/29/91)
In article <682@wrangler.WLK.COM>, bill@wrangler.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy) writes: > This one is absolutely bizarre, hopefully there's something very simple > to get around it. > > could not type in sda1. There was nothing from the keyboard or to the > screen from that point on. I have been using the Televideo 955 console > ever since forever, but back in the haze I remember Towers being fussy > about their console (for no good reason since Vr3) so I grabbed an old > ADDS Viewpoint, reset and navigated my way to the same place, same result. > > The only thing that I have done with the install tape since the initial > installation is turn the write-protect to the protected (from me) position I about wore out my install tape Fri, restoring my root partition. I would mount the corrupted partition, copy stuff to floppy, then think of another file I needed, before taking the big step of system restore from 2/17/91. The first time this happened (wyse50) I noticed the electrical tape on the keyboard cord and switched to another wyse50 and cable. What you describe happened several times. I just hit the reset switch again and waited 15 min to get there again. I also had "safe" on the tape. That is what I would do differently again. Take "safe" off the tape. Persistance paid off for me as the system is up fine now. Tower 450/32 3.00.01. My root is sdb1. wyse50 was 9600 7E1/DTR. This is an event I had dismissed as Gremlins. Then I see your post. -- Reynolds McClatchey (Southern Aluminum Finishing Co, Atlanta, GA, USA) Architectural Aluminum. Custom Fabrication. Paint, Powder Coating, Anodizing. uunet!safn2!rey MCImail 414-2935
bill@wrangler.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy) (04/30/91)
In article <1783@safn2.UUCP>, rey@safn2.UUCP (rey) writes: > In article <682@wrangler.WLK.COM>, I wrote: > > This one is absolutely bizarre, hopefully there's something very simple > > to get around it. [ console dies when prompting for the root device... ] > > [ similar things happened to Rey McClatchey... ] > > Take "safe" off the tape. Persistance paid off for me as the system is up > fine now. Tower 450/32 3.00.01. My root is sdb1. wyse50 was 9600 7E1/DTR. > > This is an event I had dismissed as Gremlins. Then I see your post. This time the cavalry rode to my rescue. I was re-reading the release notes when I got a piece of email from John Alsop at Sea Change. He suggested I might have something connected to ttya that was asserting DCD and confusing the program. I do indeed have a Heathkit weather computer hooked to ttya and it does indeed assert DCD. I wasn't aware that you could install at 1200 baud from ttya or 9600 baud from ttyb but that's what the book says. I didn't have time to get backed up, verified, and re-installed and make the Nucon this evening but I'll do it first thing in the morning. T H A N K S A B U N C H J O H N A L S O P ! ! ! I shudder to think of the crazy things I might have tried without ever finding out what was wrong. Sheesh! I feel kind of silly, but I'm delighted to have the answer. -- Bill Kennedy uucp {att,cs.utexas.edu,pyramid!daver}!ssbn.wlk.com!bill internet bill@ssbn.WLK.COM or ssbn!bill@attmail.COM