From owner-freebsd-hackers  Mon Apr 28 19:38:10 1997
Return-Path: <owner-hackers>
Received: (from root@localhost)
          by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) id TAA17132
          for hackers-outgoing; Mon, 28 Apr 1997 19:38:10 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from sendero.i-connect.net (sendero-ppp.i-Connect.Net [206.190.143.100])
          by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id TAA17115
          for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Mon, 28 Apr 1997 19:37:46 -0700 (PDT)
Received: (qmail 3334 invoked by uid 1000); 29 Apr 1997 02:16:47 -0000
Message-ID: <XFMail.970428191646.Shimon@i-Connect.Net>
X-Mailer: XFMail 1.1-alpha [p0] on FreeBSD
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
MIME-Version: 1.0
In-Reply-To: <3364E6BB.41C67EA6@whistle.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 18:44:43 -0700 (PDT)
Organization: iConnect Corp.
From: Simon Shapiro <Shimon@i-Connect.Net>
To: Julian Elischer <julian@whistle.com>
Subject: Re: A Desparate Plea for Help...
Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Sender: owner-hackers@freebsd.org
X-Loop: FreeBSD.org
Precedence: bulk


Hi Julian Elischer;  On 28-Apr-97 you wrote: 

...

> The best thing for you to do with this
> is to compile the gernet
> using -g
> do this by using 
> config -g
> do: (on the compile machine)
> make
> cp kernel kernel.debug
> strip -d kernel
> 
> also:
> cat >.gdbinit <<DONE
> set remotebaud 9600
> file kernel.debug
> target remote  /dev/cuaa1
> DONE
> 
> 
> compile the options DDB and set the default 
> debugger to be gdb by booting with -g
> 
> then if you get a crash,
> make sure that /dev/cuaa1 (com2) on your source machine is
> connected to com1 on the victim machine 
> and type 
> cd /sys/compile/<MYKENREL>
> gdb
> 
> this (due to the .gdbinit) will fire up gdb and allow you to walk up and
> down the 
> stack trace of the crashed kernel.
> 
> even if the screen is stuck in X11.
> 
> there are some problems I've seen.
> 
> 1/ the newest gdb versions are not as good at doing this as some of the
> older ones.
> and sometimes get confused.
> 2/ you must remember to make sure the system has sert gdb to be the
> kernel debugger.
> (there may be a compile time option for this.. I forget)
> 3/ some uarts don't like this if com1 is already being used for
> something..
> (move your mouse to com2)

...

Thanx Julian!  I am going to do that right away.  Unfortunately, the source
machine is the victim machine too - easiest to duplicate the bug.

BTW, I have disabled ALL LKM's in the system and it appears to hold
together!

As I said, we had Linux emulation (which is not being used), the non-X
screen
saver (which appears to be fine (used to crash somewhere in pre-stable 2.2),
and OSS which appears to be working.

Now, which one is the culprit?  Dunno, but would put my money (on top of the
$20.00/binary I already did - was curious), on OSS.  It is used heavily by
the
FVWM to go Boing! when windows close and by XFmail to say ``youve' got
mail!''
when I do.  All exceptionally critical and essentical to system operation
:-)

So, Until I get brave + few days, and unless someone comes with a better
plan,
unless the systems start crashing again, I am going to suffer a handicapped
system;  no twinkling stars, no linux emulation (Oh, my!) and no pre-paid,
binary only, loud and clicking sound.  What a loss!

On a more serious note; i would like, very much to identify the culprit, on
the
chance that the bug is elsewhere and can pop up again, somewhere on a
mountain
top, taking some 50,000 customers out of service.

Simon