Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[g.j.kuiper]

> 
> As to the MP problem, I think I understand and can give you a fix to
> /sys/src/9/pc/mp.c, but if you can't install the system you won't be
> able to compile it in and make a new kernel.
> 
That will be fine. I've got things up and running.
It's only when playing with plan9.ini I get into trouble.

I've never actually attemted to build a kernel though.


> --jim


Geerten 

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[Ian Richards]

FWIW, your boot problems sound very familiar.  I recently upgraded my
installation with a Vita Nuova CD distribution (labeled Jun 14th,
2001).  Afterwards, the system would come up successfully maybe one time
in ten, hanging at the same point in the startup procedure that you've
witnessed.  I assumed that the problems were related to video, but
couldn't nail them down.  I ended up reinstalling an older distribution
(Nov, 2000) out of frustration.

Also frustrating was that the boot process didn't seem to honor
'debug=1' from within the plan9.ini file anymore.  Neither problem
presented itself when booting Plan9 from an install diskette.

--Ian

g.j.kuiper@kpn.com wrote:
> 
> This makes experimenting with the plan9.ini settings rather risky: when
> things go wrong it takes up to five (!) reboots just to get back to where I
> started.

-- 
Ian Richards 
ir7695a@mindspring.com

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[jmk]

On Tue Aug 28 13:34:33 EDT 2001, geerten@bart.nl wrote:
> At 09:02 8/28/2001 -0400, Jim wrote:
> >I take it you are using SCSI drives on the 53C1010 controller?
> >(If not, ignore the rest of the message).
> 
> yes
> 
> >Do you have any confidence the driver will handle the 53C1010?
> 
> apart from the multi processor problem and the difficulty to recover after
> an improper shutdown it appears to work nicely...
> 
> >Although I can't find the reference now, I have a recollection
> >of Nigel Roles saying the 53C1010 wouldn't work properly without
> >driver changes.
> 
> should I contact Nigel about this ?
> 
> >Do you have another controller or ATA drive you could use
> >instead?
> >
> 
> I could borrow the 53c875 from the alpha, but only for testing
> 
> >--jim
> 
> Geerten.

I've asked Nigel about it, I suspect he's on vacation.
It might be best to install using the 53C875, that would then remove
the doubts about the 53C1010.

As to the MP problem, I think I understand and can give you a fix to
/sys/src/9/pc/mp.c, but if you can't install the system you won't be
able to compile it in and make a new kernel.

--jim

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[geerten kuiper]

At 09:02 8/28/2001 -0400, Jim wrote:
>I take it you are using SCSI drives on the 53C1010 controller?
>(If not, ignore the rest of the message).

yes

>Do you have any confidence the driver will handle the 53C1010?

apart from the multi processor problem and the difficulty to recover after
an improper shutdown it appears to work nicely...

>Although I can't find the reference now, I have a recollection
>of Nigel Roles saying the 53C1010 wouldn't work properly without
>driver changes.

should I contact Nigel about this ?

>Do you have another controller or ATA drive you could use
>instead?
>

I could borrow the 53c875 from the alpha, but only for testing

>--jim

Geerten.

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[jmk]

I take it you are using SCSI drives on the 53C1010 controller?
(If not, ignore the rest of the message).

Do you have any confidence the driver will handle the 53C1010?
Although I can't find the reference now, I have a recollection
of Nigel Roles saying the 53C1010 wouldn't work properly without
driver changes.

Do you have another controller or ATA drive you could use
instead?

--jim

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[Lucio De Re]

On Tue, Aug 28, 2001 at 01:46:17PM +0200, g.j.kuiper@kpn.com wrote:
> 
> This is an interesting thought. Actually, there was a spell of disc activity
> before the hang, but by the sound of it I thought that this was on disc 1.
> My Plan9 partion is on disc 2.
> 
> How long would it take to check a 5 Gb partition ? I waited 5 to 10 minutes.
> 
A minute or so is my feeling for a 1Gig drive, on an obsolete i486.

> And how would this fit in with the fact that I can fix it by rerunning
> bootsetup from the installfloppy ?
> 
I pass.  If, as you say, the 9fat partition is the one that gets
clobbered, then I could only be guessing, and most likely wrong.  I
would still watch the disk activity light, though :-)

++L

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[g.j.kuiper]

Lucio De Re <lucio@proxima.alt.za> schreef in artikel
<20010828102329.E15277@cackle.proxima.alt.za>...
> kfs takes a bit of time to start up if it needs to check the disk
> because of a premature shutdown.  Check if the disk light is on, and
> wait if it is, it may be just a disk check that's taking place.
> 
> I have no idea how disruptive it is to restart the machine in the
> middle of a disk check.
> 
> ++L

This is an interesting thought. Actually, there was a spell of disc activity
before the hang, but by the sound of it I thought that this was on disc 1.
My Plan9 partion is on disc 2.

How long would it take to check a 5 Gb partition ? I waited 5 to 10 minutes.

And how would this fit in with the fact that I can fix it by rerunning
bootsetup from the installfloppy ?

Geerten

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[g.j.kuiper]

me:
> >This makes experimenting with the plan9.ini settings rather risky: when
> >things go wrong it takes up to five (!) reboots just to get back to where
I
> >started.
Philippe Anel: 
> plan9.ini file may contain multiple configurations. see plan9.ini(8).
> It works for me (I had to re-compile 9load though).
me again:
But the problem is that, once one configuration has failed, from then on the
previously "known good" config will also hang, until I recreate the 9fat
partition. I suspect (though I haven't tried) that it doesn't make a
difference if I put both config's in a single plan9.ini.

Geerten

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[Philippe Anel]

Hi,

On Tue, 28 Aug 2001 07:38:00 GMT, in comp.os.plan9 you wrote:

>This makes experimenting with the plan9.ini settings rather risky: when
>things go wrong it takes up to five (!) reboots just to get back to where I
>started.

plan9.ini file may contain multiple configurations. see plan9.ini(8).
It works for me (I had to re-compile 9load though).
>
>BTW, I noticed that the original plan9.ini on the install floppy is padded
>to exactly 512 bytes. Should I keep it that way ?
> 
>Geerten
>
> 

	Philippe

Re: Fw: [9fans] some problems

[Lucio De Re]

On Tue, Aug 28, 2001 at 09:20:45AM +0200, g.j.kuiper@kpn.com wrote:
> 
> It's a bit more subtle than that I'm afraid. The problem isn't with
> networking: the dns line appears exactly the same during a normal boot, and
> dns is the last networking thing in termrc.
> The strange thing is that this hang occurs with exactly the same config
> that worked before. Only difference is that in between I had 
> a problem (1 or 2 above, or anything else) which forced me to do an
> improper shutdown.
> This makes experimenting with the plan9.ini settings rather risky: when
> things go wrong it takes up to five (!) reboots just to get back to where I
> started.
> 
kfs takes a bit of time to start up if it needs to check the disk
because of a premature shutdown.  Check if the disk light is on, and
wait if it is, it may be just a disk check that's taking place.

I have no idea how disruptive it is to restart the machine in the
middle of a disk check.

++L

Fw: [9fans] some problems

[g.j.kuiper]

Martin Harriss <martin@princeton.edu> schreef in artikel
<3B89644D.7B299843@princeton.edu>...
> geerten kuiper wrote:
> > 
> > The other system isn't currently running. I don't really want to use
DHCP
> > anyway, maybe I should edit the ndb before activating the NIC ??)
> 
> If you're not using (or don't want to use) DHCP then you'll have to
> explicitly supply the IP address of the system.  Try editing termrc and
> change the ipconfig line:
> 
> ip/ipconfig ether /net/ether0 <your-ip-address>
> 
> See the man page for ipconfig(8) for more details.

Yes, I'll keep trying on this. Riight now the networking isn't urgent, but
the other system is an Alpha PC164, which is supposed to run Plan9 as well.
Eventually I will want to try that..

- (skipping problem 2)

> > Problem 3 happens after either of the previous ones: I revert to the
> > original plan9.ini, but any subsequent reboot still hangs after the
line:
> > ndb/dns: can't read my ip address
> > Also in these cases there is a long delay two lines earlier, between:
> > "kfs...boot: nop..." and "time...".
> > Maybe this is caused by some corruption of the 9fat partition, because
the
> > only way I have found to fix this is by booting from the install floppy
and
> > rerunning bootsetup, thus reinitializing the 9fat partition.
> 
> Presumably, once you get the IP address configuration sorted out, this
> will go away.  And if you have a stand-alone system without networking,
> you shouldn't be running dns anyway.

It's a bit more subtle than that I'm afraid. The problem isn't with
networking: the dns line appears exactly the same during a normal boot, and
dns is the last networking thing in termrc.
The strange thing is that this hang occurs with exactly the same config
that worked before. Only difference is that in between I had 
a problem (1 or 2 above, or anything else) which forced me to do an
improper shutdown.
This makes experimenting with the plan9.ini settings rather risky: when
things go wrong it takes up to five (!) reboots just to get back to where I
started.

BTW, I noticed that the original plan9.ini on the install floppy is padded
to exactly 512 bytes. Should I keep it that way ?
 
Geerten