Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!jarthur!usc!cs.utexas.edu!rice!rice!sun-spots-request
From: jis@mtgzx.att.com (J Mukerji)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Re: SunOS4.1 Kernel panics...
Keywords: SunOS
Message-ID: <1990Nov4.031328.2861@rice.edu>
Date: 4 Nov 90 03:00:00 GMT
Sender: sun-spots-request@rice.edu
Organization: Sun-Spots
Lines: 40
Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
Originator: spots@walhalla.rice.edu
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 360, message 2
X-Original-Date: Mon, 15 Oct 90 09:15:12 -0400 (EDT)
X-Refs:  Original: v9n351

> It seems that SunOS4.1 off the tape crashes almost regularly when some
> certain applications are run.

	. . . . . . . 

> Is there a fix to 4.1 available?  Do you want a kernel traceback?  a
> PANIC dump?  Am I alone in my problems?  

> Marty.

> p.s.  People at Sun should know that I'm not flaming SUN.  I like Sun,
Suns and things that run on Suns!  So don't feel like I hate you! But
> you gotta FIX THE BUGS!!!

I sent  kernel dump to our friendly Sun Rep. They analyzed it and sent me
a patch that fixed the kernel trap problem. The README file from the patch
is excerpted below:

> Keywords: 4.1, 4/110, flush_wind, trap, fault, data
> Synopsis: data fault trap in flush_windows on 4/110 running 4.1
> Date: August 13, 1990
> SunOS release: 4.1

> BugId's fixed with this patch:  1029939

> Architectures for which this patch is available: sun4 sun4c

> Obsoleted by: 4.1.1

> Problem Description:

> On a fork, the child gets a copy of the parent's
> process control block, which for the child will be invalid.
> If it enters the kernel because of a register window overflow
> or underflow, the code will fault in a user stack page.
> When the process is eventually resumed, the bad pcb causes
> the panic.

Your problem sounds very similar to the one that I had. Applying this
patch may fix your problem.  Good Luck!