Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!shaman!jiro From: jiro@shaman.com (Jiro Nakamura) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: uucico lock-ups under 2.0 Keywords: uucp, uucico, support Message-ID: <1991Feb23.184237.3041@shaman.com> Date: 23 Feb 91 18:42:37 GMT References: <1481@cgh.UUCP> Sender: jiro@shaman.com Organization: Shaman Consulting Lines: 70 In article <1481@cgh.UUCP> paul@cgh.uucp (Paul Homchick) writes: >I am having an intermittent problem with uucico lock-ups. Three times >since installing version 2.0 of Nextstep, I have had uucico lock up >the serial port. Uucico appears in the process table, but it isn't >using any cpu resources and it isn't connected to a remote site. >Since uucico has the port, getty isn't running and no one can call nor >can any process call out. Killing uucico with a 'kill -9' doesn't >free things up, either, as tip and uucico report that they can't open >/dev/cua. Nor does cycling the modem power help. The only way I've >found to get the port back is to reboot the machine. I had the problem too with 030/2.0. It doesn't seem to happen anymore with the 040 board and flow control. Methinks that it has something to do with an lost or spurious XON character confusing either the Trailblazer or the NeXT. I.e., one of the two is waiting for an XOFF character that will never come... I'd say to upgrade to a 040 and use flow control. Using XON/XOFF with UUCP 'g' protocol isn't very good.... >L.sys or L-Devices, and this set up worked fine for a year under 1.0. I think NeXT may have changed things in 2.0, I know that the revision number has changed: shaman# strings /usr/lib/uucp/uucico @(#)PROGRAM:uucico PROJECT:cmds-42 DEVELOPER:root BUILT:Sun Nov 11 17:21:04 PST 1990 >Does anyone know for certain if there are documented problems with uucico >under 2.0?? Since I travel, this problem has resulted in having the >machine locked up for four days last week, and five days this week, >and my uucp neighbors aren't real happy campers. Get an 040. Software flow control seems to have broken. But I haven't heard of any "documented" problems, this is only from my own experience, short that it is. > [Some griping about NeXT Tech Support and NeXT Campus Supoort not > being too helpful.] I agree, unless you are a developer, the tech support isn't the best. But whose is? My experience as a developer is that developer tech support is one of the best in the industry. But even now, turn around time in Ask_NeXT is about a week, if they opened it up to non-developers, I expect it would get much worse. What is the answer? Who to pamper and at whose cost? NeXT is currently pampering developers a lot (and I'm the last person to complain) but it is at the end-user's expense a bit... sigh. > [Some griping about Businessland being their usual incompetent selves.] Yes, sadly NeXT has not trained Businessland enough. Businessland, I think was a failure because no one there knows how to use these really wonderful machines. Businessland *should* be providing end-user support, that makes bunches of sense. But they are either too lazy or dim-sighted to do so. Paul, I sympathize greatly with you. My suggestion would be to try to register as a developer. The process is necessarily a hassle and not many make it through, and you'd have to go to the course in SFO if you want tech support, but maybe it is worth it.... The NeXT has a great future ahead of it, I just wish there were more ways to ease people's frustrations with the bottom level support. - Jiro Nakamura jiro@shaman.com -- Jiro Nakamura jiro@shaman.com Shaman Consulting (607) 253-0687 VOICE "Bring your dead, dying shamans here!" (607) 253-7809 FAX/Modem Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com