Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!airgun!markw From: markw@airgun.wg.waii.com (Mark Whetzel) Newsgroups: comp.unix.aix Subject: how to crash AIX V3 on RISC SYSTEM 6000 Keywords: IBM crash aix hft graphics Message-ID: <933@airgun.wg.waii.com> Date: 15 Apr 91 16:03:35 GMT Organization: Western Geophysical, Houston Lines: 33 I have found a very disturbing 'feature' of AIX on IBM's RISC SYSTEM 6000 that IBM insists is not a defect. This can affect all users of 6000's that have a HFT graphics console and AIXWINDOWS. On any 6000 when a standard user is running AIXWINDOWS on the console they start X by issuing the xinit command. While they are running if you perform a ps -u you will see a list of your processes that are owned by your account, this is fine and normal. NOTE that there is a process, in addition to your shell and X server called 'kproc'. I had a user that had a quick exit shell script that issued a 'kill -9 to all of their processes. GUESS WHAT? Killing the 'kproc' that is user owned will crash the entire system in a lockup, no LED fault codes, no system errors, just a complete lockup of the system. I created a PMR 7E001 (problem managment request) with IBM on the problem about a non-privlidged user being able to crash the entire system. Their response was it was designed that way, and to change it will require a DCR (design change request). I suggest that all users of this 'mis-feature' also request one of these, so we can fix this problem in the bud, before we all have problems with this. I understand that they cannot correct the problem as a 'defect', but can you believe that they would design it this way, with such a complete loophole? Why can't it just gracefully die at least, and not hang the system? I found their lack of concern over a system ingegrity problem very appalling. That the 'problem' would not be fixed unless I requested it. Thanks for letting me bend your ears. -- Mark Whetzel My comments are my own, not my company's. Western Geophysical - A division of Western Atlas International, A Litton/Dresser Company DOMAIN addr: markw@airgun.wg.waii.com UUNET address: uunet!airgun!markw