Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site safari.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!tektronix!reed!dinadan!percival!bucket!safari!dave
From: dave@safari.UUCP (dave munroe)
Newsgroups: net.micro.att
Subject: Re: Re: Unix PC Noise
Message-ID: <116@safari.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-May-86 04:17:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: safari.116
Posted: Mon May 26 04:17:23 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 30-May-86 05:12:48 EDT
References: <2797@sdcrdcf.UUCP> <384@quest.UUCP>
Distribution: net.micro.att
Organization: CSRDS (#2, safari); Portland Oregon
Lines: 57

> > When my Unix PC makes noise from the hard disk, you can lift the bottom, 
> > left-side of the screen and the noise will either stop or at least be 
> > reduced.
> 
>   I had similar problems with a UNIX pc I work with.  It turns out
> (after opening the machine up and calling MiniScribe) that there
> is a contact bushing on the bottom of the drive that is being pressed
> too tightly...

The 20MB drive on my Unix PC is also quite loud.  Does anyone know if this
is also the case with the larger capacity disks offered for the Unix PC?

Since I am new to the net, I do not know what Unix PC topics have been
covered to date.  If anyone is keeping a collection, I would appreciate
getting a copy by mail (if no one is keeping a collection, I will try to
take up the task).  I've been running my system continuously for about 8
months and am extremely pleased with the quality and speed of the machine.

Below are some observations and questions:

1.	The version 2.0 diagnostic disk did not give the option for parking the
	disk heads, so systems that my have been moved around a bit may have
	more than the usual number of bad blocks (my version 3.0 diagnostic
	disk reported 32 bad blocks and took an hour to format the disk --
	I don't know if this is typical or not).  I have not yet had AC
	power fail on a running system...I would like to see some disk
	manufacturer offer disks for the Unix PC that would automatically
	retract the heads.

2.	/usr/adm/unix.log picks up an entry about once every day and a half.
	I was told by AT&T that these are soft errors.  I imagine the error
	rate depends on system usage and the condition of the disk.

3.	When running the terminal emulator (async-main), quite often the
	call screen pops up and then there is no way to resume or hang up
	the call other than to physically unplug the line (I was told by
	AT&T that there is a related problem here with getty being respawned
	repeatedly).  The best workaround is to use cu.  Also, there are
	cases when, after someone has dialed in remotely, the system
	seems to be in a confused state and cannot be switched successfully
	to VOICE or DATA.  The only solution I know of is a hardware reset.

4.	Is anyone running their Unix PC in a high-temperature environment
	(greater than 80 degrees F.) for any length of time?

4.	RE: USENET NEWS SOFTWARE: postnews and other programs kept aborting
	with a core dump.  I tracked the problem down to the use of the
	identifier 'sigtrap' in rextern.c  The problem was solved by simply
	renaming all instances of 'sigtrap' to 'sigtrp'.  It seems that
	even something like:

		int sigtrap;
		main() { system("exec vi + tempfile"); }

	will abort with a core dump.

		...decvax!tektronix!ogcvax!omssw2!argent!safari!dave