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From: jimb@tekigm2.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.org.decus
Subject: Re: Rotating light pattern under RSTS
Message-ID: <1592@tekigm2.TEK.COM>
Date: Thu, 26-Mar-87 12:24:48 EST
Article-I.D.: tekigm2.1592
Posted: Thu Mar 26 12:24:48 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Mar-87 06:32:41 EST
References: <8811@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Reply-To: jimb@tekigm2.UUCP (Jim Boland)
Distribution: na
Organization: Tektronix, Vancouver WA
Lines: 27

In article <8811@decwrl.DEC.COM> herbert@dievms.dec.com (Kevin Paul Herbert) writes:
 >>I was surprised, and disappointed, to see that the old Star Trek blinking
 >>light pattern was gone.  I had never seen our console when running V8.0.
 >>I KNOW the lights are gone with V9.x, DEC even documents that.  Our RUN
 >>light is on almost constantly, even with ZERO activity, so I have a sinking
 >>feeling we have a runaway peripheral scarfing up cycles, which may explain
 >>our system sluggishness more than blaming it on CBE, etc.  
 > 
 >Be sure that the display select switch is set to "data paths" if you
 >want to see the rotating lights.
 > 
 >If there isn't any idle time,
>the problem is most likely a terminal line which is passing transmit
>data to receive data, using lots of CPU time echoing the same thing
>over and over. 
We run RSTS v9 on our 11/70 and the light pattern exists.  We had problems
about a year ago with  the light pattern stopping and all lights were on
constantly.  The system would slow down (die) to a mere snooze.  With no
activity, it would take appx 2 mins to log in.  Restarting the system
would clear up the problem;  however, the problem would reappear randomly.
We traced it down to a noisy terminal line which had nothing connected at the
other end.  Disconnecting unused terminal lines solved the problem.

There was a software routine printed in DEC PROFESSIONAL(I believe) in
Fall of 85 that checks for terminal activity.  I don't remember which
issue and my issues don't go back prior to Dec 1985.  I remember the
article,though, and we tried the program.  It helped to find our problem.