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From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Adding extra console window gettys: maybe not a good idea
Message-ID: <750@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Nov-87 09:59:13 EST
Article-I.D.: neoucom.750
Posted: Mon Nov  9 09:59:13 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Nov-87 02:50:21 EST
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 46
Keywords: made my 3b1 crash at odd interbals

#ifdef lineater

A while back somebody posted a suggestion of adding more gettys in
/etc/inittab to permit several logins at the same time on the
console.

I tried the suggestion, and it seemed to work for a while.  After a
few days, the machine crashed inexplicably.  The screen still
displayed, the mouse pointer moved, and the modem would go off hook
in response to an incomming call.  The machine would simply ingore
anything typed in  over the console or modem.  On the command line
at the bottom of the screen there was a message to the effect,
"there isn't enough memory.  close some windows."  Hmmmm..
Curious, there is only one window open.

Several days later, suddenly, I got about the same effect.  The
console started going at about the rate of a 300 baud terminal.
Next came the "close some windows" message.  Click on the X in the
corner has no effect.  (a total of 3 windows were open)  Sigh, and
reboot.  I examined /usr/admin/unix to look for some hideous error,
but nothing beyond the floppy disk error from the unreadable
diskette I got in the document preparation set.  Next, try an
fsck-- nothing out of the ordinary reported.  I came to the
conclusion it must have something to do with the changes to
/etc/inittab.

Well, I returned /etc/inittab back to the default configuration,
and everything has been fine since.  By the way, the above effects
were experienced running v 3.51.

Has anybody else experienced anything akin to this?  I'm still
worried that the  MMU might be out to lunch, not deallocating
memory when a task finishes.  Also, does anybody know the
significace of the green boxes that print in the upper left hand
corner when power is first applied?  I notice that when booting
from a complete power-down, six boxes are printed.  A reboot from
running shutdown only prints one or two boxes.

As usual, thanks for the help I've received from the network.

Bill Mayhew
Division of Basic Medical Science
Northeastern Ohio Universities' College of Medicine
Rootstown, OH  44272-9989  USA  phone:  216-325-2511

(wtm@neoucom.UUCP)