Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!consult!root
From: root@consult.UUCP (Super user)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: Disk Gobble-d-gook
Message-ID: <8@consult.UUCP>
Date: 17 May 89 13:00:10 GMT
References: <1839@wasatch.utah.edu>
Reply-To: bob@.UUCP (Super user)
Organization: Computer Consulting Service, Easton MD.
Lines: 23

In article <1839@wasatch.utah.edu> kessler%cons.utah.edu@wasatch.utah.edu (Robert R. Kessler) writes:
>One of our customers had a strange occurrence that I was wondering if
>anyone else has seen.  They are running an IBM PS/2 Model 80, with an
>yet, so they are running the last 2.2 version of SCO Xenix.
>We then did some investigating and discovered that the disk had become
>nearly totally trashed.  Some directories and their files were totally
>missing.  Other files had sizes of 4 Gigabytes, their status was
>bite us again.  Could it be a hardware problem?  Power problem?  Does
>anyone have any ideas?  We will be calling SCO today for their advice.


Here is one idea.  There was a problem with Release 2.2.2 and back
regarding the dskinit program when the system was installed.  Caused
a nasty little problem, formatted the driving using 112 cylinder 
instead of 110!!  This caused the swap file (end of drive) to be
partially located over the non-existent space.
This could cause some rather weird problems and various panic conditions.
It is fixed in 2.2.3 (xnx116 or xnx117).
..
This is just one idea.
But this one took a bite out of us, so thought I would share it with you
in the hopes it may prevent another user of the catastrophre we had.
..