Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!virtech!cpcahil
From: cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Another ISC 386/ix bug?
Message-ID: <1990Feb17.200910.12402@virtech.uucp>
Date: 17 Feb 90 20:09:10 GMT
References: <158@vidiot.UUCP>
Reply-To: cpcahil@virtech.UUCP (Conor P. Cahill)
Distribution: na
Organization: Virtual Technologies Inc., Sterling VA
Lines: 29

In article <158@vidiot.UUCP> brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot) writes:
>Entering commands on the keyboard fails to do anything.  What is entered
>is seen on the screen, but the computer ignores you.  The switching between
>virtual screens works, but that is all.  Even logging in via the modem fails
>to operate.  Trying to log in via a new virtual screen fails, ie, you enter
>your login name, but it fails to respond with the password prompt.

I have seen this happen on just about every unix system I have worked on.

To know what is going on you need to describe you problem better, including
things like what you were doing before it happened, is the disk activity
light on, what drivers you have loaded, what hardware you are using, etc.

The fact that you are getting echo back, indicates that the kernel has not
panic'd, but it is locked up on something else.  This is usually due to 
a bug in one of the device drivers.  (I can get someghint similar to happen
whenever I exit from X on my 386/ix system that is using the Sigma Designs 
Laser View server from Interactive.   All my windows go away and my little
X pointer icon becomes bloated and then the system is gone.  all I can do
is reboot).

To really get down to the crux of the problem, you need to track down
what you are doing just before it locks up.

-- 
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| Conor P. Cahill     uunet!virtech!cpcahil      	703-430-9247	!
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