"Steven M. Bellovin" wrote:
> 
> In message <Pine.OSF.4.43.0112040911190.31416-100000@cpu.WPI.EDU>, Ian Cooper w
> rites:
> >Try the reset command if the screen is garbled.  Often that works.
> >
> 
> I'll try 'reset' next time it happens, but I don't think that that
> alone will do it.  For example, when the problem occurred yesterday, I
> logged in remotely and killed the login shell on ttyE0.  When I saw
> that 'login' was running, I typed 'smb', and noticed that 'login smb'
> was now running.  But I couldn't get it to accept a password; it just
> showed as 'login'.  Login does set the tty modes completely; I don't
> think there's anything left for 'reset' to correct.  Also, I can't
> switch to other consoles with cntl+alt+Fn.  (Admittedly, the fact that
> I can see 'smb' suggests that the keyboard isn't completely hosed.)
> 
> The screen at such times is displaying random patterns, as if the frame
> buffer isn't being read out (or read in) properly.  It's not like there
> are weird characters being echoed.
> 
>                 --Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb
>                 Full text of "Firewalls" book now at http://www.wilyhacker.com

I've been keeping an eye on this too. Every now and then X11Free
cores/crashes on me, leaving the console completely black. If I try to
start X again it hangs in some already probing, and nothing seems to
restore the console to text or X. Reboot is in order, and I don't like
rebooting :)

Perhaps too much of a special case... :)

Lund


-- 
Jorgen "Lord" Lundman <lundman@lundman.net>
Technology Manager, Unix Administrator
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