Subject: Re: Instability on Alpha?
To: None <tls@rek.tjls.com>
From: Ross Harvey <ross@ghs.com>
List: port-alpha
Date: 08/10/1999 10:42:38
> From: Thor Lancelot Simon <tls@rek.tjls.com>
> To: port-alpha@netbsd.org
> Subject: Re: Instability on Alpha?
>
> On Thu, Aug 05, 1999 at 03:49:29PM -0700, Ross Harvey wrote:
> > > From: seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach)
> > > [ instability ]
> > 
> > You have a HW problem. (Check your RAM, your cpu cooler fan, etc...it's
> > odd that you aren't getting ECC machine checks ... you might try
> > underclocking your CPU as a test.)
>
> Actually, check your power supply, too.  Aren't you using a 230W or 250W
> supply?  That's probably borderline for this board with 8 pieces of RAM and
> some peripherals.
>

For the record, I was wrong about that. It's a somewhat interesting
story. As I communicated to Peter privately, it turned out to be

	1. Software
	2. A vaguely security-related issue, see SA1999-011, at:
		ftp://ftp.NetBSD.ORG/pub/NetBSD/misc/security/advisories/
		NetBSD-SA1999-011.txt.asc
	   (Or just read it on bugtraq. :-)

If you updated to -current last week and have the profil(2)-enabled
gmon.out-happy make(1) that escaped for 24 hours that week: update
and recompile it or install the kernel patch in the advisory.

	ross.harvey@computer.org