ethernet problems - cured but not solved

DoN Nichols dnichols at ceilidh.beartrack.com
Mon Feb 4 02:47:36 AEST 1991


The problems which had plagued ceilidh since I moved the personality from a
7300 to a 3b1 (after putting the 2-hard-disk mod into the 3b1) have gone
away.  No software solution!  No replacement of ethernet board!, No change
of other boards installed in slots!

What I did was that I put the 2-hard-disk mod into the 7300.  I did it in
such a way that I didn't need any outrigger boards, piggyback chips, or the
like.  The mod is entirely on the 7300 mother board, and, as far as circuit
design goes, is the ICUS mod.  I just found room for three chips on the
motherboard, and found unused sections of the 26ls31 and 26ls32 which I
could use.  (I'll post more details later - but you will still need the ICUS
info to use what I post.)  The mod will also need to be changed somewhat
depending on the version of motherboard, and I don't have samples of all to
check out.

Since the disks were living external to the cpu box, I changed no software,
I just unplugged the disk box from the 3B1 cpu, and plugged it into the
7300.  When I rebooted, I ran the ethernet through a rather excessive load -
remsh to feis (another 3b1), remsh back to ceilidh (the 7300), remsh to
teacat (a Tektronix 6130), and do a ls -lR from / as root.  Plenty of data,
plenty of links thru the ethernet on ceilidh, no problems.  I've had no
problems with the ethernet since, except that I have to shut down the
ethernet during uucp transfers thru a trailblazer plus to another system (My
end locked at 19200, his at 9600).  If I don't shut down the ethernet, the
transfers go slowly, and sometimes time out.  If I do shut down the
ethernet, the transfer flies.  This I can live with, but would rather not.

Also, when I moved to the 3b1, elm and the mail system started bombing on
sending email - unless I was root.  I checked permissions and suid/sgid
everywhere with no cure.  Once I was back in the 7300, no problems.  (Could
it be that ceilidh's personality objected to being moved from his original
cpu? :-) Again - remember that there was NO change of software (same disks
with same software), and all the cards in the system were the same except
for the mother-board/main-cpu-board.

Both boards had factory-installed DRUN patches, but the 7300 seemed to be a
later board.  I should have noted down the rev levels on each while I had
them apart.  Now It'll have to wait for dust-bunny-extermination time, which
will be a while.  (Unless I get a hardware failure, or want to machine the
case back for the connectors for the two-hard-disk connections instead of
running the ribbon cable out between the plastic case and the metal chassis.)

	Thanks All
		DoN.
-- 
Donald Nichols (DoN.)		| Voice (Days):	(703) 664-1585
D&D Data			| Voice (Eves):	(703) 938-4564
Disclaimer: from here - None	| Email:     <dnichols at ceilidh.beartrack.com>
	--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---



More information about the Comp.sys.3b1 mailing list