workspace

[dave "who can do? ratmandu!" ratcliffe]

In article <503 at texhrc.UUCP> mjz at texhrc.UUCP (Michael Zeitlin) writes:
>
>     ever since we upgraded to 3.3 (~a few weeks ago) workspace
>     does not work....I geet:
>
>     iris%Can't connect with File Access Monitor (fam)
>
>     i don't really use workspace ...but like to brag to my Mac colleagues
>     that the iris is just as friendly as the Mac's!
>
>     i wanted to demonstrate workspace, but to no avail....
>      is there some initialization files that i should look for or
>      something?

a while back but, it seems no one else has responded.

to the best of my knowledge there is only one reason that has come in
via calls to HotLineLan' where one will encounter the ubiquitous
"can't connect to File Access Monitor"  error message.  below follows
the a "write-up" describing the approach that has always 
addressed/solved this up to now:


   ****************************** --- ********************************

cust was finding one of 2 problems occuring when, on their >= 3.2 OS 4D 
machine, they tried to either fire up ypbind AFTER workspace was already 
running, OR trying to invoke workspace AFTER ypbind was already running.

1. if workspace is already running and invokes ypbind the system hangs solid
2. if ypbind is already running and they try to invoke workspace they get
   the error "can't connect with file access monitor".

The problem was that their YP server machine was not a >= 3.2 IRIX machine
(in this case it wasn't even an IRIS--it was a SUN).  below are two 
ultimate knowledge pieces from sgi-internal know-alls:


-----------------------------------------------------------
Fact: If a site is running >= 3.2 software, its YP master machine must 
also be running the >= 3.2 version of /etc/rpc, which has the services
needed for file system monitoring contained within it.

-----------------------------------------------------------
ALL this yp and workspace stuff :

Two problems have been around :

1 - If the yp server is not running >= 3.2, the /etc/rpc database for
    everyone who is using yp will not have sgi_fam and sgi_toolkitbusd 
    in it.  To fix this, the following lines should be added to /etc/rpc 
    on the server:

sgi_toolkitbus  391001
sgi_fam         391002

    Then, you should  ( on the server )
            cd /usr/etc/yp; make rpc


2 - Some people on larger networks have had trouble with autoworkspace.
    Basically, if the network is large and slow enough, the yp server is
    not resolved by the time the system tries to start the workspace,
    and so the workspace fails to start ( since it can't connect to fam, 
    since yp won't tell it how to....)
    A second or so later, if you try to start the workspace from the 
    system menu, it starts up fine (since yp has by then gotten it's act
    together...)
--
                                             daveus rattus   

                                   yer friendly neighborhood ratman

                              KOYAANISQATSI

   ko.yan.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi Language)  n.  1. crazy life.  2. life
       in turmoil.  3. life out of balance.  4. life disintegrating.  
         5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.