tar problem on xenix 2.3 on dell 310

[Bob Willey]

In article <wbader.89oct4205311 at scarecrow.csee.lehigh.edu> wbader at scarecrow.csee.lehigh.edu0 (william bader) writes:
>I have a Dell 310 running Xenix 2.3 with a Cybernetics 8mm tape drive and
>an 8 port Arnet smartport card.  Running tar to the tape drive in multi-user
>mode usually crashes the system (invalid opcode, kernel panic).
>tar and doscp to the floppy will crash about 1 in 3 times, especially
>if something else is running.  I was doing backups to tape in single user
>mode every day for about three months, but it crashed today.
>I suspect a Dell hardware problem related to the pattern of access to
>RAM because earlier revisions of the 310 motherboard have had similar
>problems, but Dell refuses to look at anything that does not happen
>under DOS.  Any suggestions?

We have experienced similar problems with a Dell PC Limited 386/16 machine
running Xenix 2.3.2 and a Computone Intelliport AT8 card, and a Archive
FT60 tape backup (external).  We experieced the same type of symptoms
with the system PANIC'ing at intermittent intervals.  We had Dell
replace the memory board and the SIMMS (which you cannot buy anymore!!).
Our customer has 3mb installed in the machine, and we suspected a 
memory problem but to no avail.  We have seemed to get around the
problem now by using CTAR by Microlite Corp. in place of tar.  It
has made the problem go away, and we have enjoyed using CTAR due
to some of it's other features (like being able to create a bootable
floppy to restore from).  Apparently it uses memory in an entirely
different manner than tar and does not run into the Dell problem
I hope this helps.

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