Xref: utzoo news.admin:3478 news.software.b:1639 news.sysadmin:989 comp.unix.questions:9355 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcae!ece-csc!ncsuvx!gatech!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!purdue!haven!umbc3!mbph!hybl From: hybl@mbph.UUCP (Albert Hybl Dept of Biophysics SM) Newsgroups: news.admin,news.software.b,news.sysadmin,comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: Alzheimer's Syndrome Summary: Summary of E-mail Responses Keywords: Lost_inodes Message-ID: <577@mbph.UUCP> Date: 21 Sep 88 19:53:26 GMT References: <576@mbph.UUCP> <406@amyerg.UUCP> <10611@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com> Organization: University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 Lines: 80 In Message-ID: <8520@smoke.ARPA> at Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD. writes: # In article <406@amyerg.UUCP> appleton@amyerg.UUCP (Ewan Grantham) writes: # >In Mr. Hybl's article, he mentions his /usr4 file system losing it's # >"memory" and suddenly running out of inodes. # # That sounds like the kernel bug in the UFS code that was thoroughly # dicussed on comp.bugs.sys5 a few months ago. I suggest nagging AT&T # for a fix. Someone there MUST have heard about the problem and its # solution by now... # Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB)) Message-ID: <10611@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com> from Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill contained the following suggestion: > Check /usr/spool/news/.rnews for zillions of 0-length files.... (Steven Bellovin[jsw]) In my original posting, I stated that I used the wc command to count the number of lines produced by the du -a /usr4 command. One line is equivalent to one inode. Since this number was almost 3000 inodes short of full, I concluded that the file system had lost its inodes. "marbles :-)" ===============Summary of E-mail responses================ AS TO THE PROBABLE CAUSE: "This is an OLD problem common to System V implementations of UNIX. The problem resides within the kernel's inode allocation and release mechanism." From: uunet!cooper.cooper.EDU!mayer (Mayer Ilovitz) He also gave an excellent description of the problem, provided details to demonstrate it in a repeatable manner and a hint on how to fix it if you have access to the kernel sources. Paraphrased from Mayer Ilovitz mayer@cooper.cooper.edu HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM a) Fix the source, if you have it. b) Hack (using umount, fsck and mount). The suggestions I received are essentially similar to the example posted in Message-ID: <536@happym.UUCP> From: kent@happym.UUCP (Kent Forschmiedt) c) Nag AT&T for a fix. SOME CLOSING COMMENTS First, let me thank all those individuals who replied to my plea for assistance. I will probably adopt a hacked solution. It will be specific to news2.11 and not address the basic problem in the kernel. The best solution would be for AT&T to fix the kernel code and issue a "recall" to all sysV UNIX users. Until there is a general fix, the Alzheimer's syndrome will reappear every month or two as new usenet sites rediscover it. Based upon the number of "me too" messages and postings, it is not an isolated problem. In our case, only the posting of new news is affected; the average reader is not likely to know of the problem unless he/she is waiting for a lost posting. More disruption will occur if the news directories are on the same file system as general user $HOME directories. Surely the sysV bug is a disaster waiting to happen. As the number UNIX systems continue to grow, the scope of applications will broaden. We can live with an occasional loss of news. However, there will be an application that will experience the sudden unanticipated disappearance of inodes with tragic consequences. This could be at DOD, NSA, CPHA, NASA, SSA or your local bank--who knows. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Albert Hybl, PhD. Office UUCP: uunet!mimsy!mbph!hybl Department of Biophysics Home UUCP: uunet!mimsy!mbph!hybl!ah University of Maryland Cosy: ahybl School of Medicine Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: (301) 328-7940 (Office) ----------------------------------------------------------------------