From: mrex@aix01.rz.fht-mannheim.de (Martin Rex)
Subject: Strange FS corruption -- 97pl6 (long)
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 10:38:18 GMT
Organization: Fachhochschule fuer Technik Mannheim
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

Yesterday I had another File System corruption under Linux 0.97pl6
I have had them before using strip under .97pl1 some weeks ago,
but I am using 97pl5 now and was hoping this is ended now.

Yesterday I booted 0.97pl6 and wanted to check for problems
with MS-DOS partitions which someone mentioned in a posting yesterday,
but I can't confirm any real problems.  Only files containing spaces
in the file name (OS/2 creates an EA DATA for example which the 
MS-DOS filesystem of linux apparently can't stat() -- ls gives error).

Ok, I only booted 0.97pl6 and started X (Xlinux.8514).  I have the
strange problem with my ATI Graphics Ultra, that all Software
(MS-Windows, OS/2 and Linux don't work in 1024x768 right after power on,
 I have to reboot once, or I load the INSTALL utility (for ATI) and quit
 it again).
I was cold-booting and so X wouldn't come up.  I used the CTRL-ALT-BS
to get back to textmode (when the ATI is not properly initialized,
a grey screen comes up, but it remains empty).  For the sake of the fun
I started it again three times, but still no success; everytime I used
CTRL-ALT-BS to get back to the shell-prompt.  Then I rebooted my machine
with "reboot".
When it came back up, it did a fsck on both minix partitions, and
listed many errors on the second partition.  When I had booted it under
pl6 before, it had also done the fsck, but there had been no errors.
I have not done any operations other than mounting, directory listing
and unmounting two dos partitions, and those several unsuccessful
attempts to load X, but I have not written any data to that partition.
Where do these corruptions come from then ????

here's the shortened error-listing produced by fsck:
Note: Usually I have an xterm come up with 10x20 font, I don't
      know why 12x24 was corrupted, it shouldn't have been touched !(?)

----------
root@rnisa [/] #fsck /dev/hda7
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 9 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 1 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 2 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 588 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 152 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 2 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 258 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 100 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 4 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 258 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 8 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 2 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 16 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 258 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 32 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 2 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 272 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Zone nr < FIRSTZONE in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block 64 in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf' is marked not in use.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
   [line repeated 200 times]
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Block has been used before. Now in file `/lib/X11/fonts/misc/12x24.pcf'.
Zone 648: in use, counted=3
Zone 720: in use, counted=204
Zone 740: in use, counted=2
Zone 840: in use, counted=2
Zone 1488: in use, counted=2
Zone 8216: in use, counted=2
Zone 9704: in use, counted=2
Zone 10352: in use, counted=2
Zone 26113: in use, counted=2
Zone 28771: in use, counted=2
----------

I have had this problem for the second time now, the last
time I had it while I was trying to measure some speed differences
between 97pl1, 97pl5, and 97pl6 depending on the compile-options
"-fomit-frame-pointer" and "-m486" and though I hadn't used strip
under 97pl1 because I know about the problem with FTRUNCATE
(I haven't used strip under any pl6 since I am aware of the problem
 in <pl3), I hoped that corruption was created under pl1.
Now I am pretty sure this happened under pl6, because it showed
(almost) the exact same behaviour. I think so, because I do
remember the last lines with the "Zone ..., counted= .." were
about the same number; the first one with a count of 3 and
the second one with a count of 204, and all the rest with a
count of 2.

I tried to reproduce this effect, after successfully applying
fsck -a /dev/hda7 which seems to have fixed the integrity of the FS,
leaving me with the doubts about the integrity of my files now,
but I didn't succeed, sorry.  So I can give no more detailed
information about this problem. :-(

Help would be greatly appreciated.

-Martin Rex

--
 Martin Rex
 Rechenzentrum
 Fachhochschule fuer Technik Mannheim
 E-Mail:  mrex@aix01.rz.fht-mannheim.de