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Date:         Mon, 9 Nov 1992 20:46:17 -0600
Reply-To:     Novell LAN Interest Group <NOVELL@SUVM.BITNET>
From:         Joe Doupnik <JRD@USU.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: GUTEN ABEND ... NICHT!

>Here's one...
>I'm running NetWare 3.11 on a 486/50 EISA machine.  Inside, I've got two
>1.4 GB Micropolis SCSI hard disks (mirrored), a 4 MB cache controller
>(EISA), an Intel EtherExpress card (EISA), an Olicom Token Ring Card
>(not a TRUE EISA card - 32 bit addressing, but 24 bit throughput), and
>32 MB RAM.  All told, it's a beautiful system, all except for the fact
>that it likes to ABEND at the most inopportune times, like when I'm
>standing in a voting line for three hours without my beeper and no one
>at my location who knows how to bring a server back online.
>
>Fortunately, or unfortunately, there are indications that there is more
>to the problem than just the occassional crash.  Everytime I try to run
>PRODUCT INFORMATION from the INSTALL NLM, the system ABENDs (I say
>"fortunately" because at least it's predictable.)  In addition, anytime
>that I try to run BTRIEVE from the console, the BTRIEVE NLM also ABENDs
>with the following messages
>    ... 1.1.14 Module did not release 4 resources
>               Resource: Service Connection Tasks
>        1.1.16 Module did not release 253200 resources
>               Resource: Btrieve Memory
>
>As I mentioned, the only thing GOOD about any of this is at least its
>predictable and reproducable.  Any ideas?  The BTRIEVE that I'm running
>dates from around August 91.  I've done some hunting around on some of
>the FTP servers, and not found a more recent release of BTRIEVE.  Even
>if I do find a newer release, I'm not convinced that that's where the
>problem is.  An ABENDing BTRIEVE could very well be nothing more than
>a symptom of something more serious, more ominous ... something so
>hideous that ... excuse me.
>
>Anyway, give me your best shots...
>
>Mark Hall, Network Swami
>College of Pharmacy
>The University of Georgia
>MAH@merc.rx.uga.edu
>MHALL@uga.cc.uga.edu
>(706) 542-5297
--------------------
        Very close. It IS Btrieve. I've forgotten where I got the tip, but
an out of date Btrieve will crash the NW 3.11 server when the Production
menu is brought up under Install. Go to ftp.is.sandy.novell.com, or mirrors,
and get all the updates your machine can hold; install those which make good
sense, table those which make one feel slightly uneasy about fixing things
which aren't broken.

        Btw, a tiny note on netlab2.usu.edu. I have been working hard on
formal mirroring software to precisely reflect Sandy. Tonight I think I
have it working. I use my Unix box and NW/NFS to mount netlab2's novlib
directory read-write to me, the mirroring software on the Unix box does
updates/deletions, corrections of file time/date stamps, etc. to make netlab2
look just like Sandy. More tests need to be run over the next week or so.
In any case, now, finally, one can look at file time/date stamps and see
what's old and new. [The mirror code is a set of Perl scripts, based on
material from ftp.uu.net, but made to work correctly.]
        Joe D.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU