[ale] Unstable Unstable Un%@#&stable

[Charles W. Binko]

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- -> ok guys here we go.  After finally getting the PPP to work, (real happy)
- -> I decided to get Netscape 2.02. Well now I have more fixing to do.  
- -> Seems like I spend more time fixing something than using it. :(  When I
- -> run nescape for anywhere between 5 minutes to 1 hour It hangs and takes 
- -> the whole system with it (or the X-Server anyway.) I get a
- ->  Kernel Panic
- ->  swapper: not syncing
- ->  Stack overflow.
- -> 
...

Well, I'm no expert, but it definitely looks like you're running out of 
memory! Netscape is an unbelievable memory-hog, and yes, it does tend to go 
nuts occasionally (I'm running 3.0 beta, and it does it too :(  ), but the 
problem is probably fixable.

First, make sure you have your swap turned on.  I know, you _know_ better than 
that!  So did I and I ran for 4 weeks without it :)  To make sure, just run 
'free' and it should look like (with netscape, emacs and exmh running :):

            total       used       free     shared    buffers
Mem:         15152      14892        260       6296       3548
- -/+ buffers:            11344       3808
Swap:        14956       8340       6616

If swap is 0, make sure the you're running swapon in your rc.d scripts.

...
- -> Also is there a way to make X-windows a little more fault tolerant. ie 
- -> when a program crashes than not take the server with it like Microsoft
- -> Windows 3.1 does. I hate to say it but 95 doesn't crash when a program 
- -> crashes. There must be something I am not doing correctly why the server
- -> crashes with the app.

The main reason for X to just die is to run out of swap/memory!  I've run my 
machine for weeks (using PPP/Netscape and all sorts of crud) without rebooting 
(and that's usually to play Duke Nukem :) and have only had one or two times 
where X died.

So!  Bump up your swap!  (and buy memory :)

I'll bet good money that's your problem.

Good Luck,
Bill


- -- 
___________________________________________________________________
Charles W. Binko			         All Statements are
cwb at mindspring.com				 My own.
cwb at indcomp.com        finger cwb at mindspring.com for public PGP key



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