Re: Operating systems are not religions (you fools)

[The Ghost In The Machine]

In comp.os.linux.advocacy, GreyCloud
<mist@cumulus.com>
 wrote
on Wed, 23 Jun 2004 12:22:21 -0600
<UbCdnYwr4KaRV0TdRVn-vw@bresnan.com>:
>
>
> SMChristenson wrote:
>> On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 10:14:26 -0600, GreyCloud wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>>Gee, if I ever saw Linux crash I'd be amazed, but I haven't. :-P
>>>
>> 
>> 
>> Hardware.  Almost always hardware.  But I've had the GUI lock up.  Have to
>> call up Webmin from another machine to do an orderly reboot.
>> 
>
> You don't need to do an orderly reboot if the X server locks up.
> You use Webmin to shut down that X server and then restart it.
>

Depends on the "lockup".  I can futz up the display registers
pretty easily by switching from fglrx (the ATI proprietary
drivers) to radeon (the DRI ones).  It makes the screen
go ... interesting -- unfortunately, uselessly so.  Restarting
X doesn't seem to do much although at some point I'll have
to try flipping back to fglrx and see if the drivers reset
properly.

Otherwise there's not a lot I can do other than some sort
of reset to the card (an ATI 9000) -- and that's only
done during a boot, which fortunately can be done safely
as the rest of the system (sshd in particular) is still
working, and I can even switch to a text console to do the
Three-Finger Salute.  (I can tell by some of the sprinkles
turning green that shutdown is commencing.)

I am not sure I'd characterize this as a GUI lockup, though.
An X lockup, certainly -- but X isn't the GUI, just the
foundation.

Unfortunately, if the kernel misboots for some reason
(usually because the root drive is misset in a LILO or GRUB
commandline), a Small Button Push (as opposed to a Big
Button Push or a Oops The Power Cord Intentionally Fell
Out Of Its Hole) is required; Ctrl-Alt-Del doesn't work.
(Since the kernel hasn't gotten around to mounting anything
at that point, no data is lost.)

-- 
#191, ewill3@earthlink.net
It's still legal to go .sigless.