Any Linux ghuru's out there?

I have a dual P3 spare parts system I built hoping to use as a server for the house, that I wanted to run Linux on. The problem I am having involves the stability of the system. I can sucessfully load Debian linux kernel 2.4 (386, 686, and 686SMP variants) but the system is not stable on any. The system will hang up after anywhere from 30 min to 2-3 hours run time, and on occasion, it garbages the bios settings to the point it will not post without clearing and re-setting up the cmos.

At first, I thought I had a hardware problem so I swapped all the DDR memory chips, changed out the Display board, different HDD, power supply, even subbed a different pair of CPU chips, but nothing helped.

On a whim, I loaded WinXP, and the system has been stable for 2 days now.
BTW the motherboard is a RioWorks.

Any ideas?
Dialtone

 

I'd start by verifying your installation media. A bad download can cause many problems.

I'm running Fedora Core 4 on this computer. There are different distributions of Linux; you might try a different one.

OBTW, I am NOT a Linux guru, I'm still learning it myself. I have been a computer tech for years though, self employed now. I do like the fact that I can get all my work done without giving any money to Microsoft. I'm sure it gives 'em fits.

 

I have run the install (many, many times) from both cd-rom and http/ftp mirror downloads. Both are equally un-stable, so I don't think media errors are the root cause.
I have an old copy of Mandrake I think I will play around with and see if it is stable.

Thanks for the reply
Dialtone

 

this might sound a bit stupid:

i had an 810E Intel Mobo that I was trying to install RedHat 8 on, kept hangin up on install...but it would load and run XP flawlessly...it had two ram (SD) slots, i stuck a 256 stick in the other slot, maxing the board out a a half gig, and guess what, no problems loading or running RedHat 8...

i don't have it anymore though...i have two mac's now...

 

This is really starting to tick me off. I knew linux would pose some new problems to set up for a newbie, but this is rediculous.


Based on some earlier advice to try, I downloaded and installed Fedora Core 4 (based on kernel 2.6).
A new problem has emerged which I also observed under the Debian 2.6 kernel. Namely, my computer can NOT get an IP assignment from my router.
It works fine under kernel 2.4 (but I did see the boot process complain about the length of the expected packet).

So what is up with this and how do I fix it. Tried another ethernet card and same result. Googled for help but found nothing useful.

Dialtone.

 

Try a different distro. I have had good luck with SuSe, however its a HUGE download. My favorite so far has been Ubuntu though.

 

Have you thought about reversing the DHCP setup. Instead of the router issuing IPs, the server do it.

Or try assigning a fixed address to the Linux machine.

Un-forunately all of my Linux notes are at work. And once I leave work my mind does a core dump of anything relating to work...

I'll go thru my notes at work tomorrow and see what I can find for ya. Most of my experience is UNIX and Linux redhat.

Are you using samba for any type of connectivity?

Have you checked any of the linux boards?

This one is good... http://linux.meetup.com/boards/

 

Well, I think I already tried most of the suggestions.

1. I did assign a fixed IP (and a valid DNS server IP) and when I activated the connection, the router connection table listed it as being active. However, when I tried to active the browser to test the link, it failed miserably. Again I looked at the router connection table and the IP was no longer being recognized as active. Also, when I tried to access the router setup page (using the default setup IP of 192.168.1.1 in the browser) I got a message saying the connection was "refused"
2. At this point, I am not trying to use a Samba server (but I have succesfully done it in the past). For now, I am just trying to get basic connectivity to the internet on the linux box thru my router..
3. I even removed the router and connected the linux box directly to my cable modem, and it acts exactly the same. Will not get an IP from the modem either.

I am fairly sure by now it is something in the 2.6 kernel package at fault, but cannot locate anything on the web to fix it. I am sure it is relatively simple, but not sure I know enough to ask the right questions to find it.

Thanks

Dialtone

 

Scrap the DHCP and set static IPs for all the machines. If you want to run a server it's the only way to go anyways.

 

Dialtone,

What are getting when you run the netstat -r, -s or -a commands?

All should list your connections and connection info.

the -a command will give you the on local, foriegn address and state.

-r give you the destination, gateway, genmask and so on.

-s gives you the IP, ICMP, TCP and UDP info on these connections.

If your connection is dieing, or networking itself is dead, check the process list (ps -ax| more) for zombies. That will give you the process name that's crapping out. Or monitor the top program to watch for zombies and run/sleeping processes.

You can also try the following command to stop and start your networking without rebooting.

As superuser, at the # prompt cd/etc/rc.d/init.d

then at the # prompt sh ./network stop
then at the # prompt sh ./network start

the network stop should kill the zombies, network start will re-spawn new services. Or you can kill the zombies with a kill command "kill -9 (or -15) process_number" then do the stop and start.

Make note of any error and then post 'em

After re-reading your first post, I have a couple of questions....

Are trying to use the linux machine just as a server? If so, what do you plan on doing with it? Are you looking to just use it as a machine to connect to the internet? Are you running apache? Or are looking to pass internet services thru this machine to other clients in your house?

If the linux machine is set up as a internet server, this could be part of the problem. Setting it as a client machine, and not servering up any internet style services is the best way to go if your looking for connectivity to the internet.

 

The thread has diverged somewhat from the original question posed.

1. The original post involved stability of the system under a Debian linux 2.4 kernel.
2. The Second problem evolved as a networking problem after loading a 2.6 kernel in an attempt to see if the stability problem was something related to the original 2.4 kernel load.

Now let me state that I am a complete newbie in linux, so I am learning as I go along. I have been around large custom built unix based machines for many years, but we always worked from a user shell that hid most of the underlying processes from us. Only on rare occasions, with tech support, did we directly interface with the underlying unix base, but I have at least, been exposed to the basics of what is going on. I was primarily a "hardware" man and have been around computers since they were built from descrete components.

What I want to do for now, is to get a "learning" system up and running. I will start off with a basic desktop setup for now (run office package aps, local media aps, websurfing aps). This will allow me to learn how to confortably use and administer a basic system. Later, as I become more familiar, I would like to evolve it to add basic windows (or other) local networking capabilities (Samba Server, etc.) for a possible home media center app. I don't know if I will ever need a web server, but if so, that is much later down the road and higher up on the learning curve.

I will go thru the commands suggested and post the results later.

Thanks for the suggestions

Dialtone

 

Is your bios at the latest level? I have found Linux much more "demanding" on the hardware than Windoze. Also, do you have the right module (driver) associated with your ethernet card with the 2.6 distro's?

 

Dialtone,

I'm the reverse. I don't work with the desktop apps. All of my work is command line only. Basically nuts and bolts with no GUI.

MarkGilmore has a point. Double check your bios settings. Check to make sure you do not have plug and play settings on. You may need to manually set the IRQs and so on.

 

Couple of points
1. BIOS is NOT the latest, but seems RioWorks web site is no longer available and I have not had any luck locating alternate repositories for a bios update. Will continue looking though
2. Bios settings for plug-& play are disabled already ( I saw that trap long ago when I originally set up the system.)
3. I have used 2 different network cards in trials. One is a Realtek based chipset and the other is Intel based chipset. Both drivers register OK and work in the 2.4 kernel but not 2.6. Still looking for why.

For now, I am going to drop back a bit and totally rebuild the system software loads. I am going to do a Debian 2.4 and 2.6 combinational system so I can boot either and do a "stare and compare". So far, the new 2.4 load seems stable. I am beginning to wonder if adding the "Nvidia" video card driver was the source of my original stability problems as all I have read about Nvidia drivers is not so good under linux. For now, I will just use a default vesa driver.

Thanks for the help
Dialtone