SUMMARY: SparcPrinter hangs (sbus card driver bug?)

From: Marc.Rinfret@eng.canadair.ca
Date: Fri Jun 05 1992 - 15:33:45 CDT


Reply-to: Marc.Rinfret@eng.canadair.ca
Followup-to: Marc.Rinfret@eng.canadair.ca
The question:
>
> I have this occasional problem with a SparcPrinter hooked to
> an IPX station with the Sbus interface card (lpvi). Printing will
> simply stop, jobs are queued but not printed. According to lpd the
> printer is "offline". Trying to restart (with lpc) gives no results.
> The newsprint process itself is unkillable, according to ps the
> Newsprint process is hung in state "D".
>
> The only succesful method I have found to restart the printer
> is a reboot of the system. This is very inconvenient as this station
> is also used as a file server and cannot rebooted at will.
>
> I am running 4.1.1 rev B, newsprint 2.0.1.
>
> Any clues?

I received the following suggestions:

        - Reloading the driver (works when you have the loadable versions)
          (sh /etc/load.sparcprinter)
        or
        - Running the diagnostic program (/usr/diag/ptst)
        These should reset the card in a decent state and prevent a reboot.

        - Loading the following patches, could make for a more permanent
          solution:

100176-10/README:Synopsis: OpenWindows 2.0: Patch release 2008-09 for X11-NeWS server
100293-04/README:Synopsis: SunOS 4.1.1: write system call is returning EINTR
100351-01/README:Synopsis: NeWSprint queue hangs up when out of paper
100444-12/README:Synopsis: OpenWindows V3.0 xnews Server Patch 3000-18

The problem being very intermittent in nature, I haven't had the chance
to try any of these solutions. I am considering loading the patches. I
also submitted (a while back) the problem to our local Sun office, if I
receive any additional information from them I'll update this summary.

Thanks to:
unruh@physics.ubc.ca (William Unruh [Unruh])
birger@vest.sdata.no (Birger A. Wathne)
Mike Raffety <miker@sbcoc.com>

                                                Marc.



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