On Thu, 31 Jul 1997, Eric C Wagner wrote:

> 
> I just got 1.2.1 working on a IIci with cache. The problem I'm having is
> that the file system keeps getting corrupted. I have one partition for
> root/usr and one for swap. Booting in single user I can fix things with
> fsck but as soon as I log out and multiuser starts up it complains the
> file system is corrupt. Random files get botched each time around so for
> one boot vi is bad and everything else is okay. Another hostname dies and
> vi works. I notice that when shutting down just after it does the sync it
> complains about not trusting something but it disappears too quickly for
> my to read what. Any ideas? 
> 
> I've formatted the drive multiple times and run block checks and
> everything comes out okay. While I'm running the problem doesn't get worse
> its only when shutting down and when leaving single user mode.

My memory is vague, but there is a kernel option that deals with turning
the cache on or off, are you using a custom kernel or a generic.  Whoops
back up there, you are using fsck to manually fix the disk?  As I recall
and I am sure that some one will correct me if I am wrong, fsck
uses the raw disk, bypassing the kernel buffer, if some of the bogus
blocks that are getting fixed by fsck are already in the buffer cache,
then when they get flush so will the changes fsck made to fix your disk.
As I recall you have to use shutdown -n to shutdown with out flushing
the disk buffer cache right after you twidle the disk with fsck.  Can
someone else sanity check me that this is right.

I think the IIci cache is working ok, my IIci is running right now so
I can't pry it open and check for you, but I can't find the card
in my drawer where I would have stored it if I wasn't using it.

---------
Christopher R. Bowman
crb@Glue.umd.edu
My home page