Exiting application freezes the server

[Paul Counts]

We've got a client running UW 7.1.1 with uw711m3 applied on a Dell PowerEdge
server. They have a cobol application they run on 20-30 UW 7.1.1 servers
with no problem. They copied the entire directory from one server to the
new server and the application runs fine, but when they exit it hangs the
server (completely unresponsive, all console screens go blank with a
blinking cursor in the top left corner).

Here's the kicker. It only hangs the server if you run the app from the
console. You can run and exit the app all day long if you telnet. I'm
having them try a telnet session from the console to see what effect that
has.

I don't know much about the application, but here's what I do know. The
whole thing resides in a user directory. When that user logs in the
.profile defines the TERM as at386 and defines a few variables for the
application (database directory, executable directory). Finally it executes
the application. I've compared this server with another server that works
fine. The only difference I see is the maintenance pack, so we removed
uw711m3 and tried it with the same results.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has a clue what we could look at as a
possible culprit.

Thanks,
Paul

Paul Counts
Venmar Systems, Inc.

[Bela Lubkin]

Paul Counts wrote:

> We've got a client running UW 7.1.1 with uw711m3 applied on a Dell PowerEdge
> server. They have a cobol application they run on 20-30 UW 7.1.1 servers
> with no problem. They copied the entire directory from one server to the
> new server and the application runs fine, but when they exit it hangs the
> server (completely unresponsive, all console screens go blank with a
> blinking cursor in the top left corner).
>
> Here's the kicker. It only hangs the server if you run the app from the
> console. You can run and exit the app all day long if you telnet. I'm
> having them try a telnet session from the console to see what effect that
> has.

I have to question your description of "hangs the server". From another
machine, can you ping or telnet to the "hung" server?

I have a vague guess: that this Cobol app is actually compiled for
OpenServer, and that it's using an ioctl which UW7 understands as a
console video mode change (on OSR5 it's a tty mode ioctl). If I'm
right, you should be able to run the app under `scompat`. Try that. If
it helps, please reply -- I only learned about `scompat` recently and
this would be my first live test of using it...

>Bela<

[Roberto Zini]

In addition to Bela's good points, I'd like to point out that, under
some circumstances, OS5 apps might run faster under OKP (scompat?) than
under real OS5 server.

Might I also add the fact that, AFAIK, the OKP is only available under
UnixWare 7.1.3 ?

Best,
Roberto
--
Roberto Zini - Technical Support Manager - email:r.zini<AT>strhold.it
Technical Support Manager -- Strhold Evolution Division R.E. (ITALY)
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[Paul Counts]

Roberto Zini <r...@robnothere.com> wrote in message news:<buldt8$883$1...@newsread.albacom.net>...

Thanks for the ideas and info guys. No cigars to pass out yet though.
The customer was finally on site again and tried a telnet session
from the console to the localhost. He can run the app and exit it
just fine.

Bela, by hung I mean totally dead. No response to ping or telnet
requests. No video at the console, all screens go blank with a cursor
in the top left corner. The machine has to be rebooted (power cycle
or reset). And the server this app was copied from is a UW 7.1.1
machine (with the only difference I see being the maintenance pack).
I'll look into the ioctl issue you pointed out though.

Thanks,
Paul