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- From: del+@CMU.EDU (Daniel Edward Lovinger)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.sysadmin
- Subject: crippled netinfo
- Message-ID: <MeZffxu00WD510h3U9@andrew.cmu.edu>
- Date: 22 Aug 92 14:09:01 GMT
- Article-I.D.: andrew.MeZffxu00WD510h3U9
- Organization: Software Development, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
- Lines: 49
-
-
- We have over 12k current users, and are using NetInfo to link
- together a set of about 20 NeXTstations that are part of our larger
- installation. After the last rebuild to insert the latest 4k account
- adds, the server will not stay up for more than a few minutes - it
- goes into a tight loop after which all data in /users in the / domain
- is emptied.
-
- Chronology of the last two days ...:
-
- * 3pm Thu, after trying to wish the / domain back to life
- after the add, we rebuild the database from scratch.
- This appears to work, and /users is visible and
- lookups are working as the passwd file is loaded back
- in. People can log in, telnet, etc.
-
- * noon Friday the database had zeroed the /users from the
- previous day's rebuild. Start niload again on the
- passwd file, same circumstances during load. Back up
- the database after the niload finishes (seven hours
- later).
-
- * 1:30pm Sat, the database has zeroed out /users again. Kill
- netinfo, back in the database saveset, restart. Was
- able to nidump groups and look at passwd information.
- About two minutes later the netinfod for / goes into a
- tight loop and becomes unresponsive. Look at
- /usr/adm/messages and find nothing useful. Nothing
- else unusual. Repeat backup installation with same
- result. Begin waving dead chickens ...
-
- This is with the NeXT OS 2.0 netinfo suite. Before we tried
- updating /usrers to 12k, we'd had little problems with the machine.
- Does anyone have experience with NetInfo at this scale? I am
- suspecting a magic number in the server that we must have crossed.
-
- I think my current options are limited to converting to YP on
- the fly (something we have very little experience with). I have also
- heard of third party NetInfo server implementations ... and
- experience? Could a 3.0beta site comment on NetInfo changes? Would
- that also be a realistic option? Can 2.0 machines contact a 3.0
- server?
-
- Thanks for any and all replies ... this has been a rather
- frustrating couple of days.
-
- dan
- cmu comp services
- del+@cmu.edu
-