SCO UNIX Panic

[Eric Johnson]

In article <7981 at statware.UUCP>, scf at statware.UUCP (Steve Fullerton) writes:
> We have been trying to get SCO UNIX running on a CSS 20Mhz 80386 system
> for several months now.  

I can sympathize, I'm on install try #8. I've had untold grief with both
SCO and Interactive installation procedures. There HAS to be a better
way.  A good amount of the information is there, but a lot is still
missing. The support folks are great--when you finally get ahold of them
(and that's the problem). I'm trying to install Open Desktop 1.0,
by the way.

> We keep getting PANICS with a Kernel Trap 0xE.

SCO support stated, I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong), the
trap 0xE can be caused by a boot file system with > 1024 cylinders.
The SCO support person listed about twenty other things that could
cause this, but this was the only one I was sure my system fit. We're
using a 600 MB Wren drive, so I'm sure my root file system is > 1024
cylinders. The suggestion was to basically make sure the root file
system is within the proper cylinder range.  That is, start the root
file system as close to cylinder 0 as possible and do not let it
go beyond cylinder 1023.  Have fun figuring out the math (I decided
to move the 600 MB disk to another system and try a 320 MB Wren
drive instead).  Note that the whole disk can be > 1024 cylinders
(again, I believe), just the root filesystem needs to fit within
this limitation, since SCO uses the BIOS to start up its boot
process. this is a BIOS limitation.


Let me guess, you installed the system, or somehow changed what subsystems
you have installed, then you shut down your SCO UNIX and got this trap on
rebooting.

> So far I have tried several EGA cards, disk controllers, and disk drives.
> In addition, the mother board with memory was sent to CSS and tested.  We
> have also run every DOS diagnostic program we can find and never can find
> anything wrong.  BTW, we have also pulled out the 80387 but to no avail.
> 
> Has anyone had any experience :( with an SCO UNIX kernel trap 0xE?  If so,
> please provide some insight and/or suggestions.  Right now this system is
> pretty useless.
> 
> -- 
> Steve Fullerton                        Statware, Inc.
> scf%statware.uucp at cs.orst.edu          260 SW Madison Ave, Suite 109
> orstcs!statware!scf                    Corvallis, OR  97333
>                                        503/753-5382

I have no intention of spreading bad info, so if anything I posted
here is incorrect, please tell me right away. I'm only trying to
help and I fully admit I don't know all the ins and outs of ISA
compatible hardware, except that I know MY definition of compatible
is apparently not accepted by the industry.

Good luck,
-Eric

-- 
Eric F. Johnson               phone: +1 612 894 0313    BTI: Industrial
Boulware Technologies, Inc.   fax:   +1 612 894 0316    automation systems
415 W. Travelers Trail        email: erc at pai.mn.org     and services
Burnsville, MN 55337 USA