[mythtvnz] Pointers on how to track down machine lockup

[Solor Vox]

On Tue, September 14, 2010 22:04, Wade Maxfield wrote:
> I recently built a new machine using Mythbuntu 10.04 as a replacement for
> an older Mythdora box (Athlon 64 / Socket 939). The new machine is a
> combined FE/Master BE and lives downstairs, it is very rarely used as a FE
> now, with the majority of watching from 2 other FEs.
>
> The new machine has been very unstable, requiring a hard restart every 1-2
> days.  When it dies it drops off the network: no mythbackend, no ssh, even
> no ping.  Normally no one is using it as a FE, so when it locks up it's
> too late to see what was on the screen at the time, since the screen is
> set to blank after 79 mins, and once locked up it doesn't respond to
> keyboard or mouse.
>
>
> Machine Specs:
> Core i7 860
> Gigabyte H55-USB3
> GT220 (with fan)
> 4GB RAM
> SkyStar DVB-S PCI card x 2
> PVR-150
> kernel 2.6.32-24-generic-pae
> nvidia binary driver
>
>
> It has locked up while recording via DVB-S, and also while just playing
> back over the network (streaming from backend), and also while no
> recording or playback was taking place.
>
> I thought it may be an issue with the GT220 and the nvidia binary driver
> so I upgraded that from 195.36 to 256.44 and then 256.53, and when that
> didn't make any noticeable difference, I swapped the card out for a 7600GS
> and driver 195.36.24. That has just locked again up this evening.
>
> I've installed Monit to keep an eye on excessive CPU or RAM usage, but so
> far it hasn't been able to get the word out before the machine locks so I
> don't know exactly what happens just before the event.
>
> Where do I start looking to try and track this down?
>
> I'm a little out of my linux depth so any pointers on what to try would be
> greatly appreciated.
>
>  - Wade

Hello Wade,

Standard things to check when having hardware instability:
(in order)

* Heat, try and setup lmsensors and monitor your CPU/chipset temps, make
sure fans are all running and the heatsinks are free of dust

* Bad RAM, run memtest86 for a few hours, it's listed on ubuntu boot menu

* Hard disk, run fsck from a livecd to check for filesystem errors, run
SMART tools to check for hardware problems

* Power supply, bad power supplies can cause problems, see if your local
IT shop can run a PSU tester on it.  Make sure you're not pulling too many
watts.

* If it's a new system, ensure the clock speeds, FSB or BLK for I7 are
correct.  Also verify your memory settings.

* Lastly, check dmesg/logs for any signs.  Lots of segfaults might
indicate faulty memory or CPU.


Cheers,
sV