UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users

running solaris 2.5.1 on a sparc5, with less than 12 users runnign compilers, gui's, really not a heavy load on it however, sometimes, not always, when users run diff, or sdiff or a .tcl script, the computer locks up. One time right before everything froze, I noticed in top, that the sdiff process that one user was runnign was using 90% of the cpu! and i was able to kill it, but the other times it's locked at the console, says device full. Anyone else experienced this?

You might want to look at disk space and where your tmp files are being stored. You can always change /tmp to point to /var/tmp if that file system is larger and has more space.

Did the error message state which "device full"?

Hi,

Please try to find vhand in your top.
Most of all, during these "simple" diff's the memory gets overloaded. This is the time you are swapping, swap full ??

Swapinfo -l will tell you more on solaris. You might want to create an extra swapfile.

Please be aware that a sparc 5 has a very low capacity, Also 2.5.1 is quiet old. At least you should have Sol 8 on it. This os prevents doeing processes things like you mention.

Regs David