Obnoxious load-dependant bug in UUCP

[Jeff Mann]

In article <1991Mar5.102756.3379 at panix.uucp> alexis at panix.uucp (Alexis Rosen) writes:
>I've been using UUCP very heavily on this A/UX Mac IIx now for several months.
>(In fact, this may be the most heavily uucp-loaded Mac around...) As the load
>on the machine continues to grow, I've been noticing some fairly obnoxious
>behavior. When the system is fairly busy (several active users), I frequently
>see log entries like this:
>cmcl2!notes (3/4-19:24:45) (C,15402,21) IN SEND/SLAVE MODE (INPUT FAILURE)
>cmcl2!notes (3/4-19:24:45) (C,15402,21) FAILED (conversation complete)
....
>A rarer, but far more obnoxious bug, which I get once or twice a month, looks
>like this in the log file:
>cmcl2!jsb (3/4-19:28:07) (C,15598,0) REQUEST (S D.cmcl2BC3330 D.cmcl2BC3330 jsb)
>cmcl2!jsb (3/4-19:31:32) (C,15598,1) BAD READ (expected 'C' got FAIL)
>cmcl2!jsb (3/4-19:31:32) (C,15598,1) FAILED (conversation complete)
>
>I'd like to know how many of you are being bitten by this same bug? Any ideas

I received the same errors for a time when I was setting up uucp, they were
related to a flow control problem. Since the Mac cannot support hardware
flow control and modem control at the same time, and since modem control is
essential for security and other reasons, you cannot use flow control at
all, which means you can't use the Telebit's auto baud rate translation
feature. Before I came to my senses and realised this, I tried using software
flow control (XON/XOFF). Of course, you can't use software flow control
with uucp. The result of doing so was the same type of error messages
described above.

Alexis, would you mind posting a short description of the polling script
you use (or the script itself if it is short enough). I have also written
some stuff which lets me successfully use a port for incoming and
outgoing calls.  First I have a c program called setmodem.  When
changing a port from incoming to outgoing, it uses init(1M) to turn the
getty off for the port, turns off modem control so I can talk to the
modem, and sets up parameters on the Telebit. I also have a fake uucico
which calls setmodem before exec'ing the real uucico. I can post these
programs, along with a few necessary changes to inittab, etc., if there
is a demand for it. I think it should be portable to any A/UX system.
However, I have no doubt duplicated the efforts of other A/UX users in
this area, so I'd like to know what other people have done.

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