[nos-bbs] Generic malloc failure -- why?

[(Skip) K8RRA]

As you might expect jnos is now quiet again Maiko...

After a system reboot, and monitoring more often, *no* error messages
are found / the problem is only reproducible when...[?]... is true.  I
suspect swap needs to be pretty full.

Some time this winter when the weather is really foul I'll stress memory
and see if I can get the condition to reappear.  Meanwhile this thread
can rightfully go quiet...

On Tue, 2007-09-11 at 11:16 -0500, Maiko Langelaar (ve4klm) wrote:
> Hi Skip,
> 
> > Nope - it remains running and generates a string of messages, one per
> > line exactly as formatted, I don't know on what frequency...
> 
> IF jnos CONTINUES TO RUN, it can only mean one of the following :
> 
> 1 User or sysop is trying to dump the ARP table or any NETROM info to
>    their display to see what's there, but JNOS isn't able to obtain the
>    memory required to do it.
I presume it is the "sort" requirement that does this, your NET-ROM is
very much larger than mine so mine [with 8 to 40 stations in table] is
not likely to be a failure point.  I also see only rare usage of NET-ROM
QSOs.  ARP is not active here.
> 
> 2 Your popmail service is trying to create a control block, but is not
>    able to get the memory it needs to do that.
This could be it - I am popping mail to the desk top.
> 
> 3 If you are using the JNOS ppp interface, it's having trouble getting
>    memory from the system.
Nope again.
> 
> 4 Your smtp service is trying to create a control block, but it is not
>    able to get the memory it needs to do that.
This could be it again.
> 
> 5 You are trying to 'trace' a particular JNOS interface, but JNOS is
>    not able to allocate memory to that.
Maybe yes - lots of logging files are created here.  
> 
>>SNIP<<
Thus I consider myself armed (and dangerous) for the next time I see the
errors of the past week(s) in the future.  Next time I'll have a better
definition in hand.   THANKS

73
de [George (Skip) VerDuin] K8RRA k