Geoff Worboys wrote:

> Since you are using FB v2.1 I presume it is not the same
> problem... but the symptoms you described were similar enough
> to make me think of this problem, so two suggestions:
>
> . see if a separate process/connection doing something, to
> the same server as the frozen process, will do anything
> to wake-up frozen connection.

Apache is still running fine ... but I have just asked for confirmation of that!
The first they know that there is a problem is that 'announcements stop', which
is handled by the IBO app.

> . see if switching between SuperServer and Classic makes
> any difference.

Linux boxes have always been classic, and windows superserver and one site has
linux while the other has windows.

> If you can interrogate the server from another process you may
> also want to see if the MON$ tables can tell you anything about
> what the frozen process is/was doing when it died.

Actually this is an area I must start looking at ;)
Obviously they want the system back up ASAP, so doing much is a little
problematic. But what would be the best place to start? Is there a crib sheet
for the MON$ tables, or do I have to untangle the release notes ;)

> Mostly my clients are pretty conservative about versions of
> Windows etc, so while I cannot say I have observed any problems
> due to Windows Update... that does not mean much in this case.
> (Lots of thin clients talking to terminal servers etc.)

I have exactly the same version of the IBO code working on several sites and has
been for many years ... it is only this year that this problem has started, and
the only thing different IS the configuration of windows. In fact the Linux
server site, the only reason I have changed the workstation was a hardware
fault, so I AM now at the point of fixing the older machine without doing any
updates to the software on the disk - just to prove the point. Other machines
all running IBO apps on the same site are not giving any trouble!

I have a third site which was updated just at the end of last year again with
the same 'installation set' and which has not had any windows updates since
installed. And that is stable. Some sites simply don't have internet access
which DOES make things a lot more stable :)

--
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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