stability of RHEL ES 4 (was: RE: trouble installing/running the Domain Name Service Configuration Tool)

[Ed McCorduck]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: redhat-install-list-bounces at redhat.com 
> [mailto:redhat-install-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of 
> Ali Erdinç Köroglu
> Sent: Monday, July 18, 2005 6:48 AM
> To: Getting started with Red Hat Linux
> Subject: Re: stability of RHEL ES 4 (was: RE: trouble 
> installing/running the Domain Name Service Configuration Tool)
> > But before I could try your solution, for the third time my Linux 
> > system has crashed with kernel
> > panics and file system errors that have again left me with 
> a nonbooting system, so I'll need to 
> > reinstall Linux one more time. With my limited capabilities 
> I can't tell if the problem is with 
> > my computer's hardware or with the Linux system software itself, 
> 
> If you think that cd's has error or something before you burn 
> ISO images you should check md5sum's from RedHat if they are 
> fit then you'll have no media problems till you scratch the 
> cd :)

Thanks, Ali. I actually did run the "Mediacheck" program on all the CDs before doing the initial installation.


>This problem appears just after you finished the 
> installation and boot the system for 1st time? 

No, and this is what's strange, it takes anywhere from a few days to a week or two to crash, and that's always after having it running constantly. I do a few reboots during the period, but the problems seem to crop up outside of those (i.e. programs suddenly freezing, bizarre characters on the screen in the middle of others etc.).


Do you have 
> another operating system on the same disk? 

No, there shouldn't be. It had Windows XP on it when I got it, but I did a clean disk sweep and fresh install of Linux and Linux only. 


What kind of 
> hardwares you have? 

As I wrote in my reply to Sam Folk-Williams, I got the computer used, so I really don't know yet what's on it--always a prescription for disaster. 
 

> > but one thing I can do is this:
> > I'd like to ask if any of you have also experienced major 
> problems keeping Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 4 
> > stable. 
> 
> What do you mean?

As I also wrote in my reply to Sam, I just wanted to know if anybody else out there was having problems similar to mine with RHEL ES 4 eventually developing system-crippling problems after only a short time of use. 
 

> > I downloaded the installation files for the "Update 1" 
> version of RHEL 
> > ES 4 and it has usually
> > installed fine, but after a short time (a couple of days or 
> a week) of doing anything with the system 
> > it crashes into uselessness. 
> 
> You should check /var/log files because log files will say 
> everything to you.
> 
> Regards
> Ali Erdinc Koroglu
> http://www.prosoft.com.tr

Thanks for that and all your suggestions. Unfortunately, as of now I can't boot off the hard drive at all, so it would be very tricky for me to recover the /var/log files. If Rick Steven's memtest86 works, though, and rescues my installation, I will try to salvage those files first thing. 


Ed McCorduck
Department of English
State University of New York College at Cortland 
http://mccorduck.cortland.edu 
ICQ: http://mccorduck.cortland.edu/pager 
AIM: EdMcCorduck