[cfarm-users] gcc102 (sparc64) down again for maintenance/repairs

[Zach van Rijn]

Please be advised that gcc102 (sparc64) is, once again, offline
and there is no estimate for when it will be available.

The current situation is:

  * "watchdog: BUG: soft lockup" at idle, same kernel as had been
    somewhat stable before. Once enough CPUs are locked, there is
    no possibility to connect to the system. This is no longer a
    transient problem under load; it occurs reliably at idle.

  * Full poweroff and poweron, reboots, etc. are unsuccessful, as
    the system becomes unavailable after just a few hours.

  * I will extract the /home data from the machine and share it
    with users upon request (most likely by uploading it to 103
    since I can match accounts and ensure secure data transfer).
    If you need your data, please email me privately.

I apologize for the sudden loss of access to this unique system;
in the interim please see if gcc202 is suitable for your needs.

Advice is certainly welcome. Due to limited availability I will
not have physical access to this machine for several months.


ZV