System freezes after 30-45 minutes of idle.

Flux-

I installed gentoo to my new server, using 2.6.5 kernel (gentoo-dev-sources). When I got everything working well, I left the server alone and when I tried to take a ssh-connection to it later, the server didn't response. I opened the monitor and pressed a key, but no picture came. So the system was totally frozen.

Well I thought it was a graphics card problem, so I changed the card. No, still the same. After 30minutes of idle, the system freezed again. I tried 2.6.6 kernel (development sources), disabled ACPI and also disabled the integrated soundcard. No, still freezes after 30-45minutes of idle.

Also, the guy (he's a friend of mine) from I bought the server said that the server has had over 200 days of uptime. So the problem isn't in the processor's temperature.

Oh and the system is:
Pentium III (Coppermine) 533MHz
A Intel Motherboard (not sure about the model)
128MB (133MHz) physical memory
10GB hard disk
3Com 3c59x Vortex/Boomerang
ATI Rage3d (2MB)

I can't find any reason, why the system freezes. Any suggestions?

moocha · Watchman Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Posts: 5722

It's the [insert expletive here] 3c59x driver that's causing it. The 2.6 series one stinks to high heavens. I spent four days diagnosing some intermittently locking bridges (and the fact that they all used Vortex cards didn't help much with the permutations, if you catch my drift

)
Betcha half a, er, something that your problems will go away if you use another netword card.
_________________
Military Commissions Act of 2006: http://tinyurl.com/jrcto

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- attributed to Benjamin Franklin

Flux- · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 11:58 am Post subject:

I changed the 3Com card to a SMC card. The system freezed again. Also I tried 2.4.25 kernel and the system was up over 1½ hours and then freezed.
I've got no idea, what's wrong..

moocha · Watchman Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Posts: 5722

Huh.
Alright, then it can only be the motherboard, the processor, or the RAM - we've ruled out everything else.
Have you tried running memtest86? Although it *is* weird, since RAM trouble usually shows up when the machine is under heavy load, and as segfaults, not freezes. But you never know.
And I was so convinced it'd be that evil driver... Ah well.
_________________
Military Commissions Act of 2006: http://tinyurl.com/jrcto

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- attributed to Benjamin Franklin

Flux- · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 10:49 pm Post subject:

I let the memtest86 ran over 6 hours and then I stopped it and according to memtest86 the memory of the server seems to be fine. So it's only motherboard or processor anymore..

yuza · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 11:31 pm Post subject:

Are you sure it's not some kind of weird problem with power management??

Malakin · Posted: Fri May 28, 2004 12:33 am Post subject:

You could boot it off a Knoppix CD and see if the problem remains.

SysOP XXL · Posted: Fri May 28, 2004 3:58 am Post subject:

Take a look at the temperature of the CPU, the overheating caused me freezes like these for two weeks now (solved with some thermal-whatshouldIcallit-paste)

Flux- · Posted: Sat May 29, 2004 11:55 pm Post subject:

I installed Debian Linux to the server and it has worked over 11 hours now. So the problem was in Gentoo, which is kinda strange.. Well, I'm going to install Gentoo again and see if the same problem occurs.

Edit: Now this is strange. I installed Gentoo again and now everything works fine.

moocha · Watchman Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Posts: 5722

Black Magic

_________________
Military Commissions Act of 2006: http://tinyurl.com/jrcto

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- attributed to Benjamin Franklin