Logging into bogged down server

[Harold Hallikainen]

> On Fri, 2006-03-31 at 20:07 -0800, Harold Hallikainen wrote:
>> For some reason, this email client deletes all the received message when
>> I reply
>> and then select text instead of html... When I get back home and restart
>> the FC4
>> machine, I'll get back on SquirrelMail. Anyways... I'm STILL trying to
>> ssh into
>> the bogged down server. No luck yet. I did change the DNS server to send
>> stuff
>> away from this server in the hopes it would eventuall finish off all
>> those
>> processes and start accepting my ssh login (to the IP address instead of
>> the
>> domain). No luck so far. In a couple days I can go hit the reset button.
>>
>> Besides the modifications to configs suggested so far, I'm also thinking
>> of
>> adding a hardware watchdog timer to the machine so it'll reset itself
>> should it
>> ever do this again. I've seen a couple circuits on the web, based on a
>> 555 timer.
>> One of them I found looked like it could be locked up if the machine
>> crashed
>> during a watchdog reset. Back when I was designing MC6802 based systems,
>> I did a
>> watchdog timer like that and had to drive 100 miles in Kansas to hit the
>> reset
>> switch on a system. Watchdog timers I design now reset on an edge
>> instead of a
>> level so if the reset line gets stuck at either level, the watchdog will
>> time out
>> and reset the system. So, that's my next project!
>
> Useful.  We use remote-controlled power strips.  You can log into the
> strip (modem or TCP/IP) and power-cycle any of the outlets on it.
> HIGHLY recommended for "dark data centers".
>

When I got back home, I found the video out of the server also frozen. I
didn't see any disk activity. Hit the reset button and all is well. I'll
go ahead and make the suggested config file changes. Meanwhile, any
suggestions on a particular low cost remote controlled (PCP/IP) power
strip?

THANKS!

Harold


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