Reader's Digest Version: An inconsistent filesystem was confusing dump, and
causing it to dump core.
Well, that was certainly scary, not being able to take backups. :v) I saw
a summary on this list pointing to two patches for dump (OSFV30-013-3 and
OSFV30-054-3) which corrected problems with dump aborting with SIGSEGV,
and with dump killing its parent process. I frantically searched for these
patches, but it appears after all that that I actually have the patched
version of dump. (It must be patched on the printing of the install disc we
used. We're in CSLG, so I don't have the disc date fyi.)
Then I managed to narrow the problem down to a certain guilty filesystem.
Turns out bringing the system down and giving fsck a little time to rough
that fs up ("are you talkin' to ME?") fixed my woes.
Many many thanks to the people below, who helped me chase down the problem.
Selden E Ball Jr <SEB_at_LNS62.LNS.CORNELL.EDU>
alan_at_nabeth.cxo.dec.com
"John P. Speno" <speno_at_cc.swarthmore.edu>
anthony baxter <anthony.baxter_at_aaii.oz.au>
--Safely Backed Up In Seattle (aka Jon)
Received on Thu Feb 02 1995 - 10:49:01 NZDT