Hi all,
Abstract of the problem: Netcape crashes with exported display to
VMS or X-Terminal
Thanks to all who responded to my 2nd summary, in particluar
Steve Streeter USG <streeter_at_zk3.dec.com>
"known font problem, set up a font server, other hints"
"Dr. Tom Blinn, 603-884-0646" <tpb_at_doctor.zk3.dec.com>
"This is the real bugaboo of X remote displays ..."
Dirk Hufnagel <hufnagel_at_mps.ohio-state.edu>
"same negative experience with VXT2000"
Knut Helleboe <Knut.Hellebo_at_nho.hydro.com>
Hint: "Try Netscape 4.72"
Giorgio Pastore <pastore_at_ts.infn.it>
"font problem..."
(The complete Answers are listed below)
I started with the simplest thing and installed netscape 4.72.
Result:
- works fine with display on VMS systems
(except one error message "cannot conver "-*-*-helvetica..."
to font structure)
- from my VXT2000
- netscape does not crash anymore and the Digital_UNIX page comes up
properly - BUT even worse: netscape hangs and I even cannot get rid
of the netscape window (not from the window "close" or from
the issuing dxterm window with <cntrl C>, nothing happens
(To get rid of it I have to reboot my X-Terminal)
Then I tried (using the VXT2000)
- delete .netscape in $home - same effect
- started a font server on linix6 (the unix box with V4.72)
and set the font path 1st place in VXT to linix6 - same result
Overall conclusion: works fine with VMS (majority of our users
come from there and use the Unix netscape) . No progress yet with
VXT200 (this concerns mostly myself)
Regards
Otto
>Original remarks in Summary[2]:
>
>after my 1st summary I believed that the netscape crashes when
>accesing java pages would be a simple configuration problem. With
>the advices mentioned there from Stephan.Streeter from Compaq, who
>also later on made many efforts to help me, I was not able to get
>rid of the java crashes. I made the tests from my X-terminal (VXT2000)
>on my desk. But it works in a pure Unix environmet.
>
>Therefore Netscape V 4.7 works fine on
>
>Node X (where v4.7 is installed, Unix V4.0D)
>Node Y (Unix V4.0A) telnet X, export DISPLAY=Y:0
>Node W (Unix V4.0B) "
>Node Z (Unix V4.0C) "
>
>But not from Alphas under VMS V6.2 and my VXT2000.
>(same: telnet X, display to the VMS Workstation)
>
>Therefore Netscape itself seems to be ok. Could there be an interaction
>between the java and the display transport? Any ideas?
Detailed answers:
=================
From: Steve Streeter USG <streeter_at_zk3.dec.com>
It might be a X protocol problem, but it's definitely related to the
capabilities and/or default settings of the X server and display device.
There is a known problem related to fonts that causes Communicator
to crash when displayed on other vendors X servers. If you can set up
a font server on you UNIX box and add it to the beginning of the X
Server font path on your VMS and VXT2000 systems, you could
remove that as a possibility.
$ man fs
$ man xset
The other thing it could be related to is the default settings for BackingStore
or SaveUnder. Or perhaps a colormap issue (i.e. default Visual types on each
of the X Servers).
$ xset -display <VXT2000>:0.0 -query
$ xset -display <UNIX>:0.0 -query
Can you send me the Communicator core file? I might be able to get
a hint from it if I run it through dbx.
-- Steve S.
From: "Dr. Tom Blinn, 603-884-0646" <tpb_at_doctor.zk3.dec.com>
There are two things involved -- the X transport layer (unlikely to be a
problem, it gets "interoperability" tested a lot, and LOTS of things use
it) and the X server on the display system. If I understand what works
and what doesn't, the most likely culprit is the X server itself. If an
X server claims to support particular functions but doesn't really do it
right, or returns garbage in certain messages, then applications that are
trying to use the services of that server may fail if they're not robust,
that is, if the people writing them didn't expect ill-behaved X servers.
This is the real bugaboo of X remote displays -- the things that tend to
trip up using it are usually defects in error handling, or a lack of real
paranoia about what you're going to get from your partner. Most people
do a really poor job of error and exception handling.
Tom
From: Dirk Hufnagel <hufnagel_at_mps.ohio-state.edu>
Ich bin derzeit Student an der Ohio State Univeristy und kuemmere mich
um unsere computer (Alphas mit Tru64, Suns und PC's). Wir haben unter
anderem auch einige VXT2000+ XTerminals. Wenn ich Netscape von einem
VXT2000+ gestarted habe ist es immer beim Laden von Java Applets
abgestuerzt. Dabei spielte es keine Rolle ob ich auf einer Alpha oder
einer Sun eingeloggt war. Das Laden von Java Applets funktionierte wenn
Netscape von einer PC xterm Session oder einem NCD XTerminal gestartet
wurde. Meiner Meinung nach beissen sich Netscapes Code zum Darstellen
von Java Applets und der XServer im VXT2000+
Ein neuer Kernel fuer die VXT2000+ koennte helfen, allerdings ist Support
fuer diese XTerminals 1996 eingestellt worden. Ich benutze version 2.0.
Es gibt einige 2.1 Releases (bugfixes), allerdings habe ich keine Ahnung,
wo man die bekommen kann. Eventuell kann Compaq Support weiterhelfen.
Dirk
From: Knut =?iso-8859-1?Q?Helleb=F8?= <Knut.Hellebo_at_nho.hydro.com>
Also try 4.72. Out now for all the major unix platforms.
From: Peter.Stern_at_weizmann.ac.il
We know about this problem for VMS even OpenVMS v7.1 It is in my
opinion a font problem. This agrees with why it doesn't work on the
VXT2000 again a font problem. It can not be an issue of display
transport since all the displays (X-servers) are using TCP/IP.
Regards,
Peter
From: Giorgio Pastore <pastore_at_ts.infn.it>
Dear Otto,
only now I see your SUMMARY[2]. Here we had and continue having problems in
getting netscape versions above 4.05 for Compaq Tru64 ( 4.0D) working properly
if the display is on X-terminal ( NCD or Tektronix).
At the beginning of our tests, we got crashes. Then we found that the crashes
were due to some attempt by netscape to use sun fonts. Using a font server
which was exporting to the X-term all the 4.0D fonts solved the problem of
crashes.
However we have remained (up to the vesion 4.7 of netscape) with the problem
that, in an impredictable way, after starting access to java pages, the
application freezes completely and one has to kill the process. The last time
I checked on the Net I understood that it is a problem common to other
platforms but I couldn't find any indication of a fix.
I hope that this info could help you in making some progress. If you could go
on toward the solution, please, let me know.
Best regards
Giorgio Pastore
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Received on Mon Mar 13 2000 - 15:52:27 NZDT