Really spooky

[Howard Lowndes]

I have a set up at one site where 4 Linux boxes are connected through a
manual switch box to a common head set.

Box A is a workstation running init level 5
Box B is an internal server running init level 3
Box C is an external server running init level 3
Box D is a gateway running init level 3

Boxes A, B & D are connected on one ethernet network
Boxes C & D are connected on a separate, DMZ, ethernet network

When all 4 boxes are working then they all operate through the switch box
OK, screen displays, keyboard, and meece (where relevant).

In the past 48 hours box C has taken it upon itself to freeze
occasionally, which in itself is a real PITA as the only thing I have done
was to remove its HDD to another box to do some work and then put it back,
but it seems as if something has taken a hit.

What is strange is that when box C freezes I can still switch to all of
the boxes, but when I switch to box C there is, not unreasonably, a blank
screen.  However if I do a Ctrl-Alt-Del in this position (box C) then it
causes box D to reboot.

I first thought it might be cross talk in the switch box, but that doesn't
explain why it works OK when box C is working OK.  My only other idea is
that somehow the signal is migrating to box D over the DMZ network.
(After thought - there is a cron job which ssh's between these two boxes
regularly)

Does anyone want to speculate on this one, it really is spooky.

-- 
Howard.
LANNet Computing Associates - Your Linux people
Contact detail at http://www.lannetlinux.com