Number: 824

Date: 24-Apr-84 15':26':14

Submitter: Sannella.PA

Source: Lauri@SU-CSLI.ARPA

Subject: COPYFILE of big sysout to NS fileserver fails

Assigned To: vanMelle

Attn: Release

Status: Fixed

In/By: Harmony

Problem Type: Bug

Impact: Serious

Difficulty: Moderate

Frequency: Everytime

Priority: Absolutely

System: Communications

Subsystem: NS Protocols

Machine: 

Disk: 

Lisp Version: 

Source Files: 

Microcode Version: 

Memory Size: 

File Server: 

Server Software Version: 

Disposition: '
["Masinter" "18-Sep-84 21':34':51" Assigned% To': Attn': Status':(Open->Fixed) In/By':]

Description: '
Date': 23 APR 84 18':15 PST'
From': ROACH.PA'
Subject': Courier "STORE': TRANSFER ERROR':" '
To':   LISPSUPPORT'
'
Received': from SU-CSLI.ARPA by PARC-MAXC.ARPA; 23 APR 84 11':55':39 PST'
Date': Mon, 23 Apr 84 11':51':17 PST'
From': Lauri Karttunen <Lauri@SU-CSLI.ARPA>'
Subject': 3-LISP.SYSOUT'
To': DESRIVIERES@SU-CSLI.ARPA'
cc': Roach.PA, DesRivieres.PA'
'
I copied the 3-LISP sysout from {FRANKLIN':}<LISPSYSOUTS> on floppies'
(5) to install it on the SRI fileserver.  I had no trouble copying the'
file but when I tried to write in onto our file seerver here, at the'
very end I got a mysterious error message':'
'
  Error in Courier program FILING, procedure STORE': TRANSFER ERROR':'
  (ABORTED)'
'
The break occurred in   ...'
                        COURIER.RESULTS'
                        ...'
                        \BULK.DATA.CLOSE'
                        ...'
                        \NSFILING.CLOSEFILE'
                        ...'
                        CLOSEF'
                        ...'
                        COPYFILE'
'
Can you give me some hint about what might be wrong.  Thanks.'
-- Lauri'
'
PS.  I installed the FULL.SYSOUT on our file server without any trouble'
using the same procedure.'
-------'
'
Date':  1 May 84 13':44 PDT'
From': halvorsen.pa'
Subject': Lisp': COPYFILE of large files (sysouts) to NS fileserver bombs'
To': LispSupport.pa,cooper'
cc': halvorsen.pa,colleen%imss@su-score,crangle@su-score,atty@turing,kaplan'
'
Lisp System Date': 26-Apr-84 18':56':44'
Machine': Dandelion (204#13#)'
Microcode version': 24,4'
Memory size': 17777'
Frequency': Almost Always'
Impact': Serious'
'
Atty Mullins at CSLI and '
I have been trying to copy a 7500 page sysout from  SU-CSLI (a DEC2060) to HEINLEIN':CSLI':STANFORD for 4 days.  We have made about 6 attempts and HEINLEIN consistently drops into a mode which causes the error message HEINLEIN': filing not responding at some point during the transfer.  (A particularly annoying instance was during the first try when Heinlein gobbled up 7300  pages before it decided to take a break.  Restarting ether and similar moves doesn''t help.'
'
Does anybody have any idea what this behavior is indicative of, and whether there is a fix for it?'
'
------'
'
Date':  3 May 84 17':53 PDT'
From': Cooper.pa'
Subject': NS fileserver trouble at CSLI'
To': Masinter'
cc': vanMelle, Kaplan, LispSupport, Cooper'
'
Ron told me again today about the (repeatable) trouble they were having copying a sysout from their TOPS20 to their NS fileserver.'
'
I suggested that it might be the slow rate at which pages were being stored onto the NS fileserver, and asked them to try a similar size copy directly from a floppy to the NS fileserver. Sure enough, that works OK.'
'
This is a longstanding problem with the NS fileservers. The trouble is that they expect you to provide the bulk data during a Filing.Store operation promptly. If you dribble it in, the fileserver gives up on you. The underlying SPP connection is still active; when the fileserver probes us to see if we''re there, we respond promptly. The problem is that at a higher level somewhere in the fileserver code, it times out file transfers.'
'
This is a gross mismatch with the way Lisp expects things to work (DRIBBLE files, computing results directly to files, and so on.) This should be sent as an AR to the Filing implementors. Could someone adept at inter-organization communication please see to this?'
'
This and further discussion should be added to the Lisp AR on the sysout problem.'
'
						Eric'


Workaround: 

Test Case: 

Edit-By: Masinter

Edit-Date: