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jjg wrote:
> It is fairly recent, but every now and then my Slackware 12 system seems to
> malfunction. When I do a shutdown, the shutdown command hangs forever.
> However, I can still switch consoles. In another console, I do a sync,
> which also hangs. In yet another console, I do ps ax, and next try to kill
> the shutdown and sync processes. No effect, they are clearly not killable
> anymore.
>
> Any ideas as to the possible cause? Memory? A file system? I am going to
> check both, but perhaps someone here has a better idea?

Are you in X when you do the shutdown? What method are you using to
order shutdown? After you order a shutdown, you continue to another
console and try to order sync? Just trying to understand what you are doing.

Scott Cole
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haldir wrote:

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> jjg wrote:
>> It is fairly recent, but every now and then my Slackware 12 system seems
>> to malfunction. When I do a shutdown, the shutdown command hangs forever.
>> However, I can still switch consoles. In another console, I do a sync,
>> which also hangs. In yet another console, I do ps ax, and next try to
>> kill the shutdown and sync processes. No effect, they are clearly not
>> killable anymore.
>>
>> Any ideas as to the possible cause? Memory? A file system? I am going to
>> check both, but perhaps someone here has a better idea?
>
> Are you in X when you do the shutdown? What method are you using to
> order shutdown? After you order a shutdown, you continue to another
> console and try to order sync? Just trying to understand what you are
> doing.
>

I am usually in X. However, I switch consoles with CTRL-ALT-F,
and then I do shutdown. Next I switch with ALT-F, and do a
sync, ...

It would seem that it is the sync (which is presumably also invoked inside
shutdown). I have read that sync may be waiting for some lock to become
free, but I am not sure who would hold that lock.

jjg wrote:

> It is fairly recent, but every now and then my Slackware 12 system seems
> to malfunction. When I do a shutdown, the shutdown command hangs forever.
> However, I can still switch consoles. In another console, I do a sync,
> which also hangs. In yet another console, I do ps ax, and next try to kill
> the shutdown and sync processes. No effect, they are clearly not killable
> anymore.
>
> Any ideas as to the possible cause? Memory? A file system? I am going to
> check both, but perhaps someone here has a better idea?

Update: I have an external USB disk, which seems to be dying. I suspect that
that is the cause of all problems, and it might also explain why sync
hangs...