ssh/ethernet hanging...

[Alex Gabriel]

Hmm...that's a bit of an odd problem, then.  What distro/kernel combination are you running on that particular machine?

If you can, I'd say try the transfers through a live CD to rule out the kernel's network module as a problem.  KNOPPIX comes to mind as a good one to try for that.  (Yes, I know that will take a while, but, it's worth trying, in my opinion.)

I'm not a networking guru by any stretch, especially when it comes to Linux, but I did locate the following site that may be of use to you:

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-tcp-tuning/

Alex Gabriel
Dimensia Design Studio
alexgabriel-Nmj6Sl6vboSovDFt+AQlJdBPR1lH4CV8 at public.gmane.org

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org [mailto:owner-tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org] On Behalf Of Peter King
Sent: Monday, September 12, 2011 8:48 PM
To: tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org
Subject: Re: [TLUG]: ssh/ethernet hanging...

On Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 12:18:43AM +0000, alexgabriel-Nmj6Sl6vboSovDFt+AQlJdBPR1lH4CV8 at public.gmane.org wrote:

> My first question would be whether you've tested the network connection through another means when the SSH transfer hangs. I.e. Pull up a web browser on the machine and access an Internet location.
> If the network connection itself is down, obviously the culprit is the network card.

The network connection goes down. So I guess it's the cards -- all three of them.

> Have you tried with a smaller number of files? Say 7000 instead of 8000?

Smaller transfers are fine; it doesn't blink at several hundred, surely.

> I'm not aware of any volume limits related to SSH specifically, but you could try seeing if it always fails at a particular file, or after a specific number of files transferred.

It seems to vary with the number. I've tried different sets of files and I get the hang after some number. Don't know if it's the same number -- but it definitely isn't the same file.

> This sounds more like an issue with the hardware itself as opposed to the software, really.

Yes, it does. Where? Not in the cards (since it happens with several) or in the drivers (for the same reason) -- so I'm tempted to suspect something somewhere else in the system, such as an onboard cache or some buffer memory that gradually gets filled up. But those are the purest speculation.

I don't remember having any such issues with this computer the last time it was in general service, which is now a few years ago. (In the meantime it's been doing simple print/samba server duty at home.) Maybe I should just retire the old hardware. But perhaps there is something that can be done...

-- 
Peter King			 	peter.king-H217xnMUJC0sA/PxXw9srA at public.gmane.org
Department of Philosophy
170 St. George Street #521
The University of Toronto		    (416)-978-4951 ofc
Toronto, ON  M5R 2M8
       CANADA

http://individual.utoronto.ca/pking/

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