[GTALUG] Magic SysRq: ever known to fail?

[Kevin Cozens]

On 2019-08-20 1:27 p.m., Stewart Russell via talk wrote:
> This shouldn't happen, but I've got a Linux computer with the clock frozen 
> at an hour ago and unsaved work that I can't access
> 
> Does Magic SysRq always work?
[snip]
> A website took out Firefox's JS process, which coincidentally manages 
> Gnome's UI. System becomes slow, eventually locks up. I suspect that a 
> process goes mad and eats all memory. Machine has fallen off network because 
> of this, so no SSH for me

A Linux based system used to be very reliable but I find as the environment 
around the kernel has become more complicated the more unstable it has 
become. I never used to have my desktop lock up but it does happen now and 
then in recent years.

If the desktop appears to be locked up there are two options. One is to ssh 
in, which you said wasn't possible in this case. The other is to attempt to 
switch to a text console using Ctrl-Alt-F1. If you can do that, try to login 
and see if you can then gain control of the system. It may take time as the 
system is probably going to be responding slowly due to whatever caused the 
lockup of the desktop.

-- 
Cheers!

Kevin.

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