fsck inadequacies

[Dan Ferris]

Do you have soft updates enabled? 

If not, you may want to reenable them next time you go up there.

Mardoc Inc wrote:

> I run a FreeBSD system at a remote site. It costs me over $4000 to 
> visit the site (northern arctic).
> It, along with some other equipment, runs off 2 x 50 kW diesel generators
> which are swapped by a mechanic once per week.  The swap-over takes 
> less than a minute. The computer runs
> off a UPS, which easily holds its charge during the swap.
> But, unlike the other windows systems that run up there, the FreeBSD 
> system seems incredibly
> prone to disk corruption. Often the system will not reboot, and hangs 
> while it asks for a file check.
> I can't do that remotely - it has to be a person.
> I frequently need to run fsck, and that does not always work.  It is hard
> to instruct a diesel mechanic on such matters from such a distance.  
> "fsck -y"
> usually does not work either.
>
> Is there any way I can make the disk a bit less sensitive?  e.g. some 
> clever additional
> command when I mount it in the fstab file which says "don't be too 
> fussy  - boot up even
> if I don't feel that well'.
> It seems someone only needs to sneeeze and it goes into panic mode.  I 
> would happily live with the odd
> corrupt disk track or so if it means I can keep it running and at 
> least be able to access
> it remotely. Please don't advise me to be more careful and get a 
> better power supply etc -
> it simply is not possible. This is a very remote site, the humidity is 
> low, static electricity
> is always a problem.
> thanks
>
> Wayne Hocking
>
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