Invalid memory read access ... pc... panic

[H S Z]

Hello Gurus,
I have ES47 with Tru64 5.1. to the server is connected a Tape drive enclosure. customer kept the server running and plugged a scsi terminator to tape drive enclosure. After a while, system stopped running. when i reboot, servers starts booting and gives a "Invalid Memory read access" error with a whole list of messages and reboots by itself. i have tried to boot system to Single user mode, but it wont boot. i have tried to boot the generic kernel, still it wont boot.
Please advice.
waiting.
HSZ

[Steven Schweda]

If it was working before the SCSI terminator
was added, I'd try removing the added SCSI
terminator.

Assuming that the problem is related to the
SCSI bus...

Describe the SCSI bus. Single-ended or
differential? LVD? Terminator type? What
all is on the bus? Does the tape drive have
a built-in terminator? How much guess-work
based on no information would you like?

[Hein van den Heuvel]

I was thinking along the same lines as Steve.


>> customer kept the server running and plugged a scsi terminator to tape drive enclosure.

Why? Just because he felt like it?
Was it working before?

>> After a while, system stopped running.

Define 'a while' seconds, minutes, hours, days?

>> when i reboot, servers starts booting and gives a "Invalid Memory read access" error with a whole list of messages and reboots by itself.

Tried removing that terminator?
Was the that terminator added to the same bus as the one with the system disk?

What else changed?

In the worst of cases adding the terminator cause on disk data corruption, the wrong data landing on the right block, or the righ data landing on the wrong blcok (or even wrong device!)

>> tried to boot the generic kernel, still it wont boot.

Try booting with the tape uncoupled.
Try boot the install CD.
Can you use it to 'look' at the system disk?
Have a spare drive?
Try a fresh re-install there.

If that works the current hardware setup seems ok, but the old system disk was corrupted.

If fresh install worked, clone back the salvageable parts from the old system disk?

fwiw,
Hein.