[nycbug-talk] FreeBSD rebooting every 120 seconds =-(

[Jim Brown]

* N.J. Thomas <njt at ayvali.org> [2005-12-27 12:20]:
> Sometime last week, the FreeBSD 5.4-p6 machine I had been using merrily
> since August started crapping out on me.
> 
> It rebooted spontaneously twice last week while I was using it. Over the
> weekend, it rebooted itself at least two more times.
> 
> (I have installed no new software on this box in months, and I'm fairly
> certain it is not a security issue (it's tied down fairly well, and the
> only service pf allows is ssh from the local LAN).)
> 
> This morning I came back in to find that it is rebooting roughly every
> 2-3 minutes or so, but only when I access the disk.
> 
> Nothing in /var/log seems to indicate what is the problem, but I noticed
> I was able to get it to reboot on me twice by running "less
> /var/log/messages". I noticed I can occasionally make it reboot if I
> open some file.
> 
> Has anyone experience anything similar? How can I go about debugging
> this?
> 
> If this a disk issue, I can easily replace the disk and restore
> everything from the latest backup, but I'd like to find the root cause
> before I start throwing hardware at the problem.
> 
> Any suggestions appreciated.
> 
> Thomas



I'd start with a fresh disk and reinstall from your original 5.4 media,
setting aside your current disk.

If you still have problems I'd suspect hardware.
If not, I'd suspect a compromise.

Thoughts for hardware:
  - excessive heat
  - memory chips failing
  - an installed card (video, hard disk, usb, serial, etc.)
  - static buildup

Maybe others have some thoughts...


Best Regards,
Jim B.