QNX 6.5.0 crashes

QNX USERS QNX6 - OS
1

Hello I have a serious problem.
QNX crashes without warning. The crashes are completely arbitrary, for example:

1 case:
I launch QNX on my PC and I start the terminal and execute the “ped” command to open a file with the QNX texteditor → crash(QNX does not react at all, the computer mouse does not move and the system does not respond to keystrokes)

2 case: I launch QNX on my PC I start a terminal then, when I’m typing a command into the terminal or I’m writing a programm in the texteditor → crash(same behavior as case 1)

3 case: I launch QNX on my PC and I plug an USB-Stick in the port → crash(same behavior as case 1)

And I still have x more examples where QNX crashes. What I’m saying is with all the examples I can’t narrow down the problem. I have several times reinstalled the OS but that didn’t solve the problem.

System:
processor=X86 num_cpus=2
cpu name=Pentium III Stepping 10 speed=2798

2

I’ve a lot of experience with QNX and computers in general. It seems like you have unstable hardware. Here is what I would try. Turn off the power and open the case. Clean out any dust. If there is a lot of dust, you might have an overheating CPU. Check that all the fans are working. Remove memory and cards. Use a soft pencil eraser across all the contacts. Brush off or used compressed air. Reseat cards. Check again to see if the crashes continue. If they do, I would try new hardware.

QNX 6.5.0 has been in my experience very stable. The only problem I see is now and then, maybe every 6 months, Photon crashes. I’m pretty sure it is a random problem related to the video card.

3

Thanks for your reply, I will give it a try.

But I still wonder where is it coming from since all system processes like drivers, TCP/IP Stack, Process Manager, Application, … run outside the micro kernel.
I’ve bought also a new hard disk and I will install QNX on the new one maybe this will change something.

Daniel B

4

If the hardware is faulty, the system can’t be stable. Especially when RAM, processor, HDD are guilty.

When the hardware is OK, a bad driver can still make the system unstable, even with a micro-kernel OS where the driver is run in application mode.
With QNX, there are 2 possibilities for a driver to do “bad things” :

  • When using a IRQ handler. The IRQ handler is RUN in “kernel” mode, so bad things can happen.
  • When using DMA. DMA (often) has full access to all system addresses. When a driver badly configures a peripheral DMA engine, bad things can happen.