"invalid character" problem with SMP and 2.3.3 (and newer)

Mumford (g-lamb@pacbell.net)
Tue, 24 Aug 1999 06:58:29 -0700 (PDT)

I'm trying to migrate to a 2.3.X kernel to do some USB stuff. When I
fired up a 2.3.13. The computer accepts the username alright, but doesn't
give a password prompt. Instead it reprints the login prompt (overwriting
the one that was already there). Syslog says mingetty is giving an
'invalid character' error. After a slight change to mingetty, I found
the invalid character it was getting was \0.

The problem is not just with mingetty, however. I gave up on trying
to log in on the console and tried telnetting in. It was giving the
same symptoms (reprinting the login prompt). There were no messages
in syslog. I was able to rlogin in (no username/password required),
but once at a prompt, I could not do anything; no keystrokes appeared.

I know this sounds like a usermode problem, but it's not happening if
I compile out SMP. I downloaded all the 2.3.X's and tracked down the
problem to 2.3.2/2.3.3. Something changed between those versions that
broke me. I've tried replacing 2.3.13's drivers/char/keyboard.c with
2.3.2's with no luck. I also tried ALT-sysrq-r (reset the keyboard),
and trying a kernel without sysrq (both ideas are from another keyboard/
SMP thread), both with no luck.

So does anyone know what's going on? Does this have anything to do
with the glibc 2.1/SMP problem I've heard about?

Details:
Board: Tyan Tiger 1832DL. Intel PIIX chipset support compiled in.
CPU's: Two 300A celeries o'clocked to 450 (no comments, please.
they work just fine for me :)
Keyboard: standard PS/2 style connector.
Mouse: standard PS/2 style connector.
Distrib: mandrake. redhat 6.0 based. glibc 2.1
packages: everything is up-to-date with what's in the kernel Changes
file.

-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/