Fri May 16 22:51:59 2008 panic(cpu 0 caller 0x0031E569): "hfs_getnewvnode: bad ca_blocks (too small)"@/SourceCache/xnu/xnu-1228.4.31/bsd/hfs/hfs_cnode.c:660 Backtrace, Format - Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack) 0x52bef5a8 : 0x12b0f7 (0x4581f4 0x52bef5dc 0x133230 0x0) 0x52bef5f8 : 0x31e569 (0x484f4c 0x65b52ec 0x14 0xf2d92) 0x52bef698 : 0x32f7d4 (0x10802804 0x0 0x52bef788 0x52bef7b0) 0x52bef7e8 : 0x32facf (0x10802804 0x66d10b 0x52bef93c 0x1) 0x52bef848 : 0x1f66f4 (0x5c15260 0x66d10b 0x0 0x52bef93c) 0x52bef898 : 0x1d524a (0x5c15260 0x66d10b 0x0 0x52bef93c) 0x52bef958 : 0x1c3708 (0x52befa00 0x1040ec9c 0x52bef9c8 0x19d8da) 0x52beff78 : 0x3dcf13 (0x5ae3c50 0x779bc20 0x779bc64 0x6d498c4) 0x52beffc8 : 0x19f1c3 (0x6456a60 0x0 0x1a20b5 0x851a7d8) No mapping exists for frame pointer Backtrace terminated-invalid frame pointer 0xb0101218 BSD process name corresponding to current thread: backupd Mac OS version: 9C7010 Kernel version: Darwin Kernel Version 9.2.2: Tue Mar 4 21:17:34 PST 2008; root:xnu-1228.4.31~1/RELEASE_I386 System model name: MacBookPro2,2 (Mac-F42187C8)
By the next morning it was clear that the machine was hanging on every backup cycle. It wasn’t quite hourly, because fsevents had gotten out of sync and it had to perform a full-disk scan each time, which knocked it off schedule. At some point during each backup cycle (whether during the scan or the copy, I don’t know) it was invariably panicking with the above signature, which is pretty much the worst thing a frequently-recurring data-saving device can reasonably do, short of actively deleting things.
I had the bright idea to remove, in Time Machine, that most recent 5:30 PM backup, but that also caused a panic. I noticed the following morning that a 6:30 PM backup with the “.inprogress” filename extension was still hanging around in my Time Machine backups directory, which the Finder allowed me to delete, however, doing so had no effect on the panics. I was able to use the Time-Machine tweaked version of GrandPerspective on the 5:30 backup, which ran without complaint and showed it to be wholly unexceptional. Not very interesting.
Sadly, I have no concrete resolution to report to anyone else who’s seeing this irritating condition. I renamed the TM sparse image (I’m using a Time Capsule), which smoothly caused TM to recreate it and start from scratch with a new initial backup, which I re-ran over gigabit last night. It’s since done five incremental backups, which at least suggests the problem was in the backup, not on my disk, and while that means I won’t lose the whole weekend to this, it also means the problem is likely more prevalent.
If anyone has any bright ideas to try, I’ve still got the afflicted backup image, and next week when I’m over some deadlines I plan to give it another go, using tms and more concerted efforts to delete the trailing backup or two.
Belated update! Matt Deatherage did the responsible thing, located the error in the Darwin source, and suggested running Disk Utility’s repair command on the mounted sparseimage. DU cranked away over wi-fi for just over eight hours (the image was about 140 MB at that point), but when it was done, the panics ceased. If it happens to you, I suggest performing that surgery over gigabit, which may shave off some time. Thanks Matt!]]>
I think I just made it sound funnier than it really was. First I’m wondering why, if this subprime couple got their IRS air-conditioner in February, it’s only a tax-time story in April. I had started to figure it out by the time Robert Reich told a long anecdote about Viagra. The story ends and Kai Ryssdal sheepishly recommends that I check my calendar. It’s April 5th, Kai. David Brancaccio called, he wants his radio voice back.]]>
I break radio silence now to praise VNsea, the first fabulously useful third-party iPhone/Touch app I’ve seen. It’s a full-on VNC client, capable of displaying remote computers’ displays in full color. Versions previous to .5 were pretty much read-only, but .5 is a vast improvement, delivering resizability, rotation support, and a full keyboard, including a row of buttons substituting for modifier keys. The password is still stored and displayed in plain text, which limits its utility in even the least security-conscious situations, but it’s a tremendously impressive piece of work.]]>
Sliced bagels are only Pareve if sliced by machine. Hand-sliced bagels are considered dairy.The Egg Mit Bagel and Breakfast Panini are only acceptably kosher when the customer turns on the microwave used to cook the eggs. Store clerks will direct the customer to the microwave upon request.
I wonder how often they get that request.]]>
Six of 10 Republicans surveyed, including an equal number of conservatives, said they would be willing to vote for someone whose views were less conservative than their own if they believed the candidate was electable.
In other words, four in ten Republicans, and an equal number of the furthest right Republicans, tell pollsters they won’t vote for someone less conservative than they are even if it means losing an election. It’s the sort of tough talk that I’m inclined to dismiss as predictive of behavior, but in this case, considering the weakness of the Republican field of candidates, it’s a shock just that so many ostensible voters said it.]]>
Ms. Funk, 36, said some people call because they are lonely. Her lengthiest call of that kind lasted 35 minutes. Others need basic help with their computers or with the Internet. Some people do not own a computer and call regularly to have a call center employee rearrange the titles in their queue.
Wow.]]>
It’s the ending, though, as author John Schwartz reverses course and starts to pat the reader on the head, that earns the story a place in my heart:
In fact, the United States has prepared for cyberattacks incidentally, through our day-to-day exposure to crashes, glitches, viruses and meltdowns. There are very few places where a computer is so central that everything crashes to a halt if the machine goes on the blink.
Pretend for a moment that this is true. It’s also hands-down the sweetest, kindest interpretation I’ve ever seen of Windows’ systemic security weaknesses. We’re not wasting billions in lost productivity — we’re stimulating our computational white blood cells.
Next, as an integral element in national health care, citizens will be obliged to spend a half-day each week in day-care centers, hugging kindergartners and eating Microsoft-supplied hors d’oeuvres with bare hands. It’s somewhere in between the best medicine and your patriotic duty.]]>
I feel for my friends and family in the East Bay, though as an amateur transportation nerd, I can’t wait to see how people adjust to this. It’s a stake in the heart of what was already an intolerably bad traffic situation, and the obvious alternatives, like BART and the AC Transit bus system, do not have the instant capacity to absorb the extra ridership that this sort of disaster will produce.
It’ll be an object lesson for Seattle for the increasingly likely case that waterfront viaduct falls down on its own while the city, county, and state bicker about how to replace it.]]>