Similiar results/symptoms observed last evening. A UP running NFR software.
In blocked state for 12 hours until condition discovered...power switch
reboot required.

  > All...
  > 
  > 	Just had some disturbing problems after switching to 2.2.8.
  > 
  > 	I was only switched over for a short period of time and was working
  > on some kernel drivers (Computone serial card drivers - not in the kernel
  > I was running at the time of the problems).  In one window I had my mail
  > up in elm.  In the other window, I went to unpack the kernel sources to
  > test out a patch.  I started a resync on my mailbox about the same time
  > I started to untar the 2.2.8 for a fresh set of sources.  Both got about
  > half way through and died.  At that point, I could not kill any of my
  > xterm windows although I could run commands like top.  Top showed system
  > load over 16 and climbing!  Could not shut down.  Sync would hang.  Could
  > switch to a virtual console but Cntrl-Alt-Delete failed to do anything.
  > Cntr-Alt-Backspace out of X Windows just left a grey screen and then couldn't
  > switch to another virtual console.  Had to reboot from the hardware switch...
  > 
  > 	Ok...  Rebooted system and came back up on 2.2.8.  Fsck reported
  > all kinds of problems in the kernel source directory I was untaring.  That
  > figured and wasn't real surprising.
  > 
  > 	Once the system back was up, I logged back into X Windows and brought
  > my usual array of xterms back up.  I then performed the same actions that
  > I did before.  I deleted the old kernel source tree, remade the directory,
  > restarted the untar, and then deliberately resynced my mailbox.  Bang...
  > Dead again!  Sync still hangs, but I was able to get to another virtual
  > console.  I executed an init 6 and this time it shut down until it was
  > trying to unmount the local file systems.  It died then and there.  Could
  > not even get the "Num Lock" light on the keyboard to toggle.  Grrr...
  > 
  > 	Hit the reset switch and brought it back up.  This time back on
  > 2.2.7 which had been running perfect for me since it first came out (I
  > patched up from the E-Mail announcement).  Fsck found some serious bad
  > juju on one of the SCSI drives (I use a mix of IDE and SCSI).  Had to
  > fsck the drive manually.  One inode was chock full of illegal blocks.
  > 
  > 	Once again got the system back up and got back into X Windows.
  > Repeated same fatal steps, this time on 2.2.7.  No problem.  Did it twice.
  > No problem.  I'm about to go back to 2.2.8 and reconfirm, but something
  > does not seem right here.  I know there's been a lot of work down in the
  > scheduler, but this seems to be a file system handler problem.  At least
  > it seems to be hanging on intense file system activity.
  > 
  > 	Lot's of user level programs, such as ps, df, and top can still
  > run so I can get status on some things.  It doesn't die until it seems
  > to need to write to the disk.  (That's just my HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE opinion
  > and may be way off base.)
  > 
  > 	Notes:
  > 
  > 	System:	350MHz K6  Asus P5A-B Mother Board
  > 	Kernel:	2.2.8
  > 	Dstrib: RedHet 5.2
  > 	Memory:	128Meg
  > 	Swap:	128Meg
  > 	Drives:	Mix of 2 Gig IDE and SCSI drives.
  > 	SCSI:	aic7xxx
  > 
  > 	Note:	/var file system (and subsequently the /var/spool/mail spool
  > files) is on an IDE drive.  My source directories are on one of the SCSI
  > drives.  Both would have been busier than one-armed paper hangers at the
  > time of the crash.
  > 
  > 	Ok...  Once is chance, twice is co-incidence, three times is enemy
  > action.  I'm about to switch back over to 2.2.8 and go for three.  Any
  > suggestions from anyone as to what else I might look out for or what I
  > might do to determine what blew its brains out????
  > 
  > 	If it still dies, I'll follow up but then drop back to 2.2.7.  I've
  > got work to get done...  Sigh...
  > 
  > 	Mike
  > -- 
  >  Michael H. Warfield    |  (770) 985-6132   |  mhw@WittsEnd.com
  >   (The Mad Wizard)      |  (770) 925-8248   |  http://www.wittsend.com/mhw/
  >   NIC whois:  MHW9      |  An optimist believes we live in the best of all
  >  PGP Key: 0xDF1DD471    |  possible worlds.  A pessimist is sure of it!
  > 
  > 
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-- 
Pete Clements 
clem@clem.digital.net

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