Sky2 hang kills ltsp

[Hendrik Boshoff]

Hi devs
 
I sent a message on 31 July ("LTSP network freezing in Dapper") to
edubuntu-users regarding problems I had with my 40 seat Edubuntu lab
hanging unpredictably.
 
That message was met with a deafening silence.
 
I since found entries in my syslog mentioning sky2 and hung hardware. My
system is up to date and running kernel 2.6.15-26-686 smp.
 
On search, I discovered bug # 41634 reported on 2006-04-26, which
exactly corresponds to my problem. However, the bug is shown as
unconfirmed, of medium importance and low urgency. I added a comment to
the bug report.
 
In the case of the school lab I installed, this bug is a showstopper.
The server needs to be rebooted up to five times a day, in the middle of
some class. This takes five minutes or so, then everyone has to log back
in and start afresh. Do I need to explain how frustrating it is? Losing
network connectivity is a nuisance on a laptop or desktop; in an
Edubuntu server, it hits the one critical point on which everything
depends.
 
I convinced the school to convert from Windows to Linux due to its
stability, and told them to have patience with little problems in
Edubuntu Breezy, because Dapper was going to be so much better. Now I
have a hard time making good on my promises, and explaining why Dapper
is, well, unstable.
 
OK, maybe it is still better than what they had with Windows 98, but it
is definitely not satisfactory.
 
So how do I go about escalating the importance of fixing this bug?
 
Or does anyone know a workaround? Are there network cards that use other
drivers than sky2?
 
The following still appears on the Edubuntu page at Distrowatch.com:
"Edubuntu is a partner project of Ubuntu Linux, a distribution suitable
for classroom use. The aim is that an educator with limited technical
knowledge and skill will be able to set up a computer lab, or establish
an on-line learning environment, in an hour or less, and then administer
that environment without having to become a fully-fledged Linux geek."
Maybe this should be toned down. It definitely inflated my expectations.
 
And yes, I know that Edubuntu is a community project, and that I did not
pay for it. So I hope at least that reporting this problem will help
improve a system with great potential. Thanks for any help.
 
Regards
 
Hendrik Boshoff
hfvb at ing.rau.ac.za
 
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