general/3719: PR 2387

[Ryan Tharp <ne...@interx.net>]

>Number:         3719
>Category:       general
>Synopsis:       couldn't spawn child process
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       critical
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    apache
>State:          feedback
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   apache
>Arrival-Date:   Tue Jan 19 16:00:02 PST 1999
>Last-Modified:  Sat Nov 14 08:50:36 PST 1998
>Originator:     mlistbsd@icorp.net
>Organization:
>Release:        1.2.6+SSL 1.6
>Environment:
Running: freebsd 2.2.6 (kernel has maxusers=256) - trying to figure 
out the 
best environment to run apache under to avoid problems, but 
concerned that this
is an Apache problem.  This is the ben-ssl patch to 1.26 and runs 
well except..
>Description:
My OS/environment vars seem to be up to par, BUT I'm getting 
errors trying to
execute cgi-bin apps from ApacheSSL if x users/requests hit the 
server simultaneously.
also getting: "fork: Resource temporarily unavailable".

The OS, FH limits and all that seem to be properly set - 
ulimit=unlimited, etc.
Maybe some superficial advice on the startup shell script?  But not 
sure if
this is the problem.  I know AP-SSL is a slightly different monster, 
but running
1.26 on the same machine with no problems - just the SSL version 
dies sometimes
when trying to run cgi - intermittently.  Please advise.  Been 
changing various Max/min
spare/client settings to no avail.
>How-To-Repeat:
call cgi from AP-ssl with more network calls than matches the 
number of current
server processes - the number does not seem to expand.
>Fix:
Not sure - calling environment?  Bug in SSL patch?  
Misconfiguration?  Trying
to find an answer....
>Audit-Trail:
State-Changed-From-To: open-feedback
State-Changed-By: coar
State-Changed-When: Mon Jun 15 06:53:28 PDT 1998
State-Changed-Why:
Can you try reproducing this on a vanilla Apache server?
That is, one with the SSL patch not applied?  If the
problem doesn't recur under those conditions I'm afraid
it points to the SSL patch, and there's nothing we can do
about that.  We haven't received any other reports of this
specific message.
Comment-Added-By: lars
Comment-Added-When: Sat Nov 14 08:50:36 PST 1998
Comment-Added:
[This is a standard response.]
This Apache problem report has not been updated recently.
Please reply to this message if you have any additional
information about this issue, or if you have answers to
any questions that have been posed to you.  If there are
no outstanding questions, please consider this a request
to try to reproduce the problem with the latest software
release, if one has been made since last contact.  If we
don't hear from you, this report will be closed.
If you have information to add, BE SURE to reply to this
message and include the apbugs@Apache.Org address so it
will be attached to the problem report!
>Unformatted:
Apache 1.3.4
FreeBSD 2.2.6 (maxusers=64,OPEN_MAX=255, CHILD_MAX=255)

The OS, FH limits and all that seem to be properly set - 
ulimit=unlimited, etc.

ErorLog Snipet:
httpd: [Tue Jan 19 13:49:03 1999] [error] [client 212.209.1.30] 
(35)Resource temporarily unavailable: couldn't spa
wn child process: 
/www/domains/camelotonline.nu/www/www/counter/mcount.cgi


Full text of PR number 2387:

Received: (qmail 27688 invoked by uid 2012); 9 Jun 1998 00:01:04 -
0000
Message-Id: <19...@hyperreal.org>
Date: 9 Jun 1998 00:01:04 -0000
From: Mike Perry <ml...@icorp.net>
Reply-To: mlistbsd@icorp.net
To: apbugs@hyperreal.org
Subject: couldn't spawn child process
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