# calcru: runtime went backwards



## nx (Feb 5, 2013)

Hi,

I've been running 3 FreeBSD VM servers in virtualbox for a few months without issue - reverse proxy, web, and email. But then I upgraded to the most recent virtualbox it has caused a calcru error in the email server.

The email server now stalls during boot unless I hit enter/esc after each usr/local app it starts eg mysql, milteropendkim, dovecot, postfix, apache... and when I first access squirrelmail - I can open 1 email before the web gui permanently stalls.

The web server (nginx + php) now also stalls during boot - but intermittently - although I haven't see the calcru error in it yet.

Both email and web servers had been getting time from the reverse proxy (again nginx) via ntpd, but this server isn't stalling during boot nor giving the calcru error. 

I've commented out nptd in rc.conf on all servers but this hasn't fixed the problem.

Can anyone suggest a cause/solution?


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## Beastie (Feb 5, 2013)

Does this help?


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## nx (Feb 5, 2013)

Thanks Beastie,

 I've tried everything suggested on that page and the system is still stalling at boot and in squirrelmail.

 If I disable the ACPI time counter and make the system use TSC or i8254 it spews out calcru errors. I'm currently using the kern.hz=100 setting but it hasn't changed anything I'm aware of.

 But now the only 2 apps stalling at boot are dovecot and postfix. If I click into the vm console and hit enter a few times they eventually run, and I've checked they are in terminal.

 The odd thing is - I can get squirrelmail to resolve the link/folder/email I click IF I go back to the vm console and press enter. I have to do this for every link I click, so obviously this isn't a viable option.

 I can't see any more calcru errors - so is it possible to somehow fix dovecot and postfix's time if they track it?

 Being a nub it took me ages to set up this email server, and although it's a vm, I can't just roll it back, as I've tested that and it turns out the upgrade to the latest virtualbox version caused this calcru error.


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## Beastie (Feb 5, 2013)

I'm afraid I can't help much. I don't run those applications you use and haven't seen the error in a long time.

Are you using a recent FreeBSD release (8.3, 9.1)?

Would it be possible for you to try it on real hardware instead of a VirtualBox environment?


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## nx (Feb 5, 2013)

Thanks Beastie,

I'm using freebsd 9.0 release.

Perhaps I should stop all apps (to stop them stalling) and upgrade to 9.1 in the hope it fixes the stalling?

Unfortunately I don't have the hardware at the mo to run each server on its own box.


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## nx (Feb 7, 2013)

*Very annoying situation/mysterious error*

I seem to have solved the calcru error by putting the following in /etc/sysctl.conf


```
kern.timecounter.hardware=i8254
```

dmesg doesn't show this, but I confirm i8254 is being used when I use command:


```
sysctl kern.timecounter.hardware
```

 and I had to add to the /boot/loader.conf


```
kern.hz="100"
```

 to get rid of all the calcru errors.

BUT I'm still finding apps I've set to boot in /etc/rc.conf are stalling unless I press Enter in the virtualbox GUI multiple times until it boots to SSH. Sometimes it won't stall until after Clamd, mysql, milter etc are loaded and it gets to dovecot, and sometimes it stalls at clam.

There are no errors in /var/log/maillog nor in dmesg.

And I can log into squirrelmail - BUT once I'm there - it won't resolve the web page to show the inbox or any other folder links nor emails UNLESS I switch to the virtualbox GUI and press Enter again - just once per link I click in squirrelmail.

I really don't want to have to reinstall this email server again as I just got it working before having to find lots of info not in tutorials on how to set up opendkim etc. And it's been working fine for months until I upgraded one upgrade of virtualbox and got that calcru error.

Can anyone please help me?


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## nx (Feb 7, 2013)

I should note that I upgraded freebsd 9.0 to 9.1 yesterday to see if this would magically fix the problem - alas not, but it seems to have created no new errors.

And I can send email from squirrelmail - if I go back to the virtualbox vm GUI again and press Enter so the compose form submits.
And I can receive email too, but only view ... I do the same.


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## nx (Feb 7, 2013)

*solved...*

Posting this to myself again...

 I couldn't find why the apps are stalling even after apparently fixing the calcru error - so I uninstalled virtualbox and installed the older version... and the email server works.


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