*BSD News Article 80787


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From: Damien Thorn <damien@digicity.net>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Apache Server Error:  Cannot Spawn Child Process
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 10:50:39 -0700
Organization: Digital City Communications, Inc.
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This may seem off topic, but I suspect the problem to be related to
the underlying FreeBSD 2.1.0R on our web server.

Basically, without much warning, all of our CGI programs error out
more often than they run - both Perl scripts and compiled C.  The
error logged by the Apache httpd is that it couldn't spawn the child
process.  The CGI stuff runs the gamut from custom to standards like
chiemail, counters and redirect.

System is a Pentium 133 with 64 Meg.  Kernel is generic (which I half
suspect may be the issue).  A ps shows that all combined processes are
using about 50% of the memory, and very little CPU resources.

Has anyone seen this problem?  Any clues why it would suddenly begin?
Is it related perhaps to an increase in server traffic?

Really need some help with this one.  Thanks!

Damien