My origional question:
> My "last" log has quit working ... in other words it nologer shows
> any new logins for about a week now ... yet the /var/adm/wtmp file
> still seems to be growing w/each login.
>
> This seem to begin when the /usr drive (which contains /var) filled
> up.
Thanks to all who have replied. Basically Jane's solution to
kill the file and start anew worked. The explaination by Jerry
of a possible corrupt file could be the explaination as to what
the problem was (however, I've never heard of a "wtmpx" file).
The size problem that Douglas mentions I've heard about and worth
looking out for, however in this case was not the problem.
Thanks to all.
Jon.
====================================================================
From: Jane Kramer <Jane.Kramer_at_oberlin.edu>
Subject: Re: last quit logging
For awhile, I had a problem with last, and decided that the wtmp file
was too big (maybe 'last' has a limited buffer size?). I moved aside
the existing wtmp file, then created a new one, and 'last' started
working again:
cd /var/adm
mv wtmp wtmp.old
touch wtmp
Maybe this will work for you.
Jane Kramer
====================================================================
From: "Douglas B. Jones" <douglas_at_gpc.peachnet.edu>
Subject: RE: last quit logging
Check the size. If it gets over about 55meg, I have
seen this happens. What appears to happen is that
the last program cannot address that much. I don't
have the code, so it is hard to be sure. Maybe it
uses an int instead of off_t (long regualar, ulong
for kernel - see /usr/include/sys/types.h).
Cheers,
Douglas
p.s.: I don't rem. the size exactly, but I seem to
remember it is about 55meg or so when it starts not
reporting the last logins, but still grows.
====================================================================
From: Jerome M Berkman <jerry_at_uclink.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Re: last quit logging
last uses /var/adm/wtmpx either in addition to or instead of
/var/adm/wtmp. It can be corrupted by an incomplete write.
- Jerry Berkman
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Jon Eidson (J.Eidson_at_tcu.edu) Information Services
Senior Systems Programmer Texas Christian University
(817) 257-6835 Fort Worth, Texas 76129
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All my live I wanted to be somebody ...
I realize now I should have been more specific!
Received on Mon Jul 13 1998 - 22:10:45 NZST