SUMMARY: 'last' command

From: Kevin Maher (kmaher@sunspot.tasc.dot.gov)
Date: Fri Oct 16 1998 - 15:07:37 CDT


First, I apologize for having lost the subject line. I swear I had typed
it in, but, crap happens sometimes.

Anyway, the 3 answers I got all recommend the same thing: My utmp/wtmp
files are most likely corrupt and should be removed. My thanks go to

Michael Hill <Michael_Hill@csgsystems.com>
Frank Smith <franks@tradeonemktg-aus.com>
Leif Ericksen <leif@imho.net>

for their prompt responses. I'll get to this tonight when I have a
chance to get on that machine.

Original post:
I've got a machine I help manage remotely with a strange problem. I've
noticed that when I run 'last', no logins appear since the 29th. Both
the utmp and wtmp files appear to be getting updated as necessary as
shown in the partial directory listing here:

 ---------- snip of /var/adm directory listing -----------------
drwxrwxr-x 2 adm sys 512 Feb 16 1998 sa
-rw-rw-rw- 1 bin bin 0 Feb 16 1998 spellhist
-rw------- 1 root root 4095 Oct 14 21:45 sulog
-rw-r--r-- 1 root bin 360 Oct 16 10:04 utmp
-rw-r--r-- 1 root bin 3720 Oct 16 10:04 utmpx
-rw-rw-rw- 1 root root 0 Feb 16 1998 vold.log
-rw-rw-r-- 1 adm adm 134956 Oct 16 10:04 wtmp
-rw-rw-r-- 1 adm adm 701076 Oct 16 10:04 wtmpx
 ---------- snip of /var/adm directory listing -----------------

The OS is Sol 2.6 with up-to-date patches. Strangely though, my last
update of patches was a few weeks prior to the date the glitch occurred.
I've verified the date/time of the last command on a machine I know works.

Any suggestions on where to look would be appreciated.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Maher kmaher@sunspot.tasc.dot.gov
US Department of Transportation
Intermodal Data Network
400 7th St SW, Room PL-206
Washington, DC 20590
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