[comp.sys.next] Noninformative error message in /usr/adm/messages

eric@ee.ualberta.ca (Eric Norum) (06/17/91)

The following error message has been showing up on my screen and in my
/usr/adm/messages file during boot-up:

Jun 16 14:19:45 norum syslog: NetInfo Problem:  No such directory

It would be a lot more helpful if the *name* of the missing directory was
included in the error message.
Does anyone out there have an idea where this problem's coming from.

Note: This is not the `missing niutil keyboard directory' problem.  I've
already taken care of that one.


-- 
Eric Norum
Dept. of Electrical Engineering      eric@ee.ualberta.ca
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Canada.                   phone: (403) 492-4626

eps@toaster.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott) (06/17/91)

In article <1991Jun17.014521.2898@ee.ualberta.ca>
	eric@ee.ualberta.ca (Eric Norum) writes:
>Jun 16 14:19:45 norum syslog: NetInfo Problem:  No such directory
>
>It would be a lot more helpful if the *name* of the missing directory was
>included in the error message.
>Does anyone out there have an idea where this problem's coming from.

Are there any other messages in the log with the same timestamp?
Does it correlate with some identifiable activity, such as
logging in or out, or running a particular program?

>Note: This is not the `missing niutil keyboard directory' problem.  I've
>already taken care of that one.

By upgrading to 2.1, I hope.  1/2 :-)

Which Software Release are you running?
Do you have access to another machine that _doesn't_ exhibit
these symptoms that you can compare against?
What does  niutil -list . /  produce?
etc.

Give us some more to go on.

					-=EPS=-

mouse@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu (der Mouse) (06/20/91)

In article <1991Jun17.014521.2898@ee.ualberta.ca>, eric@ee.ualberta.ca (Eric Norum) writes:

> Jun 16 14:19:45 norum syslog: NetInfo Problem:  No such directory

> It would be a lot more helpful if the *name* of the missing directory
> was included in the error message.

I think it may have been.  Notice there are *two* spaces between the
colon and the error message.  It's quite possible that there's a
directory name between those spaces.  I don't offhand know what the
NeXT kernel does with a null name in various contexts, but, netinfo
working in weird and wonderful ways as it does, "No such directory"
seems not too implausible.

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu

cnh5730@calvin.tamu.edu (Charles Herrick) (06/20/91)

In article <1991Jun20.093834.521@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu> mouse@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu (der Mouse) writes:
   In article <1991Jun17.014521.2898@ee.ualberta.ca>, eric@ee.ualberta.ca (Eric Norum) writes:
   > Jun 16 14:19:45 norum syslog: NetInfo Problem:  No such directory
   > It would be a lot more helpful if the *name* of the missing directory
   > was included in the error message.

   I think it may have been.  Notice there are *two* spaces between the
   colon and the error message.  It's quite possible that there's a
   directory name between those spaces. 

The directory is named "keyboard" and if you go into NetInfo and
create a directory called "keyboard" (no, do not put in the
double-quotes) under /, this error message will disappear. I added the
directory to my home system last night and couldn't remember if the
name is supposed to be "keyboard" or "keyboards". I used "keyboard"
and re-booted and the error didn't appear, so I guess I lucked-out
(probability 0.5). 

By the way, the error is benign, so if you don't want to muck about in
NetInfo you can just ignore the message. Personally, I like to muck
about in NetInfo as little as possible. I love it to death, but I have
a very healthy respect for it at the same time.

Seems to me this really should be in the FAQ (Pascal?). It does seem
to come up with some regularity.

Well, if I'm wrong here, I know Eric will straighten things out.

Bye,
	Chuck
--
  The opinions expressed herein are mine and are in no way attributed
  to any of the many people for whom I work. Who they are is irrelevant.