cfv@packet.UUCP (06/26/83)
We ran into a real bad problem with the login program today. We upgraded
our system with 16 new ports. When we went to log onto them, we would be
able to give the account and password. We would get the 'Last login...'
message and the port would then return to the login prompt. Two hours of
head scratching later, we noticed that we had a core file in '/' with a
very recent date. Checking into it, we found that we had accidently added
a blank line to /etc/ttytype between ttyjf and ttyk0. It turns out that
when ttytype is not properly set up (this includes blank lines) or when
a port that you log onto is not in ttytype then login barfs and core dumps.
Since this file is such a trivial part of the login process I doubt that I
would have found it if I wasn't lucky, and I am passing the word to others
who might have the same problem. I hope that in some future release the
people who write these programs take some time to verify that the data they
are reading is properly set up and let us know if it isn't. Core dumps are
not my idea of reasonable diagnostics (especially with a program as
critical as login...) and on a site without a source license it isn't
always possible to track these things down through the code. (BTW, this
is not a documented problem.... Of course).
Sign me,
Disgusted as always with Unix Quality Control
--
>From the dungeons of the Warlock:
Chuck Von Rospach
ucbvax!amd70!packet!cfv
(chuqui@mit-mc) <- obsolete!tsf@uicsl.UUCP (07/01/83)
#R:packet:-26200:uicsl:3300001:000:128 uicsl!tsf Jun 30 19:31:00 1983 The behavior of login dying also happens when there is a blank line in /etc/ttys. Tim Fu ... !decvax!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!tsf