Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ucsd!orion.oac.uci.edu!draco.acs.uci.edu!iglesias
From: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu (Mike Iglesias)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sequent
Subject: Space in root partition disappearing
Message-ID: <2708C926.19205@orion.oac.uci.edu>
Date: 2 Oct 90 17:06:46 GMT
Reply-To: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu (Mike Iglesias)
Organization: University of California, Irvine
Lines: 23
Nntp-Posting-Host: draco.acs.uci.edu

We're having a problem on our Sequent Symmetry (Dynix 3.0.12) where the 
disk space in the root partition gets used up.  I have been going
crazy trying to find what's causing it.  I can't find any files
being created, none of the directories is growing in size, etc.  /tmp
is on a separate partition, so it's not that.  / is owned by root,
is only writable by root.  There are no non-standard suid root programs
running.  

The disk space eventually comes back, and everything is ok.  Of course,
during the time disk space is low, someone runs passwd/chfn/chsh and
the /etc/passwd file gets truncated.  I've resorted to having cron
run a script several times a day that saves the passwd file on another
partition so I can restore it quickly (when the disk space returns!).

If anyone has any ideas on how to find what's using the disk space, I'd 
appreciate hearing from you.


Mike Iglesias
University of California, Irvine
Internet:    iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu
BITNET:      iglesias@uci
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