Xref: utzoo comp.unix.questions:30161 comp.unix.sysv386:6746
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!crdgw1!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!dri500!slootman
From: slootman@dri.nl (Paul Slootman)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: INIT: Command is respawning too rapidly...
Message-ID: <985@dri500.dri.nl>
Date: 8 Apr 91 13:46:29 GMT
References: <1991Apr8.102837.12050@hollie.rdg.dec.com>
Followup-To: comp.unix.questions
Organization: DataCount Register Informatici, Wierden, The Netherlands
Lines: 30

In article <1991Apr8.102837.12050@hollie.rdg.dec.com> moore@forty2.enet.dec.com (Paul Moore) writes:
>Can someone help me with this problem when I boot up my ISC-based system. I get
>the following series of messages displayed on the terminal:
>
>    INIT: Command is respawning too rapidly. Check for possible errors
>
>    id: co "/etc/getty console console"
[and a number of other inittab lines]

Ummm... Go to single user mode (or maintenance mode, depending on the
system). Check that
a) /etc/getty is there and has execute permission, or isn't damaged in
   any other way
b) /etc/gettydefs is there and contains the entries used by the various
   getty invocations, without errors (getty has a '-c file' option to
   check a gettydefs-type file)
c) the devices are there, i.e. /dev/console, /dev/vt01, etc. and that
   these devices are available (ports on an expansion IO module won't
   be accessible if the module is disconnected or inoperational in
   some other way; although the console is there, as you see some
   messages; they might, however, be sent to /dev/syscon...)

In my experience these are the things to watch for. Hope this helps.

Paul.
-- 
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