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From: avolio@decuac.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: du's "--bad status" message
Message-ID: <1223@decuac.DEC.COM>
Date: Mon, 30-Mar-87 16:54:46 EST
Article-I.D.: decuac.1223
Posted: Mon Mar 30 16:54:46 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Apr-87 01:35:33 EST
References: <880@maynard.BSW.COM> <434@yabbie.oz>
Sender: avolio@decuac.DEC.COM
Organization: DEC SWS, Landover, MD
Lines: 16

In article <434@yabbie.oz>, rcodi@yabbie.oz (Ian Donaldson) writes:
> In article <880@maynard.BSW.COM>, campbell@maynard.BSW.COM (Larry Campbell) writes:
> > 	du /usr/spool/news | sort -nr
> > 	--bad status < /usr/spool >
> > 	--bad status < /usr/spool >
> 
> It probably means you don't have permission to access /usr/spool (not root?).

Larry, you don't say what comes after that?  If lots of other stuff
comes after that in the listing, I'd say that the du was run while
expire or inews was running.  Then I'd expect to see and occasional
"bad status" from files that disappear when you try an open.  Since
you are sorting, the lines starting with "--" come out on top (well,
before any lines beginning with numbers).

Fred.