Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!bbn!ulowell!apollo!weber_w
From: weber_w@apollo.COM (Walt Weber)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: /etc/syslog goes wild??
Keywords: SR9.7
Message-ID: <438f3c86.10b48@apollo.COM>
Date: 1 Jun 89 00:06:00 GMT
References: <674@idacom.UUCP>
Reply-To: weber_w@apollo.COM (Walt Weber)
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, MA
Lines: 28

In article <674@idacom.UUCP> danny@idacom.UUCP (Danny Wilson) writes:
>Our /etc/syslog.conf contains '1*/dev/log', so trying to 'catf'
>/dev/log results in:
>
>	Error: unable to open file "log" - system (or process) crash 
>	prevented complete file close.

The extensible streams documentation (Open Systems Toolkit) discusses the
32-byte streams header which precedes user data on files of type 'uasc'.
The message above indicates that the /dev/log file has a corrupted
streams header.  Change it's name so that you can create a new one, and
syslogd will revert to it's normal, unobtrusive self...

Note that /com/catf attempts to open a file using constraints of "nR_xor_1W",
which is N-Readers eXclusive-OR 1-Writer.  Since syslogd opens the file for
writing via open(2) (which uses constraint Cowriters, or "ios_$unregulated"),
your catf will fail.  If you use /bin/cat (which also uses open(2)) you will
be able to look at the file, PROVIDING you make the attempt from the same
node which is holding the lock (read: node where syslog is running).

...walt...

>Danny Wilson
>IDACOM Electronics		danny@idacom.uucp
-- 
Walt Weber                    Apollo Division of the Hewlett-Packard Company
(508) 256-6600 x8315          People's Republic of Massachusetts
-The views expressed herein are personal, and not binding on ANYONE-