/var/lock/mrtg disappears on reboot

[Pasi Savolainen]

In current dapper /var/lock/mrtg -directory disappears on reboot.
Without this directory mrtg won't run, and won't update stats.
Creation of this directory as root makes it work again, but it will disappear again on reboot.

[mek (ubuntubug-w48)]

I can confirm the problem.

varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw)
varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw)

are mounted as tmpfs (good idea by the way),
so its ok that it dissapears, the problem is that
it is not generated automaticaly.

[Dennis Kaarsemaker (dennis)]

Confirmed. Simple patch (I'm not that fluent at perl):
 subscribe <email address hidden>

--- mrtg-2.12.2/bin/mrtg 2006-04-23 02:28:54.000000000 +0200
+++ mrtg-2.12.2.new/bin/mrtg 2006-04-23 02:28:29.000000000 +0200
@@ -1629,7 +1629,12 @@
                  " aged $lockage seconds is hanging around and I can't remove\n".
                  " it because another process is still using it.";
         }
-
+
+ # Create lockdir if it doesn't exist yet
+ my $lockdir = `dirname "$lockfile"`
+ if (!-e $lockdir) {
+ `mkdir -p "$lockdir"`
+ }
         open (LOCK, ">$lockfile") or
           die "ERROR: Creating lockfile $lockfile: $!\n";
         print LOCK "$$\n";

[Alex Mauer (hawke)]

The patch does not work. It looks to me like it only happens in the NT/VMS lockfile creation step, it doesn't have semicolons at the end of appropriate lines, and dirname seems to append a newline to the dirname, so it makes the directory "/var/lock/mrtg
/" once it's been moved to the right place and formatted correctly.

[Kevin Otte (nivex)]

my workaround:
add "mkdir /var/lock/mrtg" to /etc/rc.local

You could probably do a check in the cron entry to see if the directory exists and create it, or some other easily packagable "hack".

-- Kevin

[Vassilis Pandis (pandisv)]

status Confirmed

[Victor Hugo dos Santos (victorhugops)]

one solution for this problem is change the file /etc/cron.d/mrtg from:

*/5 * * * * root if [ -x /usr/bin/mrtg ] && [ -r /etc/mrtg.cfg ]; then env LANG=C /usr/bin/mrtg /etc/mrtg.cfg >> /var/log/mrtg/mrtg.log 2>&1; fi

for:

*/5 * * * * root if [ -d /var/lock/mrtg ]; then if [ -x /usr/bin/mrtg ] && [ -r /etc/mrtg.cfg ]; then env LANG=C /usr/bin/mrtg /etc/mrtg.cfg >> /var/log/mrtg/mrtg.log 2>&1; fi else mkdir /var/lock/mrtg; fi

all caracteres in alone line.

bye

[Kevin Otte (nivex)]

On Thu, Aug 24, 2006 at 08:33:41PM -0000, Victor Hugo dos Santos wrote:
> */5 * * * * root if [ -d /var/lock/mrtg ]; then if [ -x
> /usr/bin/mrtg ] && [ -r /etc/mrtg.cfg ]; then env LANG=C /usr/bin/mrtg
> /etc/mrtg.cfg >> /var/log/mrtg/mrtg.log 2>&1; fi else mkdir
> /var/lock/mrtg; fi

The problem with this is that no data is logged during this run. You will
have a 10 minute gap in all your graphs.

It is probably better to simply do the mkdir in /etc/rc.local until the
package itself is corrected.

--
Kevin Otte, N8VNR
<email address hidden>
http://www.nivex.net/

-=-

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
-- George Santayana

"It seems no one reads Santayana anymore."
-- Cdr. Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5

[Victor Hugo dos Santos (victorhugops)]

2006/8/24, Kevin Otte <email address hidden>:
> On Thu, Aug 24, 2006 at 08:33:41PM -0000, Victor Hugo dos Santos wrote:
> > */5 * * * * root if [ -d /var/lock/mrtg ]; then if [ -x
> > /usr/bin/mrtg ] && [ -r /etc/mrtg.cfg ]; then env LANG=C /usr/bin/mrtg
> > /etc/mrtg.cfg >> /var/log/mrtg/mrtg.log 2>&1; fi else mkdir
> > /var/lock/mrtg; fi
>
> The problem with this is that no data is logged during this run. You will
> have a 10 minute gap in all your graphs.

ooppss.. is true !!! :(

mmm.. the command line correct/arranged is:

*/5 * * * * root if [ ! -d /var/lock/mrtg ]; then mkdir
/var/lock/mrtg; fi && if [ -x /usr/bin/mrtg ] && [ -r /etc/mrtg.cfg ];
then env LANG=C /usr/bin/mrtg /etc/mrtg.cfg >> /var/log/mrtg/mrtg.log
2>&1; fi

where not is necesary wait 10 minutes for run mrtg !!! :D

it's ok ??

> It is probably better to simply do the mkdir in /etc/rc.local until the
> package itself is corrected.

mmm.. yes.. is one option, but i (IMHO) dont belive that is better.

tks.

--
--
Victor Hugo dos Santos
Linux Counter #224399

[Rocco Stanzione (trappist)]

This should do it.

[Rocco Stanzione (trappist)]

assigning to motu-reviewers

[Carlos Perelló Marín (carlos)]

This bug is also present in Edgy

[Oibaf (oibaf)]

What about releasing an updated package?
Without the fix mrtg is unusable.

[JB (jb-ubuntu1804)]

Any news? Same Problem on Dapper.

[ciskje (ferrara)]

Found this problem also for me... but today is 24 DEC !!!
Why this bug is not resolved ?

[Sarah Kowalik (hobbsee-deactivatedaccount)]

does this still exist with the later version, on feisty?

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU/SRU needs to be followed to get it into edgy/dapper

[Pasi Savolainen (pasi.savolainen)]

Can confirm that this exists in dapper, edgy and feisty.

I don't have suitable debian/sid -chroot atm., so can't check what they've done.
There are no mentions about lock/mrtg in debian bugs-db.

[Alex Mauer (hawke)]

Does Debian use a tmpfs for /var/lock? I don't believe they do.

[Carlos Perelló Marín (carlos)]

Yes, it still happen with latest Feisty version

[Barry deFreese (bddebian)]

Fix uploaded to Feisty. Possible SRU candidate?

[Luca Falavigna (dktrkranz)]

Version 2.14.7-2ubuntu1 built and uploaded into archives.

[Jay R. Wren (evarlast)]

I just wanted to say thanks for the elegant fix to this problem.

[Thomas Sommer (flightsupport)]

Any chance that an updated package is released for Dapper?
For the meantime I use the workaround in /etc/rc.local

[Daniel Holbach (dholbach)]

http://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates is the process for that. Unsubscribing ubuntu-universe-sponsors - please re-subscribe the team if appropriate patches are available.

[beadon (bryant-eadon)]

This is an easy fix. Please read the mrtg man pages, no need to make extra directories, etc.

       --lock-file filename
           Use an alternate lock-file (the default is to use the configura-
           tion-file appended with "_l").

Use this crontab ( my system is FreeBSD so changethe path to mrtg ):

*/5 * * * * /usr/local/bin/mrtg --lock-file /tmp/mrtg.lockfile /etc/mrtg_server.cfg > /var/log/mrtg/mrtg.log

[Scott Evans (vk7hse)]

This seems to be a common regression across dist upgrades with ubuntu! my current fresh install of Lucid Lynx on my desktop is failing with ...

2010-02-21 21:30:01: ERROR: Creating templock /var/lock/mrtg/_etc_mrtg.cfg_l_3647:
No such file or directory at /usr/bin/mrtg line 1833.

this is a critical bug for all of us that use the MRTG package it looks like I'll have to strt using this from source if it's not resolved...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package mrtg - 2.16.2-5ubuntu2

---------------
mrtg (2.16.2-5ubuntu2) lucid; urgency=low

  * debian/cron.d: Create /var/run/lock if it doesn't exist (LP: #30428,
    #545250). This is also fixed in Debian, so we can drop this change at the
    next merge.
 -- Iain Lane <email address hidden> Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:40:14 +0000

[Sönke von Heymann (soenke-von-heymann)]

I have Version 2.16.2-5ubuntu2 (10.04) installed, but still getting the same error after server reboot:

2010-10-11 12:42:03 -- 2010-10-11 12:42:03: ERROR: Creating templock /var/lock/mrtg/_etc_mrtg_abc.cfg_l_15240: No such file or directory at /usr/bin/mrtg line 1833.