can't read /etc/sfd.pid: No such device or address.

[S.N.S]

Hi All,

I have been getting this message for quite sometime:

INIT: Command is respawning too rapidly.
Will try again in 5 minutes.
Check for possible errors.
id: sfd "/sbin/sfd"

And, the SYSLOG repeatedly reads:
sfd[7959]: can't read /etc/sfd.pid: No such device or address.

Also the - MCA[0]:MCA occured -twice recently.

I did not/have not hashed the /etc/inittab entry:
sfd:123456:respawn:/sbin/sfd

Any guidance is appreciated.
Thank You.
SNS

[mvpel]

Are you running 11.11? It sounds like you need patch PHCO_23920 - there's a defect in there that appears to match what you're seeing:

PHCO_23920:
1. JAGad37868 / SR 8606168590
The /sbin/sfd daemon fails to start, when the /etc/sfd.pid file contains a pid that does not correspond to the sfd process. This happens due to improper error handling when a 32 bit sfd daemon is run on a 64 bit OS.
---

For 11.31, the patch is PHCO_39485, and for 11.23 it's PHCO_31567, but neither of those have a pid-related defect.

[S.N.S]

Sorry, its a HP-UX 11.23 IA 64 node...

Also, the patch mentioned is already installed.

Can this error be in any remote way linked to a hardware issue?


Any guidance is appreciated.
Thank You.
SNS

[mvpel]

What happens when you create an empty sfd.pid file for the sfd process to read?

It's not a hardware issue, given that the sfd daemon is telling you what's wrong: it's trying to read /etc/sfd.pid and failing.

If you can't get it straightened out then you might consider just disabling the sfd process entirely, since all it does is run "insf" periodically on request from the kernel. If you're not adding new hardware to the system, there's nothing for it it do.

http://docs.hp.com/en/5992-2852/ch09s12.html
--
The /sbin/sfd daemon has been deprecated and will be obsolete in HP-UX 11i v3.
---

[Viktor Balogh]

Hi sns,

Is sfd daemon running on your system?

# ps -ef | grep sfd

What does that file contain?

# cat /etc/sfd.pid

It should contain the PID of the sfd process running.

[S.N.S]

Thank you both for the replies.

I havent accessed the server yet - will try it out, and accordingly assign points.

Both the strategies should work out- thanks!

[F Verschuren]

if you stop / start sfd whit the /sbin/rc?.d/ scripts the error mostlickly wil be gone, this error is most lickely that some body started up the deamon whitout the proper start/stop scripts. ore that the file is gone...

[S.N.S]

Hi,

All you were helpful three were right:

The sfd process is not running.

Also, there was is/etc/sfd.pid (when I tried to cat it "cat: read error: No such file or directory")

I have created an empty file; but the same message is throwing up.

One more thing; since it just runs the insf, would it be because TELNET isnt possible due to its device files missing?

Any suggestions, before simply disabling it?

Thank You,
sns
(I am unable to find where I could assign U guys with points....May be U can point that out for me too)

[Dennis Handly]

>I am unable to find where I could assign you guys with points.

Here is how to assign points:
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33

[Viktor Balogh]

>One more thing; since it just runs the insf, would it be because TELNET isnt possible due to its device files missing?

I think it is reverse: the device files for telnet are missing because of the failed/halted sfd daemon.

[S.N.S]

Hi,

The issue remains...
Tried the insf -e to get the telnet drivers back..

Atleast, was able to assign U good folks with points...

Any ideas on why insf doesn't work to get the drivers back?

The issues do have a common culprit..

Any clue is welcomed.

Thanks for the time...

SNS

[Johnson Punniyalingam]

man insf -> look for options -n


-n npty Install npty pty special files. This option only
applies to pty0 and pty1 special file installation.


HTH,

Johnson

[Viktor Balogh · Accepted solution]

Hi sns,

Johnson has right. The man for insf -n says:

"If this option is omitted, npty defaults to 60 for the ptym and ptys drivers."

So if you issue the insf command without the -n switch it might causes you a problem of not enough device files. Try specifying the number of device files you want. (more than 60)

[S.N.S]

Sorry for thr delay; I just got to run the commands today.

The TELNET issue has been resolved - thanks Johnson & Vikrot..

What I did was :
insf -n 90
& then
insf -e

insf installed the special files for the pseudo drivers....

This made telnet working again!!

However, the message:
"INIT: Command is respawning too rapidly.
Will try again in 5 minutes.
Check for possible errors.
id: sfd "/sbin/sfd" ----still comes.

The error message is not too pretty, esp. when it repeats every 5mins

Hope to rid the messages soon - many HP Genies out here, I know :-)


Thanks All..

[Viktor Balogh]

Hi again,

I'm not a genie only a hard-trying apprentice, but maybe you should check your /etc/inittab file for any configuration errors. What did you change on your system right before the first message appeared?

Also try 'cat -v /etc/inittab' and look for nonprinting characters in it. One just never knows...

[Viktor Balogh]

How does your sfd-related line in your inittab look like? Mine looks like this:

sfd:123456:respawn:/sbin/sfd

Another idea: also check the integrity of /sbin/sfd , it might be corrected. Does it work like expected? You could kill manually the sfd process, and try to restart it from command line. Do you get any error message? Did you check syslog? Any suspicious in there?

[S.N.S]

Hi,

Please excuse the delay..

sfd isnt running at all; the /etc/inittab is the same as that in your file.

The syslog shows the same error message
"can't read /etc/sfd.pid: No such device or address"


But the file does exist..
and
file sfd.pid gives--->
sfd.pid: character specia l(100/6)\
& ll sfd.pid
crw-r--r-- 1 root root 100 0x000006 Feb 5 14:38 sfd.pid

The funny part is that this message only crops up when accessing the OS thru MP console :-)...

I dont think its an issue (though syslog keep saying it)...

Shall I close the thread folks?

Thank You again!

Merci/Dunke
SNS

[Viktor Balogh]

Oh, that must be the problem. I think the file /etc/sfd.pid should be rather a general ascii file containing the process id of the running sfd daemon. But, don't have any HP-UX at hand currently, I would suggest you to check on another machine if I'm right.

[S.N.S]

Hi Victor,

What should be done to make this character dev file to an ascii file (yes, the /etc/sfd.pid is ascii)?

Thank you for your time...

SNS

[Dennis Handly]

>What should be done to make this character dev file to an ascii file?

Remove the file. (You may have to use rmsf(1M)?)
Then use vi or even touch to create an empty file. Then make sure it has the right permissions/owners.

[Viktor Balogh]

>Then use vi or even touch to create an empty file. Then make sure it has the right permissions/owners.

If the sfd daemon doesn't run then you don't even need to thouch the pid file. It will be created next time the daemon starts.

[S.N.S]

Issue resolved..Thank You all..

Let me just tell you what was done, so that my b

1. removed the /etc/sfd.pid file since my server showed if as a character file(which should be ascii having a numerical value)

I used the 'rm -f' command.
Dennis, 'rmsf' didnt work -- "there is no such file or device"

2. then, touch sfd.pid
3. To check the value, cat sfd.pid
5470 was the o/p
4. chmod 600 sfd.pid ; then
ll sfd.pid :
-rw------- 1 root root5 Mar 23 15:49 sfd.pid

And Viktor, I didnt want to wait..the message was so 'touched' the file..

Thank you all, especially Viktor...

Dunke/Merci!!
SNS

[S.N.S]

Thanks..I have posted on what was done...
Thank You moderators!