CDE dtterm does not stay open

[Umbricht Daniel_1]

I've got a weird problem. During our last system change we also stopped pwgrd since it doesn't provide and benefits on our system (rp7400 servers, J5600 and C3600 workstations running HP-UX 11.0).
Since then when I login as root to a C3600: CDE regular desktop and try to open a dtterm either using the front panel or via right mouse key the terminal windows opens for app. 1second and closes then automatically. A core is generated in /. Analyzing the core just tells me there's a segmentation fault caused be sh. The root login shell is /sbin/bash/sh which is a copy of /opt/bash/bin/bash.
Starting up pwgrd and performing the same operation everything is fine. Turning off pwgrd the problem is there again.
However even if I'm not able to open a terminal window via front panel or mouse using the File Manger -> Files -> Terminal Window a new terminal just starts fine.
I don't have the problem on the J5600 even tough it is configured the same way as the C3600. So far I didn't find any information what the problem could be.
Login in as root but with either home or current session I’m able to open a terminal window via the front panel but not via right mouse key. There the weird behavior of the terminal window remains. It just opens for app. 1second before closing. If the terminal closes automatically I don’t see the PS1 prompt.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

I'm guessing here but probably part of the user configuration files code for the users depends on the service that was removed.

Its kind of a debug job to look through it and find it.

perhaps set some set -x in the source files CDE reads ( .dt ... ) and see if this helps.

SEO

[TTr]

1. Check if there are any CDE errors in /var/dt/Xerrors.

2. Check any other files in /var/dt

3. Open a console window and see if there are any errors on the console. If you can not open a console window, exit the CDE environment to get back into the main ITE console.

[Peter Nikitka]

Hi,

I remember user reporting me crashes of the bash a longer time ago.
- I recommend NOT to use bash as login shell for root, use /sbin/sh instead.
- look for updates of bash at the porting center
- check if a 'normal user'-login is handled differently
- check if other shells behave differently

mfG Peter

[Umbricht Daniel_1]

I don't think the problem is related to user configuration files otherwise I would see the same behavior on the J5600 machine.
Of course I checked all the log files I can think off in /var /.dt etc. but none of the logs provides any clue of whatâ s going on. I also run a dr_dt but nothing unusual.
TTr I don't under stand your comment:
"Open a console window and see if there are any errors on the console. If you can not open a console window, exit the CDE environment to get back into the main ITE console". If I'm not able to open a terminal window how can I open a console window?
At the moment I agree with Peter it probably would be best to replace the login shell of root. Unfortunately I can't do that at the moment. I don't understand either why the login shell is invoked using /sbin/bash/sh instead of /opt/bash/bin/bash. In the first case according to man sh tries to mimic the startup behavior of historical versions of sh as closely as possible (what ever that means), while conforming to the POSIX standard.
Yes other shells behave differently meaning they work fine. What's the difference between a Regular Desktop session in respect to e.g. home or current sessions? As I already wrote login in using home or current session I'm able to open dtterm via the front panel but not via right mouse key.

[Peter Nikitka]

Hi,

because other shells do not make problems in a dtterm, it is clear that you do not have CDE but a shell problem:
Try to open a 'xterm' - I'm shure the shell will crash as well.
The pahname of your shell make me wonder:
- does /sbin/bash/sh really exist?
- what happens, if you call /sbin/bash/sh as a normal user?

mfG Peter

[Umbricht Daniel_1]

Hi Peter
if I change the terminal to open form dtterm to xterm in /.dt/dtwmrc I have no problem opening a xterm windows afterwards using the right mouse key.
As I already wrote /sbin/bash/sh is a copy of /opt/bash/bin/bash I think it sole purpose is to provide the startup behavior of historical versions of sh.
There's another user sysadmin which has the same uid as root but a different home directory. Login in as sysadmin everything is fine. So I copied .profile .dtprofile and /.dt/dtwmrc from the / directory to /home/sysadmin. Login in as sysadmin there's no problem at all to open a terminal window. So I changed the home directory from sysadmin from /home/sysadmin to / and here we go. Login in under this configuration any terminal window opened via front panel or via mouse closes automatically.
I then modified .dtprofile such that .profile is not executed. Now I can login as root and open terminal windows. Somethingâ s wrong in root's .profile? May be but why does the same .profile work when it's in /home/sysadmin?

[Dennis Handly]

>The root login shell is /sbin/bash/sh which is a copy of /opt/bash/bin/bash.

As mentioned by Peter, you need to change root's shell back to /sbin/sh ASAP!

(If you are using bash, with the name sh, you shouldn't put it into /sbin. It won't work if it is linked with shlibs. )

>Unfortunately I can't do that at the moment.

Why not? You can't login? Why not try a command line login?

>Login in as root but with either home or current session Iâ m able to open a terminal window via the front panel

This says you can change root's shell.

>I don't understand either why the login shell is invoked using /sbin/bash/sh instead of /opt/bash/bin/bash.

What is root's shell in /etc/passwd?

>In the first case according to man sh

You are looking at the bash man page.

[Umbricht Daniel_1]

The system was running fine for quite a long time. The problem only started when pwgrd was stopped. My big question is what's the link between pwgrd and starting a shell?
Once more on my J5600WS some OS same patch level same environment everything is o.k.

[Dennis Handly]

>My big question is what's the link between pwgrd and starting a shell?

I thought it was obvious:
Password and Group Hashing and Caching daemon.

Are you getting lots of login failures in lastb(1)? Or is bashing aborting before it logs the error??

[Umbricht Daniel_1]

I know what pwgrd stands for. But it is not obvious why it impacts the opening of a terminal.
There's no entry running lastb.

[Dennis Handly]

>I know what pwgrd stands for.

Oops, I was thinking of pam(3). It is used to translate UID/GID to names. This could be anything from listing a directory.

>But it is not obvious why it impacts the opening of a terminal. There's no entry running lastb.

I was thinking something was logging in. So no entries under last(1) or lastb(1) at that time?

I suppose you either need to put pwgrd back or some how debug the core file.

[Umbricht Daniel_1]

Agree. I've a call open with HP support but haven't heard from them for a while.
At the end may be I have to start pwgrd again.

[Umbricht Daniel_1]

Nothing heard from HP so far.
I'll start pwgrd again

[Umbricht Daniel_1]

No other solution found then starting pwgrd again