kmod:failed to exec /sbin/modprobe

[Ronald Cogen]

I have istalled SuSELinux Enterprise Server8.
During the boot process I get the following message: kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k scsl hostadapter, error=2.
What does this mean? Is it dangerous?

[Mark Grant]

Here's my post from your other thread

error 2 means that the file doesn't exist. See if you actually have a "modprobe" in /sbin.

If you don't, it means you haven't installed a package that perhaps you should have.

[Mark Grant]

Actually Ronald, I see in another thread that you don't seem to have /etc/inetd.conf either. It really looks to me as if you haven't finished your install yet.

Did you go for a default install?

[Ronald Cogen]

Hello Mark. Thanks for keeping track of so many threads. At the moment I'm not on-site, but when I get back to the customer I'll look into /sbin.

Regarding inetd.conf. I do have inetd.conf. The problem relates to the inetd start deamon. But, I think we're already handling that on the other thread.

I didn't do the original installation, so I don't know what kind of an install they did. I was called in after the fact. Can you tell me a bit more about the default install. Could that have had an influence?

Thanks for keeping track.

[Mark Grant]

To be honest, if you can I would do a complete install from scratch. At least you will know then what is going on with your machine. By the way, there is no reason why a system HAS to have inetd running. You don't even need "modprobe" if you have all of your drivers and options compiled direct into the kernel.

[Ronald Cogen]

Don't I need inetd for network related things, like printing? Will the network function in the same way without it. The reason I got on to this topic was that there are several printers (HP, Xerox) that aren't yet working. I can ping them, do a telnet on to them, but thats all. But, that might be a problem for another thread, like CUPS or printcap. Mark, how are you with printer set-ups?

[Mark Grant · Accepted solution]

Big CUPS fan here :)

inetd is a process that starts up applications when needed. It looks through /etc/services to see what network ports to listen on. If someone connects to one of these ports, inetd starts up the corresponding application specified in /etc/inetd.conf to handle the request. However, it is perfectly possible to have most of these applications running on there own. Most of the time they will do nothing except listen for a connection and then they will do their stuff.

To illustrate what I mean. If you have a machine running apache that only expects about 3 or 4 connections a day, it is better to have inetd start it when needed, thus reducing the general load on the system. However, if that same system handles hundreds of connections a day, the system would be constantly starting up apache thus slowing the system down. That's why most people don't put apache in /etc/inetd.conf, they just start it up at boot time and let it sit their listening for connection itself.

Also, inetd has absolutely nothing to do with outgoing connections so you can help security by shutting it down, thus stopping all sorts of services from being active. My machine at home does not start inetd for this very reason.