On Feb 22,  2:50pm, i18rabbit@cwazy.co.uk (i18rabbit@cwazy.co.uk) wrote:
-- Subject: bin/32903: utmp remains empty

| >Number:         32903
| >Category:       bin
| >Synopsis:       utmp remains empty
| >Confidential:   no
| >Severity:       serious
| >Priority:       medium
| >Responsible:    bin-bug-people
| >State:          open
| >Class:          sw-bug
| >Submitter-Id:   net
| >Arrival-Date:   Wed Feb 22 14:50:02 +0000 2006
| >Originator:     i18rabbit@cwazy.co.uk
| >Release:        NetBSD 3.0
| >Organization:
| >Environment:
| System: NetBSD 3.0 (MYKERN) #2: Fri Feb 17 13:12:07 AKST 2006 /usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/MYKERN i386
| Architecture: i386
| Machine: i386
| >Description:
| 	i dont know what is going on, but i have checked things out as
|     much as i can, and still, /var/run/utmp remains empty.
| >How-To-Repeat:
| 
|     $ last
| 
| 	reboot    ~                         Sun Feb 19 11:29
| 	reboot    ~                         Fri Feb 17 14:57
| 	reboot    ~                         Fri Feb 17 11:54
| 	reboot    ~                         Fri Feb 17 07:26
| 	shutdown  ~                         Fri Feb 17 07:25
| 	reboot    ~                         Fri Feb 17 06:42
| 	shutdown  ~                         Fri Feb 17 05:52
| 	reboot    ~                         Fri Feb 17 00:52
| 	shutdown  ~                         Fri Feb 17 00:51
| 	reboot    ~                         Fri Feb 17 00:43
| 	shutdown  ~                         Fri Feb 17 00:41
| 	reboot    ~                         Thu Feb 16 22:52
| 	shutdown  ~                         Thu Feb 16 22:52
| 
| 	wtmpx begins Thu Feb 16 2006 22:52:49
| 
| 	$ users
| 	$
| 
| 	$ who
| 	$
| 
| 	ytalk, write, and similar utilities all report "user not logged in".
| 	i can't imagine NetBSD shipped like this - but yet, i have attempted
| 	to figure out what is going on to the best of my ability.  if i ssh
| 	into the machine, then all works as expected.  the problem is with
| 	console logins only.

Is there anything in messages? Are /var/run/utmp{x,} the right permission?

-rw-rw-r--  1 root  utmp  /var/run/utmp
-rw-rw-r--  1 root  utmp  /var/run/utmpx

christos