Subject: Re: How to fix perms...
To: Patrick Welche <prlw1@newn.cam.ac.uk>
From: Robert P. Thille <list-netbsd-help@rangat.org>
List: netbsd-help
Date: 09/20/2007 12:14:20
Patrick Welche wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 19, 2007 at 05:52:47PM -0700, Robert P. Thille wrote:
>> Anyway, I've noticed issues with running programs (xemacs reports it's out
>> of memory?!?) as a normal user, but not as 'root', so I figure it's a
>> permissions problem.  I've tried rebuilding and re-installing current using
>> 'build.sh' and having it install to "/".  The etc-update tasks succeeded,
>> but still I have these permission problems...
>  
> Your out of memory problem looks more like a limit on the user
> (eg, csh, "limit", sh,"ulimit -a")  Can you be more specific about
> what is wrong?

Well, I'll try, but the behavior is pretty weird.  As my 'normal' 
user-id, (group wheel), when I run 'emacs -nw' in a text window, trying 
to bring up a shell with 'M-x shell' results in a buffer with the 
following output:
   Process shell<2> stopped (tty input)
and no ability to do anything in that shell.  'dired' work, and I can 
visit buffers, edit them and save them out. M-x shell-command works ok 
as well.

Using 'x-emacs -nw' upon startup, all I get is the *scratch* buffer, and 
a status line that says:
   Memory exhausted
trying to visit a buffer, run 'dired' or 'M-x shell' just results in the 
"Memory exhausted" error.

However, as root both xemacs and emacs work as I would expect.

BTW, I'm doing all this while ssh'd from the NetBSD Cobalt box I'm 
trying to transition away from, and I'm running 'screen' on the Cobalt 
box if you think it might be terminal handling or something...


>> Is there some way I can use the build output and mtree to figure out what's
>> wrong?  Should I re-run MAKEDEV?
> 
> Something like
>  
>   mtree -e -p / -f /etc/mtree/NetBSD.dist
This only pointed out that /usr/pkg is a link on my system, vs a dir in 
the NetBSD.dist (I've got /pkg as it's own filesystem, with /usr/pkg and 
/usr/pkgsrc link'd to it...

>   mtree -e -p / -f /etc/mtree/special
This gives the same complaint about usr/pkg as above,
That the perms on /etc/profile are wrong (I've got 0444, vs 0644 in 
special), but I don't see that being an issue...
And what I thought might be it, I was missing /etc/shells.  But I've 
replace /etc/shells from the build and mtree is now happy except for the 
two first things that seem unlikely to be the problem...

...
...
Ok, I poked around, and found that /dev/MAKEDEV had a -f flag to 
fix/force the permissions update on the devices.  I should have saved 
the perms before I ran it, so I could see what it fixed, but that seemed 
to be the problem, since that fixed it.  I notice that we don't seem to 
create an 'mtree file' for /dev, though MAKEDEV supports generating one. 
  Is there a reason for this?

Thanks,

Robert

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