Return to BSD News archive
Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!constellation!aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu!ns1.nodak.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!news.clark.edu!spool.mu.edu!caen!usenet.coe.montana.edu!bsd.coe.montana.edu!nate Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions Subject: Re: syslog: /etc/spwd.db Inappropriate file type or format Message-ID: <2a6f5c$5dt@pdq.coe.montana.edu> From: nate@bsd.coe.montana.edu (Nate Williams) Date: 21 Oct 1993 16:59:24 GMT References: <bindga.3.751161739@saturn.wwc.edu> <csshah.751169378@sunvis2> Organization: Montana State University, Bozeman MT Keywords: XFree86,NetBSD NNTP-Posting-Host: bsd.coe.montana.edu Lines: 41 In article <csshah.751169378@sunvis2>, Viren R. Shah <csshah@sunvis2.vislab.olemiss.edu> wrote: >In <bindga.3.751161739@saturn.wwc.edu> bindga@saturn.wwc.edu (GARRITT CHRIS BINDER) writes: > >>.... running XFree86. I have been getting the >>message "syslog: /etc/spwd.db Inappropriate file type or format." I have >>recently started using XFree86-1.3u1-xdm-des for my logins. Sometimes the >>machine won't allow any typing in the login box. This makes it hard to >>login. Eventually the machine needs to be rebooted. Which version of the OS are you running? Only the most recent versions have the updated DB libraries, which cause the syslog errors you describe above. They are harmless unless they are coming from a utility which is necessary for the machine. But, if you get alot of them, figure out which binary is causing them and recompile it again. >>Thanks for your help!!!! > >I'm having the same problem with FreeBSD running shadow passwords, and >XFree86 1.3u1 with xdm-des. I can't login at all with xdm :( Shadow passwords? All BSD boxes run shadow passwords. If you're running xdm-des, do you have the DES library (/usr/lib/libcrypt.a) and have all of your utilities been compiled with that library (passwd, ftpd, login, su, lock, etc..)? In order to use the DES version of xdm, you have to have a password file that uses DES passwords, and in order to get those you have to have utilities which read/write DES passwords. Nate -- nate@bsd.coe.montana.edu | Freely available *nix clones benefit everyone, nate@cs.montana.edu | so let's not compete with each other, let's work #: (406) 994-4836 | compete with folks who try to tie us down to home #: (406) 586-0579 | proprietary O.S.'s (Microsloth) - Me