[ale] odd log message

[James Sumners]

First, "co" is merely the identifier of the inittab line, and it is
the default on your system. Second, "co" is run when you boot to run
levels 2, 3, 4, or 5. Third, the specified program (fourth) will be
respawned when it either quits or crashes. Fourth, init will spawn the
agetty program[1] with the specified parameters.

It looks to me like agetty is supposed to spawn using the port on
/dev/xvc0, at 9600 baud, and using the vt100-nav terminal type.
Basically, a fancy way of running /bin/login.

Try commenting out that line in your inittab and replacing it with this one:

`co:2345:respawn:/bin/login`

and see what happens. I don't suggest this as a "fix," but as a way to
determine what could be wrong. I'm thinking maybe /dev/xvc0 doesn't
exist. But I don't know what creates that device node. If this
substitute line works, we at least know it is not the login program
failing.

[1] -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getty_%28Unix%29

On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 11:55 PM, Sean <kilpatms at speakeasy.net> wrote:
> On Monday 19 May 2008 11:22:00 pm Pete Hardie wrote:
>> initd is complaining that a process is being spawned and is dying so
>> fast that the respawn rate is too hihg, and it's throttling it.
>>
>> ths "co" process is probably failing hard with a parameter error.
>> Check your inittab for a bad command line for something called co.
>
>
> My inittab includes these lines:
>
> # Run gettys in standard runlevels
> co:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty xvc0 9600 vt100-nav
>
> I have no idea what this is supposed to do.
>
> Sean
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>



-- 
James Sumners
http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."

Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
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