Re: The mysterious '2 '
per_adua32 wrote:
>
>
> A while back I noticed that there was a number 2
>in some of my directories. Initially my first reaction
>was to delete them as I had not created them. Even this
>took a while as they were actually named 2space ie '2 ',
>which was not obvious to me.
>
> Last week I discovered some more of these files and
>decided to look inside one. I used 'file' and discovered that
>they were text files. I used 'cat' and the following was displayed:
>
>
> /usr/bin/updatedb: /var/lib/locate/locatedb.n: Permission denied
> find:/etc/ppp:Permission denied
> find:/etc/chatscripts:Permission denied
> find:/root:Permission denied
> find:/bin/secure-su:Permission denied
> updated: new database would be empty
>
>
> As I write this E-mail I seem only now to notice what the
>contents of the file actually mean. I hope I am wrong. I am a home
>user and the only network I'm connected to is the internet, and I
>haven't used this for a month or two as I intended to change my isp.
These are error messages. Somewhere someone has tried to redirect error messages and has written `>2'. I can't, at the moment, think what he might have inadvertently done to get a space on the end. `>2\ ' or `>"2 "' are two
ways of accomplishing it.
He might well have been meaning to direct stderr to stdout: `2>&1';
given sufficient confusion of mind or fingers, anything is possible!
Try looking at scripts run (not as root) from cron.
--
Oliver Elphick Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
PGP key from public servers; key ID 32B8FAA1
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"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,
unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain
in the Lord." I Corinthians 15:58
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