Re: Pesky message: cannot stat /var/run/utmp. Please "unset watch".

[Klaus Singvogel <deb-user-ml@singvogel.net>]

Robert Heller wrote:
> On a fresh install of trixie (Debian 13), I am getting this message.  Where is
> it coming from?
> 
> The message is:
> 
> cannot stat /var/run/utmp.  Please "unset watch".

This message is triggered by the removal of /var/run/utmp and the switch to systemd as the replacement.

The previous utmp format was not 64-bit compatible. With the system moving to a 64-bit time representation, Linux can avoid the Y2038 problem that would occur if it continued relying on a 32-bit time measurement.

Reference: https://github.com/thkukuk/wtmpdb/blob/main/README.md
 
As a (rough, but incomplete) replacement, you can use:
	loginctl list-sessions --no-legend

You should disable setting of watch in your .login or .cshrc or .tcshrc

Best regards,
	Klaus.
-- 
Klaus Singvogel
GnuPG-Key-ID: 1024R/5068792D  1994-06-27