SUMMARY: cannot create /etc/foo: Operation not applicable

From: Koef (koef_at_notsupported.org)
Date: 09/08/05

  • Next message: James Noyes: "Any SunScreen experts on the list?"
    Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 23:58:16 +0200
    To: sunmanagers@sunmanagers.org
    
    

    Original question:

    > On a Solaris 8 system running fine for two months, I suddenly get this:
    >
    > # touch /etc/foo
    > touch: cannot create /etc/foo: Operation not applicable
    >
    > Truss says:
    > creat("/etc/foo", 0666) Err#89 ENOSYS
    >
    > I also noted truncated files in /etc.
    >
    > There is nothing interesting in the system log. System is a V210 running
    > Solaris 8 with recommended patches from feb. 28 2005. Root filesystem is
    > mirrored using SVM.

    The responses I received include:

    - Are you out of disk space
    - Are you out of inodes
    - Do you have the same problem on other partitions like /var or /opt
    - Are you running the automounter
    - Are the permissions wrong on /etc
    - Is the "touch" command malfunctioning
    - Is the root filesystem mounted read-only
    - Are you also unable to modify files in /etc
    - Does your metastat output show weird things
    - Do you already have a file name "foo" in /etc

    The answer is "no" to all these points. So I requested downtime with the
    customer to bring the system into single-user mode to do a filesystem check.
    As expected, many errors showed up, but it was able to repair the root
    filesystem and the system is running fine now.

    I also logged a case with Sun Support about this issue. They sent me two
    documents from SunSolve that describe common reasons for filesystem
    corruption. Since the call is closed now I cannot retrieve the document
    ID's, sorry for that. The only two reasons that remain after reading these
    documents are:

    - Applications use the unlink(2) system call without checking if the
      directory is empty. This is a classical UNIX problem.
    - Bugs in the O.S.

    I have no idea how to check if some of the running processes are misusing
    unlink(2). Maybe dtrace can do this, but this is a Solaris 8 system. As for
    bugs in the OS, I haven't found applicable ones on SunSolve.

    Thanks to all who replied.

    -- 
    Koef.
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