Conference turris::digital_unix

9274.0. ""out of ptys" when user wants to start "script"" by MUNICH::CUZUM () Tue Mar 25 1997 05:01

Hi folks,

a customer has the following problem on a system running OSF/1 V3.2:

Each 'normal' user gets the error message:
Out of ptys
Terminated

when he wants to run the script command.

Root can run script without problems.

His system configuration file contains the following entries for
pseudo-terminals:

...   
pseudo-device   strthreads      1
pseudo-device   strheap 384
pseudo-device   sysv_hab
pseudo-device   sysvid_three_hab
pseudo-device   svr_four_hab
pseudo-device   soe_two_hab
pseudo-device   rt_hab
pseudo-device   cpus    1
pseudo-device   pty     255
pseudo-device   lv      2
pseudo-device   ether
pseudo-device   sl      2
pseudo-device   loop
pseudo-device   strpush 16
pseudo-device   netthreads      2
pseudo-device   mbclusters      1024
...

(I think the entry for pty should be ok)

The pty-files in /dev seem ok:

root@alphix2::/>ls -l /dev/pty*
crw-rw-rw-   1 root     system     7,  0 Mar 20 14:26 /dev/ptyp0
crw-rw-rw-   1 root     system     7,  1 Mar 20 14:26 /dev/ptyp1
                 .
                 .
                 .
crw-rw-rw-   1 root     system     7, 14 Mar 20 14:26 /dev/ptype
crw-rw-rw-   1 root     system     7, 15 Mar 20 14:26 /dev/ptypf
crw-rw-rw-   1 root     system     7, 16 Mar 20 14:26 /dev/ptyq0
crw-rw-rw-   1 root     system     7, 17 Mar 20 14:26 /dev/ptyq1
                 .
                 .
                 .
crw-rw-rw-   1 root     system     7, 30 Mar 20 14:26 /dev/ptyqe
crw-rw-rw-   1 root     system     7, 31 Mar 20 14:26 /dev/ptyqf

(32 pty-files) 

Before he had ptys with different dates. I let him delete them and
generate new ones. But it didn't help.

His 'script' file looks like that:
-rwxr-xr-x   1 bin      bin        24576 Jul 25  1995 /usr/bin/script*
which is ok.

He tried to start 'script' as a 'normal' user when no other user was
logged in, again without success.

Any ideas what else to check or configure?

Regards,

Corina

Hallo Corina,

see pty(7) and MAKEDEV(8) man pages and create more pty device files.

# cd /dev
# ./MAKEDEV pty0 pty1 pty2 pty3

This will create (where needed) extra ptys upto 64.
Hope this helps.

Regards,

  Miguel


[Posted by WWW Notes gateway]

... missed the line with "no user logged in".

what does your script do ? please include it.

    Miguel
[Posted by WWW Notes gateway]

    Hi, Miguel,
    
    that's not a special shell script, it's the 'script' command that
    creates a file with the protocoll of every screen-output.
    
    I will try building more ptys, but I don't think that's the problem,
    because then it should work, when only one user is logged in an has
    only one window.
    
    Regards,
    
    Corina
    

yes, you are right. I used "script" a thousand times.
I should have read your note a bit more carefully.
back to the problem ...

Make sure, that you don't have holes (missing ptys) in the list
of available pty special files.

# ls -l tty[pq]* pty[pq]*  => check the major/minor numbers.

the pty files should be contigous from ptyp0 (maj 7/min 0) to ptyqf (7/31).
the tty files from ttyp0 (6/0) to ttyqf (6/31).

Regards,

  Miguel



[Posted by WWW Notes gateway]

you also might want to try "lsof" (LiSt Open Files).
this utility could list processes, which possibly
are consuming up your ptys ...

good luck,

   Miguel

PS: you'll find lsof here:   ftp://migix.zuo.dec.com/pub/unix/lsof/
[Posted by WWW Notes gateway]