Subject: no login message on Solaris

From: Ralph Tremmel <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 10:48:55 +0200 (MET DST)

Hello,

I had wu-ftp running on SunOS for about 2 years.
Now I installed version "wu-2.4(2) Wed Oct 8 " on Solaris2.5

Everything looks good and ftp is running since a couple of days.
ckconfig feels completely satisfied.

Now I found that login via ftp (anonymous or real) is not logged by the
system. I mean 'last ftp' shows nothing. This was not so on SunOS.

Is this correct? I really have checked the manual but found nothing.
What still do I have to do to log ftp-logins like 'normal' logins do?

Thanks for help,
Ralph Tremmel

---

From: Gregory A Lundberg <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 09:07:07 -0400 (EDT)

On Tue, 27 Apr 1999, Ralph Tremmel wrote:

> I had wu-ftp running on SunOS for about 2 years. Now I installed
> version "wu-2.4(2) Wed Oct 8 " on Solaris2.5

Please check your version number.  If you are running 2.4 you should
immedeately upgrade to the latest version.  there are so many security
problems with 2.4 you should discontinue FTP operations until you have
completed the upgrade.

The location of the latest versions of wu-ftpd can be found in the
directory
 
      ftp://ftp.vr.net/pub/wu-ftpd/
 
wu-ftpd Resource Center:  http://www.landfield.com/wu-ftpd/
wu-ftpd FAQ:              http://www.cetis.hvu.nl/~koos/wu-ftpd-faq.html
wu-ftpd list archive:     http://www.landfield.com/wu-ftpd/mail-archive/

> Now I found that login via ftp (anonymous or real) is not logged by
> the system. I mean 'last ftp' shows nothing. This was not so on SunOS.

ISTM Sun's 'last' commands are broken and cannot be trusted.

> What still do I have to do to log ftp-logins like 'normal' logins do?

Here's the comment I added to the source for VR17 about this:

    /*
     * Date: Tue, 09 Mar 1999 14:59:42 -0600
     * From: Chad Price <[email-masked]>
     * To: [email-masked]
     * Subject: Re: Problem w/ Solaris /var/adm/wtmpx and /usr/bin/last(1)
     * 
     * I've been running Sol 2.4 since it came out, and the 'last' command
     * has never worked correctly, for ftpd or logins either one.  wtmpx
     * often fails to close out sessions when the user logs out.  As a
     * result, I only use last to see who logged in, not who/when the
     * logout occurred.
     * 
     * When I first installed it, it was even worse, and they immediately
     * told me to patch the system.  This fixed it to semi-compus mentis,
     * but not to working order.  So I guess my conclusion is: ignore the
     * wtmpx / last log stuff on Solaris 2.4 (and other releases of Solaris
     * too from what I see in the comments), it's broken and always has
     * been.  I do of course stand ready to be corrected (in this case,
     * pointed to a patch which really does fix it.)
     *
     */

My recomendation: If you want this fixed properly, upgrade to a version of
Unix without so many problems.  Linux and FreeBSD come to mind.

-- 

Gregory A Lundberg              Senior Partner, VRnet Company
1441 Elmdale Drive              [email-masked]
Kettering, OH 45409-1615 USA    1-800-809-2195

---

From: Chad Price <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 08:28:20 -0500

>ISTM Sun's 'last' commands are broken and cannot be trusted.

I can confirm that from personal experience over the last 4 years. (But
then Greg already included my comments..) Version 2.7 (7) of Solaris seems
to have fixed it, but I still do not trust it.

Chad

Chad Price
Systems Manager
University of Nebraska Medical Center
600 S 42nd St
Omaha, NE 68506-6495
[email-masked]
(402) 559-9527 
(402) 559-4077 (FAX)