The following reply was made to PR bin/32903; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: i18rabbit@cwazy.co.uk
To: gnats-bugs@netbsd.org
Cc: 
Subject: Re: bin/32903: utmp remains empty
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 09:06:00 GMT

 >  >  login(1) is run with root privileges.
 >  >  if it wants to write to a file, it can
 >  >  do so.  the problem is that it is not
 >  >  writing to the utmp file as it should.
 >  >  it would seem to me the problem is with
 >  >  the login source code - maybe it wasn't
 >  >  compiled with a "UTMP" preprocessor
 >  >  variable defined or something.  i don't
 >  >  see how it has anything to do with groups
 >  >  or permissions - this solution seems like
 >  >  a wild goose chase. ?
 > 
 >  login drops its root privileges after you log in. And it seems to me that
 >  if utmp entries are created for everyone except you, the problem must not
 >  be in the login source code.
 
 utmp entries are created by ssh logins and reboots/shutdowns,
 but not for *any* console or telnet logins.  this is the problem.
 
 >  You still haven't answered why your system didn't have a "utmp" group,
 >  and why your file permissions were incorrect.
 
 because i maintain several BSD systems, and i have
 a stripped custom /etc directory that i use for
 all of them; for ease of set-up and maintenance.
 
 > Seeing that NetBSD has come with a utmp group for over a decade, the fact
 > that you didn't have one points to a problem in your install. Maybe the
 > incorrect permissions are unrelated, but you should look at your install
 > first, not the source code. If not permissions, maybe your pam configuration
 > is messed up (pam_lastlog.so not being used).
 
 reboots+shutdowns and sshd make correct utmp entries.
 login and telnetd do not.  i would like to know if
 there is a "manual" test i can do to isolate
 the problem.
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