Ah, please ignore this... I just stumbled onto the solution... :)
/usr/tmp had become a regular file :)

In message <9510272242.AA24361@sdg.cc.iastate.edu>, graphix@iastate.edu writes:
>
> Ah, please ignore this... I just stumbled onto the solution to my problem :)
>
>In message <9510272020.AA23500@sdg.cc.iastate.edu>, graphix@iastate.edu writes
>:
>>
>>  I have recently started having a few problems.  While compiling as
>>user root and only root (this includes having used su not simply logging
>>in as root) these files "tmp.i" and "tmp.s" files get created in /usr/.
>>The problems this causes are quite severe if multiple invocations of cc1
>>are executing, reading and writing to the same files at the same time.
>>The files completely get mangled.  Normally these files have unique
>>names and are put in /tmp/.
>>
>>  Yesterday evening I supped all new sources and reinstalled cc, as, all
>>the include files and library files.  This did not correct the problem.
>>I do not seem to have an environment variable set that is anywhere
>>remotely related to this.
>>
>>  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  I am baffled.
>>
>>  Thanks.
>>
>>---
>>Kent Vander Velden
>>graphix@iastate.edu
>>
>
>---
>Kent Vander Velden
>graphix@iastate.edu

---
Kent Vander Velden
graphix@iastate.edu