Topic: No connection to syslog available

[RckStevens]

I am new to Unix, SME Server 8 and a forum, so please bare with me. On Friday I installed many upgrades to the server.  Now on Monday no one can see the server on the network. When I try to reboot the server I get an error
No connection to syslog available - /dev/log is not a socket at /usr/lib/per15/site_perl/esmith/logger.pm

and it hangs and I have to power it down.  When it reboots it has several errors about a syntax error. The first two are
/etc/rc7.d/s00micrcode_ctl: line 58: syntax error near unexpected token ')'
/etc/rc7.d/s00micrcode_ctl: line 58: ' start)'
/etc/rc7.d/s05syslog: line 58: syntax error near unexpected token ')'
/etc/rc7.d/s05syslog: line 58: ' start)'

and keeps going. I also cannot access the server-manager through the web or the server console.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[mdo]

This has been reported as a bug here: http://bugs.contribs.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5830

It's due to a small syntax issue with one of the most recent updates. Remember that you are running a beta version where that kind of problem can happen with an update.

You either need to wait for an update of that package "e-smith-base" or workaround this for the moment by manually editing a file as described in comment 6 of the above bug report. 

[janet]

RckStevens

Even though SME betas are very good, and many people do run them unofficially in production situations, if you want to avoid service interruptions such as you experienced, you can have another test server running SME betaX and update that first to see if all goes well.

If there is a problem hold off upgrading your production system until a fix is released.

[RckStevens]

Thank you so VERY VERY much!! I edited the file and all is up and running.  I think I will revert to 7.5.1 and leave the beta testing to the pro's!

[janet]

RckStevens

I think I will revert to 7.5.1 and leave the beta testing to the pro's!

Your hardware may only be supported on sme8 so check first.

You don't have to be a pro to do beta testing.
It is good to have people using beta in real life situations.
You can, as a minimum, test the fixes that get released and verify that they work as expected.

If it is not practical to have a test server to prove any new updates are OK, then wait a while ie a week or two before updating, that way you can see if others have experienced update problems, and hopefully a fix will have been released.
Most problems get reported very quickly, so just read the forums and bug reports for sme8 BEFORE you run the upgrade.

The same concept can apply to regular sme7.x updates, hold off a short while before upgrading to see if others experience problems.

[CharlieBrady]

If it is not practical to have a test server to prove any new updates are OK, then wait a while ie a week or two before updating,...

It is not necessary to wait. Just don't update from the smeupdates-testing repository - wait until fixes have been verified and moved to the smeupdates repository. The problem here is from people using unverified updates on production servers.

[janet]

CharlieBrady

The problem here is from people using unverified updates on production servers.

Oh thank you Charlie. I missed that, but see it now after a re-read of the bug report.

To RckStevens
You should disable the smeupdates-testing repo on your sme8 server, and any others you may have enabled beyond the standard recommended repos.

[cactus]

To RckStevens
You should disable the smeupdates-testing repo on your sme8 server, and any others you may have enabled beyond the standard recommended repos.

And here is the list of adviced default repositories: http://wiki.contribs.org/SME_Server:Documentation:FAQ#Which_repositories_should_be_enabled