File: inetutils.info,  Node: Error Messages,  Prev: Inetd Environment,  Up: inetd invocation

19.6 Error Messages
===================

The inetd server logs error messages using syslog.  Important error
messages and their explanations are:

'service/protocol server failing (looping), service terminated.'
     The number of requests for the specified service in the past minute
     exceeded the limit.  The limit exists to prevent a broken program
     or a malicious user from swamping the system.  This message may
     occur for several reasons:

       1. there are lots of hosts requesting the service within a short
          time period,
       2. a "broken" client program is requesting the service too
          frequently,
       3. a malicious user is running a program to invoke the service in
          a "denial of service" attack,
       4. the invoked service program has an error that causes clients
          to retry quickly.

     Use the '-R' option, as described above, to change the rate limit.
     Once the limit is reached, the service will be reenabled
     automatically in 10 minutes.

'service/protocol: No such user 'user', service ignored'
'service/protocol: getpwnam: user: No such user'
     No entry for user exists in the passwd file.  The first message
     occurs when inetd (re)reads the configuration file.  The second
     message occurs when the service is invoked.

'service/protocol: No such user 'user', service ignored'
'service/protocol: getpwnam: user: No such user'
     No entry for user exists in the passwd file.  The first message
     occurs when inetd (re)reads the configuration file.  The second
     message occurs when the service is invoked.

'service: can't set uid number'
'service: can't set gid number'
     The user or group ID for the entry's user is invalid.