strace, [plug] re: login problems

[Mike Holland]

On Wed, 9 Aug 2000, Colin Rothnie wrote:

> > Aug  8 16:41:04 gateway ipop3d[9965]: Login failure user=dwilkinson
> host=[192.168.2.11]
> > Aug  8 16:41:10 gateway ipop3d[9965]: Command stream end of file while
> reading line
> 
> As Mike pointed out, this error often indicates that the mail client has
> unexpectedly disconnected.  However, you can see in the first line that the
> client is failing to reconnect (Login failure user=...).
> 
> I have seen this error when someone reconnects after a disconnection that

I dont see how that can be. If the client reconnects, wouldnt that be at
the TCP level, so its a new port to inetd, and a new instance of ipop3d?
  It looks to me like the client gives up after an error from the server,
and the server somehow wasnt expecting this.

  But Jon, there is a relatively  easy way to answer this. As Jason did
with startx (in his 2:48 am post - now there's a real hacker), run strace
on ipop3d. You would modify /etc/inetd.conf, and log the stderr to a file.

Does everybody know how to use strace? Its VERY useful for unexplained
errors like this. 

-- 
Mike Holland  <mike at golden.wattle.id.au>
                          --==--