log file help

[brandon88tube]

When I bring up the log file viewer I keeping getting an error at the top for /var/log/btmp saying "The file is not a regular file or is not a text file." This has never happened before when I would open up the log file viewer. Can someone help me out with this?

[sisco311]

btmp is used to record bad logins.

what's the output of:

ls -alh /var/log/btmp

are you using ssh?

[brandon88tube]

The output is

-rw-rw-r-- 1 root utmp 384 2009-04-29 15:05 /var/log/btmp

I don't think I'm using ssh, though it seems to be installed.

[brandon88tube]

Anyone?

[brandon88tube]

Still nothing?

[gFallon]

I had the same problem myself. What I ended up doing should work for you.
Open a terminal session and move "btmp" to btmp.bak like this
sudo mv /var/log/btmp /var/log/btmp.bak
now copy a "dummy" file in its place
sudo cp -p /var/log/boot /var/log/btmp
now open the loge file viewer and select the btmp file on the left side of the application window. wthe it hilighted either select File -> Close or Ctrl + W. this will remove btmp from the list of logs bieng monitored by the log viewer. Now go back to the console and replace the origonal btmp file with
sudo cp -p /var/log/btmp.bak /var/log/btmp
Cheers

[brandon88tube]

After I do that, when I try to add btmp back to the log file viewer I get the error "You don't have enough permissions to read the file."

[hscku]

I had the same problem myself. What I ended up doing should work for you.
Open a terminal session and move "btmp" to btmp.bak like this
sudo mv /var/log/btmp /var/log/btmp.bak
now copy a "dummy" file in its place
sudo cp -p /var/log/boot /var/log/btmp
now open the loge file viewer and select the btmp file on the left side of the application window. wthe it hilighted either select File -> Close or Ctrl + W. this will remove btmp from the list of logs bieng monitored by the log viewer. Now go back to the console and replace the origonal btmp file with
sudo cp -p /var/log/btmp.bak /var/log/btmp
Cheers

Thanks, it worked for me

[rudy.b]

After I do that, when I try to add btmp back to the log file viewer I get the error "You don't have enough permissions to read the file."

I don't think you can use the log file viewer to view the btmp log file since it's not a text file. The only way I know of to view the contents of this file in plain text is to use the following terminal command:

$ sudo lastb

[lelamal]

I had the same problem myself. What I ended up doing should work for you.
Open a terminal session and move "btmp" to btmp.bak like this
sudo mv /var/log/btmp /var/log/btmp.bak
now copy a "dummy" file in its place
sudo cp -p /var/log/boot /var/log/btmp
now open the loge file viewer and select the btmp file on the left side of the application window. wthe it hilighted either select File -> Close or Ctrl + W. this will remove btmp from the list of logs bieng monitored by the log viewer. Now go back to the console and replace the origonal btmp file with
sudo cp -p /var/log/btmp.bak /var/log/btmp
Cheers

Thanks, this worked for me too!