Error message when I try to login as user. 'Call to Inusetemp failed...'

[johnone]

The other day I used Synaptic for the latest software upgrades and it froze on the last file upg... that being Webmin-1.610 So I left it for sometime. But, the progress bar was stuck at about 50%. I couldn't quit Synaptic and eventually I pressed the reset button  above the power button on the front of the box.

This latest incarnation of PCLOS FM has been fine for several months on a modest but relatively new box.

Now when I boot as a user I get the plain gray speckled screen with a small error box in the top left. " Call to Inusertemp failed ( temporary directories full? ) Check Your installation." I press 'OKAY' and then get taken back to the choice of login . That's me as user or Root. I can log in as Root OK. But, I'm scared to start deleting temp files. I'm still not very good at this stuff. Also there must be plenty of HD space. Including the 240GB SSD that I put the / and swap partitions on, I believe.

As before when I was helped on this forum. I need some pretty basic instructions on how to go about this from root. And of course how to inform you further.

When I first logged back in to Synaptic as Root I did the reload stuff and I Had multiple versions of webmin. So I did a complete removal of the older version. Now it seems that the newer version is OK as it is a reasonable size and the older version was only a few bytes. Today, as root I did a Synaptic update and had multiple versions of libzulu crypt 2-0-0... So I did the same thing. Completely removed the older incomplete version. Again the new version is the only one listed and looks a reasonable size.

I'm not sure what mode I was in, either safemode or in Console when in as root but there was a message along the lines of unable to access file delete. I wonder if the delete facility is corrupted.

I really don't want to do another re-install. I had it all set-up well and a fair bit of data accumulated too.

Would appreciate some help, before I dig myself in deeper.

Cheers,
John.

[Bald Brick]

The other day I used Synaptic for the latest software upgrades and it froze on the last file upg... that being Webmin-1.610 So I left it for sometime. But, the progress bar was stuck at about 50%. I couldn't quit Synaptic and eventually I pressed the reset button  above the power button on the front of the box.

This latest incarnation of PCLOS FM has been fine for several months on a modest but relatively new box.

Now when I boot as a user I get the plain gray speckled screen with a small error box in the top left. " Call to Inusertemp failed ( temporary directories full? ) Check Your installation." I press 'OKAY' and then get taken back to the choice of login . That's me as user or Root. I can log in as Root OK. But, I'm scared to start deleting temp files. I'm still not very good at this stuff. Also there must be plenty of HD space. Including the 240GB SSD that I put the / and swap partitions on, I believe.

I seem to remember that you had the same problem a few month ago.... 

Anyway, the executable lnusertemp (not Inusertemp) is run when you log in to KDE.

The purpose of lnusertemp is to create a number of necessary symbolic links to directories in ~/tmp and /var/tmp. You'll find the links in /home/<yourname>/.kde4. If the links can't be created (or if they already exist and there's something wrong with them or their targets) you'll get an error message, usually indicating that your temporary directories may be full. More often than not they aren't.

As you couldn't shut down normally but had to press the reset button you should probably first of all take kjpetrie's advice in another thread: boot from a livecd and run fsck -f on your unmounted partitions.

Then, empty /tmp, /home/<yourname>/tmp and /var/tmp -- and reboot. (Don't remove the directories; just empty them.)

If that doesn't help, try removing the links /home/<yourname>/.kde4/cache-localhost.localdomain, /home/<yourname>/.kde4/socket-localhost.localdomain and /home/<yourname>/.kde4/tmp-localhost.localdomain. lnusertemp will try to recreate them and the necessary temporary directories the next time you log in. (If you are running a 64 bit system -- or an older system -- the file names may lack the ".localdomain".)

And if even that doesn't help, you may have a permissions problem, and you may also have to run lnusertemp manually with different options to find out which link it is that causes all the trouble. Post back first.

As before when I was helped on this forum. I need some pretty basic instructions on how to go about this from root. And of course how to inform you further.

When I first logged back in to Synaptic as Root I did the reload stuff and I Had multiple versions of webmin. So I did a complete removal of the older version. Now it seems that the newer version is OK as it is a reasonable size and the older version was only a few bytes. Today, as root I did a Synaptic update and had multiple versions of libzulu crypt 2-0-0... So I did the same thing. Completely removed the older incomplete version. Again the new version is the only one listed and looks a reasonable size.

I'm not sure what mode I was in, either safemode or in Console when in as root but there was a message along the lines of unable to access file delete. I wonder if the delete facility is corrupted.

I really don't want to do another re-install. I had it all set-up well and a fair bit of data accumulated too.

Would appreciate some help, before I dig myself in deeper.

Cheers,
John.

[pinoc]

as said by Bald Brick and clean you rpm database as instructed here, then reboot.
good luck,
-p.

[johnone]

Yes I did have a similar problem with my old system... How on earth do I do it??? OK lnusetemp.

Now, funnily enough. I did find that thread on booting from a live cd and running fsck. Just tried booting from pclos-kde-full monty -2012.09.iso. I couldn't find out how to run fsck. It didn't seem to want to know from the run command or from Konsole. Of course I was in as guest so i tried changing to root. Still no luck. Didn't know that my discs had to be unmounted. But, running from a live dvd, I guess that they would be. When I find out how to run fsck -f and specify my drives. I shall do that. Isn't just like windows fksdsk on windows? If so I doubt there are any physical errors on my drives. Really want to check for corrupted files.

Anyway, I shall do the tmp file content deletions and see if that helps.

It's all part of Life's Rich Tapestry.

Thanks,
John.
 I have to go to bed know to ready for the Night Shift. So, I will be back...

[Phil]

Oi John, bad boy:

"eventually I pressed the reset button"

That is absolutely last resort. Do you know about raising elephants?
Search for REISUB

http://kember.net/articles/reisub-the-gentle-linux-restart/

Give it a go now....

(OK, I confess, I occasionally hit the reset button as well)

Also to make PCLOS tediously boring:

Back up your system with clonezilla or make an iso of my system (cannot remember what it is called, see section and Tips & Tricks)
Back up .kde4 if you use kde
Back up your files

PS I was tinkering and had to raise another elephant.....

[Texstar]

Check the permission and ownership of your home/username/tmp folder.

[johnone]

Thanks to Phil for REISUB. The gentle way to restart linux... It really works!!! A little bit of contortion of my small hands with this KB is necessary. I will be using REISUB whenever CAD doesn't do it.
Invaluable tool!!!
John.

[johnone]

I don't want to get too geeky here. So I will just say that I recommend 6music by the BBC... Great and varied music. It doesn't seem to  stream whilst I'm stuck in as root but as i'm in the UK it comes over the airwaves!!!

john.
xxx

[johnone]

Cut back to the case. I did the stuff as outlined by Texstar. In that I repaired my Synaptic Database using Konsole & SU. I was getting duplicate errors when doing Synaptic updates.

[johnone]

The main problem remains. I still can't login as a user... Bearing in mind that I'm nuts. I am in as Root, and I have Dolphin. I do / >home>myusername>.kde4   and no tmp or var/tmp  folder or files.

Could this be the problem?

[Crow]

If you get tired from fighting with your current user just create a new user, copy all your files and delete the old user, is easier.

[johnone]

If you get tired from fighting with your current user just create a new user, copy all your files and delete the old user, is easier.

Thanks Crow, I may well just do that. You made me giggle. I like to laugh.

Good for the soul. Ain't it...

Last time this happened, I did a new user and then that broke before I had transferred files.

Now I'm on a new box. No new head though. Must get a brain transplant!!!

John.
xxx

[Bald Brick]

The main problem remains. I still can't login as a user... Bearing in mind that I'm nuts. I am in as Root, and I have Dolphin. I do / >home>myusername>.kde4   and no tmp or var/tmp  folder or files.

Could this be the problem?

In navigation mode Dolphin shows /home/<yourname> as plain > Home. It's your home directory.

/home/<yourname>/.kde is a hidden folder in your home directory. To make it visible you may have to click  "View" on the menubar and then "Show Hidden Files" (or you could press Alt+). When you enter the .kde4 folder it is shown as > Home > .kde4 on the addressbar in navigation mode. If you are logged in as root > Home on the addressbar stands for the traditional /root, because that's your root users home folder, and your ordinary user's home folder becomes Root > home > username.

Your user's tmp folder is in your user's home folder; it's not in root's home folder (and it's not one step down in the .kde4 folder).

The global tmp folder, which traditionally is called /tmp, and which Dolphin in navigation mode calls Root > tmp,  isn't in your home folder at all. It's located directly under / , also called the root folder. And so on.

As so often when people try to simplify things for new users, the introduction of navigation mode just made things more complicated, as there are now two distinct ways of designating files and folders in the file hierarchy.

[johnone]

Ok Bald Brick. Thanks for that. I shall have to get my head around that when my head is more together. Not too sure what navigation mode is... But I shall have a re-read of your latest post, on another day. But, I do always activate the show hidden files... Got that from 'windoze' some time ago.

I shall get it together one of these days. But,for sure I won't be going back to windows!
John.
xxx

[Bald Brick]

Not too sure what navigation mode is...

If you right-click anywhere on the addressbar while in navigation mode you get a dropdown menu from which you can switch to the traditional edit mode:



A normal click with the left button will take you directly to edit mode if your cursor is in the empty part of the addressbar.

To get back to navigation mode you have to click the check mark to the right of the addressbar proper. A right-click will give you the same dropdown menu; a left-click will switch modes directly.