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A Slackware Desktop Enhancement Guide

Eliminating Common Nuisance Messages

© Copyright Darrell Anderson.

Although the minimalist philosophy tends to reduce the number of problems and nuisance messages in Slackware, they nonetheless exist. No operating system is perfect. Several nuisance messages plague Slackware and many users search for solutions. This document provides solutions to some of those messages.

Nuisance message

kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k scsi_hostadapter, errno = 2
kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k scsi_hostadapter, errno = 2
kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k scsi_hostadapter, errno = 2

Eliminate these boot messages by 1) booting with a RAM disk or 2) recompiling the kernel. For recompiling the kernel, toggle SCSI support from loadable module to built-in. In menuconfig, perform the following:

  • Select ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL Support
  • Select IDE, ATA and ATAPI Block devices
  • Enable SCSI emulation support = Y

Nuisance message

md: linear personality registered as nr 1
md: raid0 personality registered as nr 2
md: raid1 personality registered as nr 3
md: raid5 personality registered as nr 4
raid5: measuring checksumming speed
   8regs     :   580.400 MB/sec
   32regs    :   334.000 MB/sec
   pII_mmx   :   794.000 MB/sec
   p5_mmx    :   816.000 MB/sec
raid5: using function: p5_mmx (816.000 MB/sec)
md: md driver 0.90.0 MAX_MD_DEVS=256, MD_SB_DISKS=27
md: Autodetecting RAID arrays.
md: autorun ...
md: ... autorun DONE.
LVM version 1.0.8(17/11/2003)
md: recovery thread got woken up . . .
md: recovery thread finished . . .
md: stopping all md devices.

Eliminate these boot messages by recompiling the kernel. Disable RAID and Multiple Disk support. In menuconfig, perform the following:

  • Select Multi-device support (RAID and LVM)
  • Disable Multiple devices driver support

Nuisance message

ide2: ports already in use, skipping probe

Eliminate this boot message by adding the following boot kernel parameter in your LILO or GRUB configuration:

ide2=noprobe

Nuisance message

kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds
EXT3 FS 2.4-0.9.19, 19 August 2002 on ide0(3,1), internal journal
EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.

Eliminate these messages by adding the kernel boot parameter quiet.

Nuisance message

/dev/gpmctl: No such file or directory

This message can be caused by using Midnight Commander in a non-X console, but not having the GPM server running. Either enable the GPM server (chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.gpm) or run Midnight Commander with the -d switch, which will force MC to stop looking for the mouse. You also can create an alias (alias mc=mc -d) in your system /etc/bashrc or user .bashrc files.

Another cause of this message ncurses-based tools, such as the Slackware pkgtool or setconsolefont. The only way to stop the error is to enable and run the GPM server.

Nuisance message

[kdm] XDMCP socket creation failed, errno 97

Eliminate this message by editing /opt/kde/share/config/kdm/Xaccess. Add the line: LISTEN 0.0.0.0.

Nuisance message

stderr is not a tty where are you?

Edit the /etc/profile script. Search for the line that looks like this:

if [ -x /usr/bin/biff ]; then

Edit the line to this:

if `tty -s ` && `test -x /usr/bin/biff`; then

While at this section of the script, for users who use GUI-based email client software, modify the line biff y to biff n. Or, just comment out this entire section.

Nuisance message

xset: bad font path element (#58), possible causes are:
Directory does not exist or has wrong permissions
Directory missing fonts.dir
Incorrect font server address or syntax

These messages appear in the .xsession-errors log file and are caused by KDE. The problem usually is caused by an empty /opt/kde/share/fonts/override directory. Resolve the problem by copying a font file there. Then, as root, in that directory run mkfontdir, mkfontscale. Then run fc-cache -fv.

Nuisance message

_XSERVTransSocketOpenCOTSServer: Unable to open socket for inet6
_XSERVTransOpen: transport open failed for inet6/chickadee:0
_XSERVTransMakeAllCOTSServerListeners: failed to open listener for inet6

Stop these messages by adding the -nolisten tcp option switch to one or all of several places. One location is as a server argument when running the stock startx script from the command line. Another option is to edit the startx script and add the option to the ServerArgs script variable (located near the top of the script). Another location is the KDM (KDE Display Manager or login manager) config file /opt/kde/share/config/kdm/kdmrc.

Nuisance message

Unable to connect to CUPS server localhost - Connection refused

Eliminate this message by editing the samba.conf file. In the [global] section add printcap name = /dev/null.

Nuisance message

ypcat: can’t get local yp domain: Local domain name not set

Eliminate this message by either opening the KDE Control Center and setting the default printer system to CUPS or manually edit the global /opt/kde/share/config/kdeprintrc file to include PrintSystem=cups in the [General] section.

Nuisance message

(WW) Open APM failed (/dev/apm_bios) (No such device)

Eliminate this message by editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf. Add the following to the ServerFlags section:

# Get rid of pesky APM warning message
Option "NoPM" "true"

Nuisance message

(WW) Couldn't load XKB keymap, falling back to pre-XKB keymap

When this error message appears, you also might be unable to toggle to any virtual screens using the Ctrl-Alt-Fx key sequence. Eliminate this message by editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf. One of the existing XKB options is no longer supported or is now incorrect because of updating X, such as XkbModel, XkbLayout, or XkbCompat.

Nuisance message

(WW) AIGLX: 3D driver claims not to support visual 0x23

Eliminate this message by editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf. Add the following to the ServerLayout section:

# Get rid of pesky AIGLX warning messages
Option "AIGLX" "false"

Nuisance message

FreeFontPath: FPE "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/" refcount is 2, should be 1; fixing.

This is one of the more elusive error messages. The font path reference might change from box to box, but surf the web and notice that nobody offers a solution to the problem. Surely there must be a wizard out there who can walk through code and at least post potential causes. I have determined that the error message is related to using a login manager. I have verified the message appears when using the KDM and XDM login and session managers (I have not tested GDM), but the error message never appears when I start X from run level 3 and the startx command. I’ll be happy to post a solution if anybody contacts me with the root cause.

Nuisance message

Link points to "/var/tmp/kdecache-root"

This is also another elusive error message that nobody on the web seems to know the cause. Yet similar to the previous nuisance message, this one seem related only to the KDE login and session manager, KDM. I’ll be happy to post a solution if anybody contacts me with the root cause.

Nuisance message

syslogd is using obsolete setsockopt so_bsdcompat

This is not an error message as much as a warning message about a deprecated kernel feature. Caused by using the 2.6 kernel with the old and not updated syslogd package. Eliminate this message by using the 2.4 kernel or installing the syslog-ng package.

Nuisance message

-- Mark --

This message appears in the /var/log/syslog and /var/log/messages system log files. The message is a way to indicate that the system log is still operative despite nothing else being reported in the log. For many people this message is not a nuisance. If this message is a nuisance, however, disable using the -m 0 option when starting the syslog daemon (/etc/rc.d/rc.syslog).

Finis.

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