[X-Unix] Time Warp Hits System Logs

Richard Hartman seasoft at west.net
Tue Apr 1 16:37:24 PDT 2008


Cross-post apologies: I meant to send this to the x-unix list but sent  
it to the x4u list by mistake... My bad.
-------------------------------
Whilst playing around with Time Machine backups to a mounted AFP  
volume earlier today, evidently there was some kind of system error  
that was not reported or evident via the GUI but was recorded in the  
system & console logs, as I just discovered some 5.5 hours after they  
happened; nothing really remarkable about that, BUT...

The thing is that All the console and system logs quit getting updates  
at that instant. I just noticed this while I was looking at the system  
log out of boredom. I was unable to do anything that would generate a  
log update (for example, I initiated a Time Machine backup which  
normally always reports progress to system; nothing). I rebooted the  
system and the log entries began to update normally. Here is the  
system log portion spanning the "missing" 5+ hours:

==================
.
.
lots of logged errors, like...
Apr  1 10:38:34 iMac20 kernel[0]: disk6s2: 0x14 (UNDEFINED).
Apr  1 10:38:33 iMac20 fseventsd[38]: failed to unlink old log file / 
Volumes/Backup of iMac20/.fseventsd/00000000200749a5 (Input/output  
error)
Apr  1 10:38:34 iMac20 kernel[0]:
Apr  1 10:38:33 iMac20 fseventsd[38]: failed to unlink old log file / 
Volumes/Backup of iMac20/.fseventsd/0000000020076c6b (Input/output  
error)
Apr  1 10:38:34 iMac20 kernel[0]:
Apr  1 10:38:33 iMac20 fseventsd[38]: failed to unlink old log file / 
Volumes/Backup of iMac20/.fseventsd/0000000020079a9c (Input/output  
error)
Apr  1 10:38:34 iMac20 kernel[0]: [FSLogMsgOrder Last]
Apr  1 10:38:33 iMac20 fseventsd[38]: failed to unlink old log file / 
Volumes/Backup of iMac20/.fseventsd/000000002007bcea (Input/output  
error)
Apr  1 10:38:34 iMac20 kernel[0]: disk6s2: 0x14 (UNDEFINED).
Apr  1 10:38:33 iMac20 fseventsd[38]: failed to unlink old log file / 
Volumes/Backup of iMac20/.fseventsd/000000002007eb80 (Input/output  
error)
Apr  1 10:38:34 iMac20 kernel[0]:
Apr  1 10:38:33 iMac20 fseventsd[38]: failed to unlink old log file / 
Volumes/Backup of iMac20/.fseventsd/0000000020080fc9 (Input/output  
error)
Apr  1 10:38:34 iMac20 kernel[0]: der First]
Apr  1 10:38:33 iMac20 fseventsd[38]: failed to unlink old log file / 
Volumes/Backup of iMac20/.fseventsd/0000000020084845 (Input/output  
error)
Apr  1 16:05:27 localhost kernel[0]: npvhash=4095
Apr  1 16:05:26 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl:  
Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/chum.plist
Apr  1 16:05:26 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl:  
Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/ 
dashboardadvisoryd.plist
Apr  1 16:05:26 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl:  
Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/ 
pilotfish.plist
Apr  1 16:05:26 localhost com.apple.launchd[1]  
(com.apple.distccdConfigd): Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
Apr  1 16:05:26 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (org.apache.httpd):  
Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
Apr  1 16:05:26 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd):  
Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
Apr  1 16:05:26 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd): Unknown  
key: SHAuthorizationRight
Apr  1 16:05:26 localhost DirectoryService[11]: Launched version 5.2  
(v514.4)
.
.
lots more normal startup system log items
==================

During that 5.5 hour time warp, lots of stuff went on; I was listening  
to itunes music, surfing with safari, receiving & sending mail, normal  
time machine backups, etc., etc.

How in blazes can the logs go completely silent for so long with no  
observable operational consequences? Has anyone here seen such  
behavior? Should I be concerned? I am really, really confounded by this.

Note: This is NOT an April Fool's joke (unless somebody at Apple  
programmed this log silence to mess with terminal noobs).

Richard


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