bloated wtmp

["Oliver Elphick" <olly@lfix.co.uk>]

My wtmp file was zeroed a week ago.  Since then, last shows 86 logins, but
the wtmp file is now 14Mb.  It seems to be full of entries which are
apparently of type UT_UNKNOWN, INIT_PROCESS and DEAD_PROCESS (if I
am interpreting it right).  

I also have a vboxgetty process that keeps on getting respawned.  Are the
two likely to be connected?  Do getty processes write to wtmp?

Here is a typical sample of wtmp, processed by `od -cx':

*
0373720 0000 0000 a3ff 34bc dd63 0001 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0 377 243 274   4   c 335 001  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
0373740 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
*
0374000 0005 0000 3853 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        005  \0  \0  \0   S   8  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
0374020 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
0374040 0000 0000 0000 0000 3149 0000 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0   I   1  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
0374060 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
*
0374520 0000 0000 a3ff 34bc e5b4 0001 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0 377 243 274   4 264 345 001  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
0374540 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
*
0374600 0008 0000 3853 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
         \b  \0  \0  \0   S   8  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
0374620 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
0374640 0000 0000 0000 0000 3149 0000 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0   I   1  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
0374660 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
         \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0  \0
*

Versions:
ii  sysvinit        2.73-2         System-V like init.
hi  isdnutils       2.1.beta1-17   isdn utilities
ii  libc6           2.0.6-2        The GNU C library version 2 (run-time files)

-- 
Oliver Elphick                                Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight                              http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver

PGP key from public servers; key ID 32B8FAA1



--
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to
debian-devel-request@lists.debian.org . 
Trouble?  e-mail to templin@bucknell.edu .