Problems with in.fingerd

[Karl Kleinpaste]

mb at rex.cs.tulane.edu writes:
   We am having trouble that prevents others from using finger to query
   our system.  When they try it, they get the error message
	   syslog: sendto: Bad file number
   finger  stream  tcp     nowait  nobody  /usr/etc/in.fingerd     fingerd

At a guess (and only that), make sure that "nobody" is known to
/etc/passwd.  This past weekend, I had a similar problem with one of
our Pyrs because an automatic update of /etc/passwd from one Pyr to
the others got messed up due to network troubles, ending with the loss
of `root' (of all usernames, sigh) from /etc/passwd.  This caused such
basics as rlogin and telnet not to work; inetd wants to find the
userid under which the indicated daemon is supposed to run, and failed
to accomplish that.
--
Karl

"We make men without [sentiment] and expect of them virtue and
enterprise.  We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in
our midst.  We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful."  --Lewis