[lug] slocate.db.stf

[D. Stimits]

Ben wrote:

> Everyday for the past week I've been getting this e-mail from cron.daily:
>
> /etc/cron.daily/slocate:
> updatedb: fatal error: The temp file '/var/lib/slocate/slocate.db.stf' 
> already exists and does not appear to be a valid slocate database. 
> Please remove before creating the database.
>
>
> I'm running debian sarge and I swear I didn't change anything. I just 
> started getting the message. There is no 
> /var/lib/slocate/slocate.db.stf on the harddrive now, and when I run 
> /etc/cron.daily/slocate from the command prompt, I don't get any 
> errors. The slocate database is being updated, so maybe I can ignore 
> the message. Any ideas what's going on?


Someone did suggest checking for 2 cron entries that might overlap and 
run at the same time. Barring that, I wonder if perhaps a software crash 
or a shutdown in the middle of an update could have left the 
intermediate file. Check the timestap on the .stf file, which I believe 
is intermediate and removed once update is done. Does it look like 
perhaps it was left a while back (about the time the problem first 
appeared), and not updated since the problem started? If so, I'd just 
delete that file (the updatedb command can easily recreate the db itself 
from nothing...all newly installed systems must do this), and run 
updatedb again. If that doesn't work, I'd even remove the 
/var/lib/slocate/slocate.db file, and then update.

D. Stimits, stimits AT comcast DOT net