Hello everyone. I have a RHEL server that out of nowhere is now throwing these errors in /var/log/messages

avahi-daemon[3861]: Invalid query packet.

Then it gives the "last message repeated X times" error since that. The only thing in messages prior to this is syslogd and auditd rotating log files the day before this started. I checked the last four messages files and those don't have this error either. The server hasn't been restarted, nothing new installed.

Any ideas on how to fix this?

Log reading certainly is the best first reflex but please make an effort to research things beyond that:
- Does the server need to run the Avahi daemon and listen for these messages in the first place?
- Have you searched LQ and the 'net for this type of message? (Avahi documentation, bug tracker, its own forum, etc, etc.)
- Have you determined the importance of this message (level as in debug, warning, informational, etc, etc.)
- Have you examined your network for devices potentially sending messages?

After reading a RedHat article on that error it did suggest finding the machine sending the bad packets, which it says is really the problem. I did read the Avahi website, but I'm having a hard time determining how to tell if I even need it running. I don't recall specifically installing it, but I'm guessing something we did install needs it?

Since there's neither a direct question here or information that helps me help you I'll just move on.

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks. I'll leave the thread open.

To expand on my prior message, updates in parentheses below:

After reading a RedHat article on that error, it did suggest finding the machine sending the bad packets, which it says is really the problem (although I do not know how to do this as the error dried up, and it didn't appear to give an IP or anything to identify the bad machine). I did read the Avahi website (which told me this is to aide in discovery of devices/services on a network), but I'm having a hard time determining how to tell if I even need it running (my indirect question). I don't recall specifically installing it, but I'm guessing something we did install needs it (indirect question #2, are there some common services that have this as a dependency that anyone can think of, or how could I tell if it is a dependency)?