Problems in bash

kasl33 · 09-17-2011, 02:05 PM

I'm not sure what happened, but here's the situation:

All of a sudden, my bash prompts are giving me wierd messages and commands are not being found. Here is the message I get when I su - to become root:

Code:

[kris@myhost ~]$ su -
Password: 
-bash: n#: command not found
-bash: thennfor: command not found
-bash: dontest: command not found
-bash: thenn.: command not found
[root@myhost ~]#

Now if I try to load a kernel module, here's the message I get:

Code:

[root@myhost ~]# modprobe coretemp
-bash: modprobe: command not found
[root@myhost ~]#

This seems to have happened after I added a few aliases to my .bashrc file (for only my user - not root):

Code:

#
# ~/.bashrc
#

# If not running interactively, don't do anything
[[ $- != *i* ]] && return

PS1='[\u@\h \W]\$ '

alias ls='ls --color=auto'
alias grep='grep --color=auto'
alias pacman='pacman-color'
alias sudo='sudo '

I tried commenting them all out and logging out/in but that didn't help.

Here is my user's path:

Code:

[kris@myhost ~]$ echo $PATH
/bin:/usr/bin

Here is root's path:

Code:

[root@myhost ~]# echo $PATH
/usr/ucb:/bin:/usr/bin:/etc

Now that I'm looking at root's path, I'm noticing /usr/ucb and have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how that got there. So I change it to /usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/etc by doing this command:

Code:

PATH="/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/etc"
export PATH

Now I echo $PATH:

Code:

[root@myhost ~]# echo $PATH
/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/etc

Now I try to modprobe coretemp and get "command not found." So I check my $PATH again and it looks fine (until I exit the root account and then su back to the root account - then it becomes /usr/ucb again). The modprobe command (among many others) still doesn't work though. I know there's a file somewhere to change this but I forget which one... I tried grep -i "/usr/ucb" / and it didn't find it.

What the heck is going on? Is this a bug in a recent update? Everything WAS fine after a fresh install...

AlucardZero · 09-17-2011, 03:26 PM

There is something wrong with root's .bashrc, .bash_profile, or .profile.

TobiSGD · 09-17-2011, 03:44 PM

modprobe is in /sbin, add that to your root's path.

kasl33 · 09-17-2011, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlucardZero

There is something wrong with root's .bashrc, .bash_profile, or .profile.

Here is root's .bashrc (which is unmodified and I copied from the /etc/skel directory:

Code:

#
# ~/.bashrc
#

# If not running interactively, don't do anything
[[ $- != *i* ]] && return

alias ls='ls --color=auto'
PS1='[\u@\h \W]\$ '

Here is .bash_profile:

Code:

#
# ~/.bash_profile
#

[[ -f ~/.bashrc ]] && . ~/.bashrc

AlucardZero · 09-17-2011, 06:50 PM

Code:

grep dontest ~/.*

gives you what? as root and as your normal user

kasl33 · 09-17-2011, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlucardZero

Code:

grep dontest ~/.*

gives you what? as root and as your normal user

Um... absolutely nothing for either. What is dontest?

kasl33 · 09-17-2011, 10:15 PM

I believe I may have found the problem. I looked in /etc/profile (glad I finally remembered where to look) and the file has a bunch of jibberish. Here is what the file looks like (no line spacing, escaped newline characters, etc:

Code:

\n# /etc/profile\n\n#Set our umask\numask 022\n\n# Set our default path\nPATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin"\nexport PATH\n\n# Load profiles from /etc/profile.d\nif test -d /etc/profile.d/; then\nfor profile in /etc/profile.d/*.sh; do\ntest -r "$profile" && . "$profile"\ndone\nunset profile\nfi\n\n# Source global bash config\nif test "$PS1" && test "$BASH" && test -r /etc/bash.bashrc; then\n. /etc/bash.bashrc\nfi\n\n# Termcap is outdated, old, and crusty, kill it.\nunset TERMCAP\n\n# Man is much better than us at figuring this out\nunset MANPATH\nPT5HOME=/usr/local/PacketTracer5\nexport PT5HOME

Would anybody be willing to paste the contents of their /etc/profile file so I can see the difference - as well as replace mine? I'd be greatful!

TobiSGD · 09-18-2011, 02:14 AM

This is from Slackware 13.37, but it should be somewhat similar on Arch.

Code:

# /etc/profile: This file contains system-wide defaults used by
# all Bourne (and related) shells.

# Set the values for some environment variables:
export MINICOM="-c on"
export MANPATH=/usr/local/man:/usr/man
export HOSTNAME="`cat /etc/HOSTNAME`"
export LESSOPEN="|lesspipe.sh %s"
export LESS="-M"

# If the user doesn't have a .inputrc, use the one in /etc.
if [ ! -r "$HOME/.inputrc" ]; then
  export INPUTRC=/etc/inputrc
fi

# Set the default system $PATH:
PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/games"

# For root users, ensure that /usr/local/sbin, /usr/sbin, and /sbin are in
# the $PATH.  Some means of connection don't add these by default (sshd comes
# to mind).
if [ "`id -u`" = "0" ]; then
  echo $PATH | grep /usr/local/sbin 1> /dev/null 2> /dev/null
  if [ ! $? = 0 ]; then
    PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:$PATH
  fi
fi

# I had problems with the backspace key using 'eval tset' instead of 'TERM=',
# but you might want to try it anyway instead of the section below it.  I
# think with the right /etc/termcap it would work.
# eval `tset -sQ "$TERM"`

# Set TERM to linux for unknown type or unset variable:
if [ "$TERM" = "" -o "$TERM" = "unknown" ]; then
 TERM=linux
fi

# Set ksh93 visual editing mode:
if [ "$SHELL" = "/bin/ksh" ]; then
  VISUAL=emacs
#  VISUAL=gmacs
#  VISUAL=vi
fi

# Set a default shell prompt:
#PS1='`hostname`:`pwd`# '
if [ "$SHELL" = "/bin/pdksh" ]; then
 PS1='! $ '
elif [ "$SHELL" = "/bin/ksh" ]; then
 PS1='! ${PWD/#$HOME/~}$ '
elif [ "$SHELL" = "/bin/zsh" ]; then
 PS1='%n@%m:%~%# '
elif [ "$SHELL" = "/bin/ash" ]; then
 PS1='$ '
else
 PS1='\u@\h:\w\$ '
fi
PS2='> '
export PATH DISPLAY LESS TERM PS1 PS2

# Default umask.  A umask of 022 prevents new files from being created group
# and world writable.
umask 022

# Notify user of incoming mail.  This can be overridden in the user's
# local startup file (~/.bash.login or whatever, depending on the shell)
if [ -x /usr/bin/biff ]; then
 biff y 2> /dev/null
fi

# Append any additional sh scripts found in /etc/profile.d/:
for profile_script in /etc/profile.d/*.sh ; do
  if [ -x $profile_script ]; then
    . $profile_script
  fi
done
unset profile_script

# For non-root users, add the current directory to the search path:
if [ ! "`id -u`" = "0" ]; then
 PATH="$PATH:."
fi

AlucardZero · 09-18-2011, 10:19 AM

"dontest" is part of the gibberish you were getting when powering up to root.

Found it in your /etc/profile:

Code:

do\ntest

So your /etc/profile is indeed corrupted.

kasl33 · 09-18-2011, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlucardZero

"dontest" is part of the gibberish you were getting when powering up to root.

Found it in your /etc/profile:

Code:

do\ntest

So your /etc/profile is indeed corrupted.

Gotcha - makes sense now. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

~ [/etc/profile code]

I suppose Slackware is a BSD style distribution and that it should work. I'll try it. If it doesn't work out, I realized I could just go to Archbang's website and get a config file from them; they post them for people whose files break. I'm using regular Arch but it should work.

kasl33 · 09-18-2011, 03:12 PM

Okay I used the Slackware file and it obviously works, but if anybody has an Arch or Archbang /etc/profile file, I would appreciate it if you would paste it in here. Different distro's do have their differences.

kasl33 · 09-18-2011, 03:38 PM

I feel like a jackass. the "echo -e" command came to the rescue (Thanks to Karol at Arch Forums):

Code:

echo -e "\n# /etc/profile\n\n#Set our umask\numask 022\n\n# Set our default path\nPATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin"\nexport PATH\n\n# Load profiles from /etc/profile.d\nif test -d /etc/profile.d/; then\nfor profile in /etc/profile.d/*.sh; do\ntest -r "$profile" && . "$profile"\ndone\nunset profile\nfi\n\n# Source global bash config\nif test "$PS1" && test "$BASH" && test -r /etc/bash.bashrc; then\n. /etc/bash.bashrc\nfi\n\n# Termcap is outdated, old, and crusty, kill it.\nunset TERMCAP\n\n# Man is much better than us at figuring this out\nunset MANPATH\nPT5HOME=/usr/local/PacketTracer5\nexport PT5HOME"

Outputted the correct formatting:

Code:

# /etc/profile

#Set our umask
umask 022

# Set our default path
PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin
export PATH

# Load profiles from /etc/profile.d
if test -d /etc/profile.d/; then
for profile in /etc/profile.d/*.sh; do
test -r  && . 
done
unset profile
fi

# Source global bash config
if test [\u@\h \W]\$  && test /bin/bash && test -r /etc/bash.bashrc; then
. /etc/bash.bashrc
fi

# Termcap is outdated, old, and crusty, kill it.
unset TERMCAP

# Man is much better than us at figuring this out
unset MANPATH
PT5HOME=/usr/local/PacketTracer5
export PT5HOME