From: agraf@sfu.ca (Alexander Robert Graf) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: "You do not exist. Go away." Date: 6 Aug 1998 20:39:09 GMT Organization: Simon Fraser University Lines: 7 Message-ID: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: fraser.sfu.ca X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.0 #5 (NOV) Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.bc.net!news.sfu.ca!agraf I once heard about some computer system that occasionally gave this error message when there was something wrong with its password file. I think it was some implementation of Unix. Has anybody else heard of this, or have I just dreamed it up? a ###### From: infodex@mindspring.com (Richard Evans) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: "You do not exist. Go away." Date: Thu, 06 Aug 1998 20:55:04 GMT Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Lines: 10 Message-ID: <35ca17f8.77045049@news.mindspring.com> References: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> Reply-To: infodex@mindspring.com NNTP-Posting-Host: user-38ld9gd.dialup.mindspring.com X-Server-Date: 6 Aug 1998 20:54:36 GMT X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.1/32.230 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!firehose.mindspring.net!firehose.mindspring.com!not-for-mail agraf@sfu.ca (Alexander Robert Graf) wrote: >I once heard about some computer system that occasionally gave this error >message when there was something wrong with its password file. I think it >was some implementation of Unix. Has anybody else heard of this, or have >I just dreamed it up? Well, it was a plot device in the movie "Dark Star." Dick Evans ###### From: bmwt@pas.rochester.edu Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: "You do not exist. Go away." Date: 6 Aug 1998 21:08:57 GMT Organization: University of Rochester Lines: 18 Sender: Brendan M. White Message-ID: <6qd619$fg320@biko.cc.rochester.edu> References: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: bullwinkle.pas.rochester.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [UNIX 1.3 unoff BETA 970731; sun4u SunOS 5.5.1] Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.syr.edu!biko.cc.rochester.edu!not-for-mail Alexander Robert Graf wrote: > I once heard about some computer system that occasionally gave this error > message when there was something wrong with its password file. I think it > was some implementation of Unix. Has anybody else heard of this, or have > I just dreamed it up? It sometimes happens in linux when you try something interactive (like a talk session), and you dont have an entry in wtmp/utmp. "but I think I exist....." -b -- i must have blown a fuse or something cause it was so dark in my mind she came up to me with the sweetest face and she was holding a light of some kind ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers From: eric@fudge.uchicago.edu (Eric Fischer) Subject: Re: "You do not exist. Go away." X-Nntp-Posting-Host: fudge.uchicago.edu Message-ID: Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator) X-Newsposter: Pnews 4.0-test51 (15 Jan 97) Organization: The University of Chicago References: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1998 21:55:04 GMT Lines: 14 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!news2.ais.net!jamie!ais.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!not-for-mail Alexander Robert Graf wrote: > I once heard about some computer system that occasionally gave this error > message when there was something wrong with its password file. I think it > was some implementation of Unix. Has anybody else heard of this, or have > I just dreamed it up? The Unix "talk" command gives this message when it can't figure out who you are: $ grep away /usr/src/usr.bin/talk/*.c /usr/src/usr.bin/talk/get_names.c: printf("You don't exist. Go away.\n"); eric ###### From: mol@bartlet.df.lth.se (Magnus Olsson) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: "You do not exist. Go away." Date: 7 Aug 1998 09:44:03 +0200 Organization: The Computer Society at Lund Lines: 19 Message-ID: <6qeb83$4t6$1@bartlet.df.lth.se> References: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> <6qd619$fg320@biko.cc.rochester.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: bartlet.df.lth.se NNTP-Posting-User: mol X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test61 (25 January 1997) Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!newsfeed1.swip.net!swipnet!genius.dat.hk-r.se!news.lth.se!not-for-mail In article <6qd619$fg320@biko.cc.rochester.edu>, wrote: >Alexander Robert Graf wrote: >> I once heard about some computer system that occasionally gave this error >> message when there was something wrong with its password file. I think it >> was some implementation of Unix. Has anybody else heard of this, or have >> I just dreamed it up? > >It sometimes happens in linux when you try something interactive (like a >talk session), and you dont have an entry in wtmp/utmp. Not only in linux, but in most (all) unices. IIRC, all you have to do to provoke the message is log in as a normal user, then log in as root and remove /etc/wtmp (or if it's utmp, I always mix them up). The try to "talk" as the normal user. -- Magnus Olsson (mol@df.lth.se, zebulon@pobox.com) ------ http://www.pobox.com/~zebulon ------ ###### From: "Webmaster" Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: "You do not exist. Go away." Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 14:38:28 +0300 Lines: 18 Message-ID: <6qeoqa$i5p$1@news.kolumbus.fi> References: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: noyritys-i.pp.kolumbus.fi X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.2106.4 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!ubnnews.unisource.ch!News.Amsterdam.UnisourceCS!newshunter.cosy.sbg.ac.at!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-peer.gip.net!news-stkh.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news.kolumbus.fi!not-for-mail Alexander Robert Graf wrote in message <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca>... >I once heard about some computer system that occasionally gave this error >message when there was something wrong with its password file. I think it >was some implementation of Unix. Has anybody else heard of this, or have >I just dreamed it up? Linux does that when you have erased the /etc/ directory with rm and rebooted computer. Then just try to log in... -Teemu Hummer Absolutely /dev/nul! ###### From: p.kerr@auckland.ac.nz (Peter Kerr) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: "You do not exist. Go away." Date: Fri, 07 Aug 1998 16:18:36 +1200 Organization: School of Music University of Auckland Lines: 10 Message-ID: References: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: p.kerr.mus.auckland.ac.nz X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.2.0b6 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!newsfeed.clear.net.nz!news.iprolink.co.nz!auckland.ac.nz!p.kerr We have a nearby web server of government Acts and Regulations, which as a token gesture towards copyright protection prohibits proxy storage of its pages, and logs usage by foreign hosts. At a certain amount of usage, or re-requesting a page, instead of the requested page it sends a message "Go away please" -- Peter Kerr bodger School of Music chandler University of Auckland NZ neo-Luddite ###### Path: ccw.ch!usenet From: Neil Franklin Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: "You do not exist. Go away." Date: 07 Aug 1998 23:00:17 +0200 Organization: My own Private Self Lines: 31 Message-ID: References: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> <6qeoqa$i5p$1@news.kolumbus.fi> X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34 "Webmaster" writes: > > Alexander Robert Graf wrote in message <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca>... > >I once heard about some computer system that occasionally gave this error > >message when there was something wrong with its password file. I think it > >was some implementation of Unix. Has anybody else heard of this, or have > >I just dreamed it up? Nope. This one is for real. Actually I think you were remembering an ca 1/2 year old post of mine. > Linux does that when you have erased the /etc/ directory with rm and > rebooted computer. > Then just try to log in... Simply add an empty line to the begin of /etc/passwd. Then reboot. Then fail to login. Then press Ctl-Alt-Del. Viola: You do not exist. Go away. "You" of cource refers to UID 0 who is the present owner of /dev/tty0 and is not to be found in passwd (blank lines abort searching). At least it was so in Linux 1.0.8 when I managed to do this. -- home: Neil.Franklin@ccw.ch.remove http://www.ccw.ch/Neil.Franklin/ work: franklin@arch.ethz.ch.remove http://caad.arch.ethz.ch/~franklin/ *** It's true ! I read it on Usenet and the Web ! *** ###### From: Remco Post Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: "You do not exist. Go away." Date: Sat, 08 Aug 1998 00:55:59 +0200 Organization: University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands Lines: 18 Message-ID: <35CB85FE.D4EAABA9@localhost.localdomain> References: <6qd49d$42r$1@morgoth.sfu.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: wit393210.student.utwente.nl Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.1.103 ppc) Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!news-raspail.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!newscore.univie.ac.at!btnet-peer!btnet!rill.news.pipex.net!pipex!sun4nl!surfnet.nl!news.nic.utwente.nl!not-for-mail Alexander Robert Graf wrote: > > I once heard about some computer system that occasionally gave this error > message when there was something wrong with its password file. I think it > was some implementation of Unix. Has anybody else heard of this, or have > I just dreamed it up? > > a Not only heard of it, expirienced it in real life when I screwed up big time and removed the entire /etc tree from my system. I guess this pops up when your uid does not match anything in /etc/passwd (if that file even exists :) Anyway removing /etc on a UNIX box is defenately not a good idea, and this was a solid clue somthing was wrong.... 8-) Remco r.s.p.post*at*student.utwente.nl