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I'm getting the following error from my Ubuntu server:

exim paniclog /var/log/exim4/paniclog on (my server FQDN) has non-zero size, mail system might be broken.

I found a solution on the web here. Basically, I just need erase the paniclog by entering the following code:

sudo rm /var/log/exim4/paniclog

So, I know how to get rid of the error, but I don't know how it started, and how to not let it happen again. Any explanation? Thanks in advance.

willbeeler
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6 Answers6

5

The answers above are bad because you delete a log file and it's then gone for future log entries from exim. The solution is to create a logfile backup.

Most Debian based distros use logrotate for this. You can force a backup with the logrotate command. Option -f is to force it and -v is for a more verbose output.

Try (for Debian and also should work on Ubuntu).

sudo logrotate -f -v /etc/logrotate.d/exim4-paniclog
Greenonline
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Jackfritt
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5

I had the same issue, here is what my exim4 paniclog looked like:

$ sudo cat /var/log/exim4/paniclog

2014-02-01 21:36:51 socket bind() to port 25 for address 127.0.0.1 failed: Address already in use: daemon abandoned
2014-02-01 22:03:33 socket bind() to port 25 for address 127.0.0.1 failed: Address already in use: daemon abandoned
2014-02-01 22:33:19 socket bind() to port 25 for address 127.0.0.1 failed: Address already in use: daemon abandoned
2014-02-01 22:36:33 socket bind() to port 25 for address 127.0.0.1 failed: Address already in use: daemon abandoned
2014-02-01 23:03:51 socket bind() to port 25 for address 127.0.0.1 failed: Address already in use: daemon abandoned
2014-02-01 23:14:31 socket bind() to port 25 for address 127.0.0.1 failed: Address already in use: daemon abandoned
2014-02-02 11:09:48 socket bind() to port 25 for address 127.0.0.1 failed: Address already in use: daemon abandoned

This problem was apparently solved by deleting the paniclog file

s3lph
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Pascal V
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4

In my case the error was as follows:

exim paniclog on my-host has non-zero size

socket bind() to port 25 for address ::1 failed: cannot assign requested address: daemon abandoned

My solution was to remove the paniclog file and do a dpkg-reconfigure exim4-config removing ::1 from the IPs to bind to.

David
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2

In my case, the passwd file was missing, which was causing the exim4 to panic. I added a new user, and that added the file, with the proper permissions, and the content exim expects to be there.

It seems that exim needs at least one local user, and that domain had all forwarding users. Once I added a local user with a password, the errors stopped.

Your mileage may vary.

R J
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1

This blog entry seems to have an answer. Looks like it can have to do with IPv6 settings and results from a change in the way the kernel supports IPv6.

Basically, disable IPv6 for now.

Pablo Bianchi
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flickerfly
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-1

You get the "non-zero size" warning if you have an unresolved error reported in paniclog and/or even if you resolved the error, you will continue to receive an alert/email until you hit your logrotate rotation limit, delete the file, or adjust/instruct logrotate to archive it sooner.

Issue #1 - people are responding about particular errors in the paniclog which may or may not be related to the OP's. There are, however, hundreds of issues that can cause the same report.

Issue #2 - regardless of what error is in paniclog, exim will continue to email you (even when resolved / fixed) until the file rotates or is deleted.

It is important to disambiguate between particular misconfigurations causing the report / paniclog, and continuing to receive the report despite resolving the issue.

There is no harm in deleting the paniclog file. Exim will re-create the file if there is a new issue, or if you never fixed the initial issue. However, I agree with @Jackfritt that the proper way to address this is with logrotate, as that will help one debug the initial issue causing the report. However, solving that issue will not stop exim or its mail agent from continuing to send the report; that requires logrotate or deletion.

oemb1905
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