Unix Log File

[bverner]

Could someone please explain to me what I am lookin at below. Possibly explain the columns from left to right. I received a nasty message from my web host provider stating that a script we were running blew up their server and supplied us with the file below. I don't know how you could tell anything from the following log. If anyone is able to explain if their statement appears true and also what the log means. Here is an exerpt of what the web hosting company sent us:

You blew up our server, here is the proof index.cgi
It was flooding our server with recursive requests that caused the server to overload and blow up.... we have spent entire day reparing this....and this has cost us thousands in damages.

19026 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.6 0.1 12:31 index.cgi
20703 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.6 0.1 11:47 index.cgi
570 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.6 0.1 11:47 index.cgi
18242 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.6 0.1 11:45 index.cgi
29226 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.6 0.1 11:45 index.cgi
26210 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.6 0.1 5:55 index.cgi
9174 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.6 0.1 5:33 index.cgi
437 hope 20 0 1456 1264 1132 R 5.4 0.1 15:16 index.cgi
24989 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.4 0.1 14:19 index.cgi
4924 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.4 0.1 12:46 index.cgi
1854 hope 19 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.4 0.1 5:53 index.cgi
26846 hope 19 0 1456 1260 1132 R 5.2 0.1 16:16 index.cgi
12551 hope 20 0 1456 1260 1132 R 5.2 0.1 16:06 index.cgi
11093 hope 19 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.2 0.1 13:17 index.cgi
22980 hope 19 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.2 0.1 13:02 index.cgi
18325 hope 20 0 1456 1264 1132 R 5.0 0.1 14:45 index.cgi
984 hope 18 0 1456 1264 1132 R 5.0 0.1 13:57 index.cgi
8830 hope 20 0 1456 1456 1132 R 5.0 0.1 13:36 index.cgi
19798 hope 20 0 1456 1420 1132 R 4.8 0.1 16:12 index.cgi
17998 hope 20 0 1456 1260 1132 R 4.5 0.1 16:11 index.cgi
13963 hope 19 0 1456 1264 1132 R 4.3 0.1 15:54 index.cgi

 

[aixmurderer]

This is a good one! Hahaha, glad they aren't my service provider.

I would suggest finding another web hosting company, they are clearly trying to blame their hardware failure on someone else where they should be looking at themselves.

I have server running for 2 years now with 100% CPU utilisation (SETI client), none have "blown up" on me yet due to that. We run servers 24x7 with constant disk I/O (messaging and DB updates), none "blew up" on us yet.



IBM Certified Confused - MQSeries
IBM Certified Flabbergasted - AIX 5 pSeries System Administration
MS Certified Windblows Rebooter

 

[dblair]

perhaps they did not mean a hardware 'blow up'

 

[unixfreak]

But still? To blame a costumer like that is stupid. Find another ISP.

Cheers

 

[bi]

I'd find another ISP,too, but I'd go back to your current ISP and ask them what each of the columns means. How was the log file generated? Is it indicating a hardware problem, app/database problem, memory problem?

If what your script was doing caused their system to run out of memory or paging (swap) space, I can see where they might say (a bit inaccurately) that their system "blew up" ("brought to its knees" might be more accurate), but it shouldn't have taken an entire day to find and fix.

 

[dblair]

the logfile is the output gor the ps command.
It shows numerous running processes - index.cgi.