Smarts NCM: Fresh install does not assign directory of 'Nobody' user in /etc/passwd file

Products

• VMware Smart Assurance

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:


User 'Nobody' in /etc/passwd file shows inconsistent home directories between fresh install and upgrade.

Fresh install:

# cat /etc/passwd | grep nobody
nobody:x:99:99:Nobody:/:/sbin/nologin

Upgrade:

# cat /etc/passwd | grep nobody
nobody:x:99:99:Nobody:/opt/smarts-ncm:/sbin/nologin

Environment

VMware Smart Assurance - NCM

Cause

In 411, 'Nobody' user is belongs to the 'voyence' group. In version 9.3 and later, 'Nobody' user is not part of voyence group, causing the inconsistency in home directory assignment.

The user 'Nobody' is used for execution of "RunExternal" commands from DASL code.

Resolution

The work around is to modify the fresh install /etc/passwd file.

Original view:

cat /etc/passwd | grep nobody
nobody:x:99:99:Nobody:/:/sbin/nologin

Change to:

cat /etc/passwd | grep nobody
nobody:x:99:99:Nobody:/opt/smarts-ncm:/sbin/nologin

When modifying the /etc/passwd file, please take a backup copy of the file before making modifications. Once you have a valid copy of the file, remember to change the directory for the user to your system's $VOYENCE_HOME location. This can be found in /etc/voyence.conf if you are not sure which directory your software has been set to call home.