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problems with console messages
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loco82
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Jun 18, 2010, 03:29 PM
 
Hello I am looking for help with my console.

It shows that there are 4000 messages per day (most of them caused by my Mobile Broadband modem).

"21/04/2010 14:35:26 Vodafone Mobile Broadband[183] *** NSTimer ignoring exception '*** -[NSPlaceholderString initWithString:]: nil argument' that raised during firing of timer with target 0x13986cb0 and selector 'startAirportScanAction' 21/04/2010 14:35:27 Vodafone Mobile Broadband[183] *** NSTimer ignoring exception '*** -[NSPlaceholderString initWithString:]: nil argument' that raised during firing of timer with target 0x13986cb0 and selector 'startAirportScanAction' 21/04/2010 14:35:28 Vodafone Mobile Broadband[183] *** NSTimer ignoring exception '*** -[NSPlaceholderString initWithString:]: nil argument' that raised during firing of timer with target 0x13986cb0 and selector 'startAirportScanAction' 21/04/2010 14:35:29 Vodafone Mobile Broadband[183] *** NSTimer ignoring exception '*** -[NSPlaceholderString initWithString:]: nil argument' that raised during firing of timer with target 0x13986cb0 and selector 'startAirportScanAction' 21/04/2010 14:35:30 Vodafone Mobile Broadband[183] *** NSTimer ignoring exception '*** -[NSPlaceholderString initWithString:]: nil argument' that raised during firing of timer with target 0x13986cb0 and selector 'startAirportScanAction' "

Every time I open the console it seems that there is work in progress and the application is not responding.
After several hours I might be able to click on "clear display" and later the page would be clear and the application still not responding.
If I force quit it to restart the computer it shows the same 4000 messages at the same date and time.
If I click on "earlier" after clearing the display it will show me the very same 4000 messages that I thought I just cleared.
I have looked for informations on what to do over the internet, but I have not found a solution to the problem.
I can only select one message at the time and I can not move it to trash or delete it but only copy it as I did above.
As you can see these messages are dated over 50 days ago, And it only changed page once : last week when I was trying to clear them the first time but it look like it is blocked on this page.

I would appreciate any help.
( Last edited by loco82; Jun 18, 2010 at 03:31 PM. Reason: something to add as I just read the post)
     
P
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Jun 20, 2010, 02:01 PM
 
In the Finder, select Go To Folder... from the Go menu. In the dialog box that opens, type

/var/log

exactly like that. Hit OK, and one of your existing windows should be moved to that directory. Make sure that you are in List view, and look for any files that are excessively large. It should be system.log, but check anything. Any files you find should be moved, not copied, to the desktop. Reboot and see if that fixed things. If it did, you can open that log file manually if you'd like to see what the messages in it are about, then trash it.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
besson3c
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Jun 20, 2010, 02:59 PM
 
Turning over your logs will not, of course, stop the messages from being logged, but if you need to P's instructions will work. You might find it faster to:

cd /var/log
du -sh *

for a listing of all of the files in the current directory and their file sizes.

I'm not clear based on your original message whether you are trying to access your log files outside of Console, or actually fix the problem that is causing the log messages.
     
loco82  (op)
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Jun 21, 2010, 07:41 AM
 
Thank you for your answers.

I have been trying to fix the problem to begin with as it is no use to just delete the messages if the same amount is written the next day. And I had found some help on Foliovision as the 2 main problems were that:
- my connection to the internet had to be relaunched every 5 minutes (since I had the modem, customer care was NO help)
- my skype calls would only work for 6 seconds (only started 5weeks ago) :

I follow this advice to only have emergency messages sent to the console :

" You want to change it from:
/usr/sbin/syslogd to /usr/sbin/syslogd -c
to:
/usr/sbin/syslogd to /usr/sbin/syslogd -c 0 -a"

My connection is now working for a few hours so I must have done something right.
But as I cannot clear the console I am still not able to use Skype and other internet calls services.

Following P's instructions : I have manage to move the system log files onto the desktop. The oldest is dated the 11/06/10 and weights 80KB. There are Zips on them and I cannot open them to read them.

The problem is that when I open the console it goes automaticly on the 22/04/10to 23/04/10 page and I can't find it anywhere else to delete it.

besson3C instructions : I am trying to find cd /var/log folder. Could you tell me where to look? I have tried to use Lingon Assistant to run the command but there is still no difference. So I must have made a mistake somewhere.
( Last edited by loco82; Jun 21, 2010 at 07:49 AM. Reason: spelling)
     
reader50
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Jun 21, 2010, 12:53 PM
 
The full address of that folder is:

/private/var/log/
     
loco82  (op)
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Jun 21, 2010, 12:58 PM
 
Thank you.
( Last edited by loco82; Jun 21, 2010 at 01:05 PM. Reason: I asked a question but I found the answer myself this time)
     
reader50
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Jun 21, 2010, 01:00 PM
 
Apple Menu -> Restart
     
besson3c
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Jun 21, 2010, 02:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by loco82 View Post
Thank you for your answers.

I have been trying to fix the problem to begin with as it is no use to just delete the messages if the same amount is written the next day. And I had found some help on Foliovision as the 2 main problems were that:
- my connection to the internet had to be relaunched every 5 minutes (since I had the modem, customer care was NO help)
- my skype calls would only work for 6 seconds (only started 5weeks ago) :

I follow this advice to only have emergency messages sent to the console :

" You want to change it from:
/usr/sbin/syslogd to /usr/sbin/syslogd -c
to:
/usr/sbin/syslogd to /usr/sbin/syslogd -c 0 -a"

My connection is now working for a few hours so I must have done something right.
But as I cannot clear the console I am still not able to use Skype and other internet calls services.
No wonder!

What you have done is started a second syslogd daemon, which the Console application obviously doesn't like. You need to kill the current daemon and then startup your new one, or edit the com.apple.syslogd.plist in /System/Library/LaunchDaemons to include the -c 0 flag. There is no -a flag documented in the syslogd man page, I'm not sure what this is supposed to do for you.

I have no idea how this makes your connection work for you though. It should not, all this is doing is changing what gets logged. I personally wouldn't bother with any of this unless your log files are causing your disk to run out of space and you intend to continue to use this buggy software that is causing this problem.
     
loco82  (op)
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Jun 22, 2010, 12:14 PM
 
/usr/sbin/syslogd to /usr/sbin/syslogd -c
to:
/usr/sbin/syslogd to /usr/sbin/syslogd -c 0 -a"

My console was blocked on the same page before I ran it. I edit com.apple.syslogd.plist but its not in caracters I can read so I erased" -a" using lingon, so far no differance.

I uninstalled the device yesterday, to see if the console would work better without it in the way. I don't have the option to move the console messages to trash but the display cleared after 5 hours and it showed the previous page of messages. I let it work all night and all morning that page would not clear.

I force quit the console , shut down for a while, had to reinstalled the modem (unfortunatly I have no other option to connect to the internet). My console is back on the 22/04/10 to 23/04/10. The page it was stuck all along.

I need to put those messages to the trash. I tried changing the privileges in "get info" on the console when it finally responded but it did not work for the console messages.
Or I need to be able to save every step of page been cleared so it doesn't go back to the page after restarting.

If you have any idea how I could do that...

I was reading an earlier post on this forum saying that if the device was not plug in prior to starting the computer it wouldn't send all those error messages... Mine won't connect to the internet unless is plugged when starting the computer.
     
besson3c
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Jun 22, 2010, 02:04 PM
 
Before we proceed, what are you hoping to accomplish? Do you realize that changing what is logged will not fix the problems you are having with the modem?
     
loco82  (op)
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Jun 23, 2010, 09:12 AM
 
I know. And Thank you for taking the time to help me.

I have only found out the modem has software that is not compatible with Mac a couple of weeks ago. It has been called "virtual CDrum" on a few Mac forums.
Of course when I asked the sale person as was buying the modem if it works with Mac he assured me that it does and explained how to install it. There is an application to install it onto a Mac. , and user guide... None of them mention there could be a problem.
When I wrote to their customer service about having to relaunch the application every 5 minutes they told me to uninstall it and re-install it which made no difference of course. It was only when I suddenly had trouble with skype that I found out I should have never bought the modem and it should not be sold to someone using a Mac.
Unfortunatly I am stuck with it now. And untill I can change it I would like to try some dammage control.
( Last edited by loco82; Jun 23, 2010 at 10:22 AM. Reason: something to add)
     
loco82  (op)
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Jun 23, 2010, 04:58 PM
 
I went to system profiler and found something interesting :
system profiler/software/logs
printer access log 518KB 23/06/10
printer error log 743KB 23/06/10
IORegistry state file 284KB 23/06/10
VPN PPPoE and PPP(modem)log 48KB 06/06/10

My printer is not even plugged in. It looks like the Mobile broadband Device is not the only one causing trouble! So I un-installed the printer and restart.

What is IOResgistry state file? it is located /tmp/ioreg sp.txt
Is it my console? it opened it as I was looking for the file in finder.
( Last edited by loco82; Jun 23, 2010 at 05:06 PM. )
     
besson3c
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Jun 23, 2010, 05:00 PM
 
Well, I would suggest focusing your attention on the actual problem, which is the modem problem, at least until changing the logging becomes a last resort.

Have you tried using your modem in a different OS X account?
     
loco82  (op)
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Jun 24, 2010, 10:44 AM
 
No I have not tried
( Last edited by loco82; Jun 26, 2010 at 05:22 PM. Reason: I had wrote a longer reply but all it showed in the post today was"No 1%" for some reason...)
     
   
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