I just had the following error while trying to start Smokeping on one of my newly installed machines:

ERROR: fping (‘/usr/bin/fping -C 1 localhost’) could not be run: localhost address not found

After digging around somewhat (this worked fine when run on the commandline) turns out my /etc/hosts was chmodded 700 instead of 744. Weird, but this meant only root could resolve it. What I don’t understand is why this did not work – my resolvers also return 127.0.0.1 for the “localhost” query.

Anyway, if you get this error, check if the smokeping user can resolve localhost too

As Kris would say, it was some sort of DNS problem…

Incoming Links (via Technorati):

• An Interview With Dr. Wallace J Nichols, Blue Marbles Project Founder
  Technorati's exclusive interview with Ocean Biologist Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, founder of the Blue Marbles Project.
• About Antioxidants
  Antioxidants, ORACs and free-radicals, oh my!
• Ministers Caught Watching Porn in the Legislative Assembly
  Two Karnataka BJP ministers caught watching porn film in Legislative assembly
• From Titanic to Concordia
  A Century After the Titanic Disaster, A Rush to Compare the Costa Concordia's Fate
• South's Tallest Skyscraper Sold At Auction Today
  BofA Plaza Not in Distress, but Disgusted