While running vnc you will get an error "CDE: desktop messaging system could not be started" when you click ok vnc will only show grey screen. [host : uxmemoir01.unixmemoirs.com]
As per different google search results DNS issue is main culprit. we should have nsswitch.conf like below.
Then only CDE will work properly.
hosts: files [NOTFOUND=continue] dns
as part of initial trouble shooting in nsswitch.conf above line was commented out. I uncommented it out and then CDE in vnc client is showing blue screen. hmm.. some progress.
Then I checked /etc/hosts and found that uxmemoir01.unixmemoirs.com is having proper IP, 192.168.1.1
Then I checked name servers mentioned in /etc/resolv.conf and found that these name servers are giving another IP for host uxmemoir01.unixmemoirs.com- 192.168.2.19
Issue is that CDE is checking /etc/hosts and nameservers for hostname look up. It gots wrong IP from name server. So CDE hangs at blue screen.
moral : CDE is extremely sensitive to DNS
Work around :
Comment out the name server entries before starting VNC server and uncomment after starting vnc.
Different places to look for CDE issues.
- Who is affected? If all users are not affected, first check the following list.
- Filespace in /home and /var
- Permissions on /dev/null (666)
- Permissions on /dev/lft0 (666)
- Permissions on /dev/tty (666)
- Permissions on /dev/console (622)
- Permissions on /etc/resolv.conf (644)
- Permissions on /usr/dt/bin files
- Check the bold commands and filenames on the left side
of the list below and compare the output on your machine with the corresponding
information on the right.
- df - Check for full filesystems.
- hostname - Should return hostname of machine.
- host <hostname> - Should return fully qualified machine name and IP address.
- host <IP address> - Should return fully qualified machine name and IP address.
- uname -n - Should return hostname.
- ping <hostname> - Should be pingable, check for packet loss.
- ping <IP address> - Should be pingable, check for packet loss.
- host loopback - Should return localhost is 127.0.0.1.
- host 127.0.0.1 - Should return localhost is 127.0.0.1.
- ping loopback - Should be able to ping - check for packet loss.
- ping 127.0.0.1 - Should be able to ping - check for packet loss.
- /etc/hosts - Check for duplicate/erroneous entries and permissions.
- /etc/resolv.conf - Nameserver should be pingable.
- /etc/netsvc.conf - This file may or may not be present, check for typing errors. In this file, nsorder should be hosts=local,bind
- /etc/X0.hosts - This file may or may not be present, if it is move it to X0.hosts.old.
- netstat -in - Check to ensure no interfaces have an "*" (asterisk).
- lssrc -s inetd - Should be active.
- lssrc -s portmap - Should be active.
- lssrc -g tcpip - Check to see what TCP/IP deamons are running.
- If checking the preceding commands or files does not resolve the problem,
look for errors in the following files:
- /var/dt/Xerrors
- $HOME/.dt/startlog
- $HOME/.dt/errorlog
- If no errors exist in the preceding files, your system may have an
environmental setting that is prohibiting the login. Check the
following files:
- /etc/environment
- /etc/profile
- $HOME/.dtprofile
- $HOME/.kshrc
- $HOME/.login
- $HOME/.cshrc
- echo $LIBPATH - Should report nothing.
- echo $MANPATH - Should report nothing.
