Solved "wall: /dev/pts/13: Device not configured" at shutdown time

[rwv37]

Just rebooted my machine (as part of upgrading from 15.1-p4 to 15.1-p5), and saw a message I don't remember ever having seen before. I don't know what it's even referring to, let alone what it means specifically. Google has thus far been unhelpful. Does anyone know what might cause this, or even vaguely what it is related to? Thanks in advance.

System going down IMMEDIATELY

wall: /dev/pts/13: Device not configured

System shutdown time has arrived

 

[CShell]

Does anyone know what might cause this, or even vaguely what it is related to?

The wall(1) command stands for "write all" - and when your system is being shutdown a "friendly" I am shutting the system down message is written to all logged into users currently logged on to your Unix -- using the UNIX write(1) command. This event is followed up with a shutdown of your UNIX system.

Remember UNIX is "multiuser UNIX system" - the assumption is that 1-to-many different users are all logged in at "once" to your UNIX. So the O/S is telling all of your currently logged in users that the UNIX system is about to shutdown. (aka maybe the user should save their work!)

So basically wall(1) found a pseudo terminal (aka a PTY) that was not configured correctly as a TTY (usually a serial line terminal) -- maybe the PTY does not have a getty(1) or similar attached to it?

But this is not a big deal unless your system failed to shutdown? If your system successfully shutdown you can take some time and figure out why the PTY was stuck during shutdown. But (probably?) nothing to worry about.

 

[bakul]

Probably the program on /dev/pts/13 exited between when wall(1) checked for the existence of ptys and when it sent the message.

 

[bakul]

Note also that it is perfectly safe to simply call reboot(8). Need need to call shutdown(8)!