'Invalid timespec' in xymond.log 🔗 link

I'm seeing messages like this

Invalid timespec - expected 4 digits, got: '*:*'
Invalid timespec - expected 4 digits, got: '*'
Invalid timespec - expected 4 digits, got: '*:*'
Invalid timespec - expected 4 digits, got: '*'

pop up in my xymond.log. They've been there for ages, so this is nothing new. I've poked at them before, to no satisfaction.

I think this came out of the 'minutes' function in lib/timefunc.c

But what was the input which was passed through that function, to generate the error?

I have 'DOWNTIME' specifications like

DOWNTIME=60:*:*;*:1630:0800

But there are 21 of those in hosts.cfg, and I don't have that many complaints in the log.

Does anyone else have a suggestion where to look? or how to interactively run some parsing commands to tease out the source?

Maybe that function is used for more than parsing the configs? Could the source of the errors be from messages passed into the server from clients?

-- 
--
Do things because you should, not just because you can.

John Thurston    XXX-XXX-XXXX
user-ce4d79d99bab@xymon.invalid
Department of Administration
State of Alaska

Hi John

On Tue, 28 Nov 2023, 06:24 John Thurston, <user-ce4d79d99bab@xymon.invalid> wrote:

I have 'DOWNTIME' specifications like

DOWNTIME=60:*:*;*:1630:0800

Is it possible the semicolon is supposed to be a comma?

J

It is certainly possible . .

That is what is noted in the man-page, but I have a memory of digging through the code and noticing that a semicolon was accepted in the same way as the comma. Of course, that was years ago and I can not now find my notes on the subject.

FWIW, these semicolons parse correctly on a host's 'info' page

But I suppose that doesn't mean they are parsed correctly everywhere downtime is considered.

And the total number of complaints in the log doesn't align with the number of downtimes I have defined with semicolons. Maybe those messages are being triggered by messages for hosts with downtimes defined . . but my downtimes are (for the most part) defined in .default. lines so affect every host (so every message evaluation).

If the semicolon is causing a parsing problem, I'd expect to see one for each line in hosts.cfg
If it is causing a problem evaluating messages, I'd expect to see one for each yellow or red bubble

I'm not saying it /isn't/ causing those problems. Just that I can't make the number of logged lines reconcile with either scenario.

--
Do things because you should, not just because you can.

John Thurston    XXX-XXX-XXXX
user-ce4d79d99bab@xymon.invalid
Department of Administration
State of Alaska

On 11/27/2023 10:38 AM, Jeremy Laidman wrote: