# ntop failed to start

## dpetka2001

hello there i try to start the service "/etc/init.d/ntop start" but i get the following 

```
root@ ~ > /etc/init.d/ntop start

 * Service ntop starting

Mon Jul  6 02:26:29 2009  NOTE: Interface merge enabled by default

Mon Jul  6 02:26:29 2009  Initializing gdbm databases                                                                                  [ !! ]

 * ERROR:  ntop failed to start

```

whereas if i start it using "ntop -u root -i eth0" it starts just fine...what is wrong with that?? my /etc/conf.d/ntop looks like 

```
# Set preferred options here

NTOP_OPTS="--http-server 3000 --https-server 0 --interface eth0"

# suggestions from bug #136983 (use it in case you experience ntop hangs)

#NTOP_OPTS="u ntop -P /var/lib/ntop --disable-schedyield --http-server 3000 --https-server 3001"

NTOP_OPTS="-u root -P /var/lib/ntop"

```

the thing is that it used to start just fine until a couple of months ago and now that i needed to start it again i came confronting this problem...any help would be greatly appreciated...thanks in advance...

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## dpetka2001

anyone has any opinions about why this is happening?

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## zeek

Try this:

```
chown -R ntop:ntop /var/lib/ntop

```

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## dpetka2001

```
root@ ~ > /etc/init.d/ntop start

 * Caching service dependencies ...

 *  Can't find service 'mount-ro' needed by 'apcupsd.powerfail';  continuing...                                                        [ ok ]

 * Service ntop starting

Thu Aug 13 21:08:58 2009  NOTE: Interface merge enabled by default

Thu Aug 13 21:08:58 2009  Initializing gdbm databases                                                                                  [ !! ]

 * ERROR:  ntop failed to start

```

this is what i get after doing what you suggested...

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## zeek

Hmm, no ideas sorry.  Try strace -ing the startup and look for strange errors:

```

strace -fo/tmp/strace.out /etc/init.d/ntop restart

less /tmp/strace.out
```

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## dpetka2001

because i don't know how to interpret such files coming from strace i would

appreciate it if you could help me...do you know of some place where i could 

upload the file because it is too big to just paste it here...thanks in advance...

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## mimosinnet

 *dpetka2001 wrote:*   

> hello there i try to start the service "/etc/init.d/ntop start" but i get the following 
> 
> ```
> root@ ~ > /etc/init.d/ntop start
> 
> ...

 

Dpetka2001, have you been able to solve your problem? I have had similar issues and I have been able to address the issue by looking at /var/log/messages.

Cheers!

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