Getting error when trying to start DHCPD service (2.2.6-RELEASE)

[wdennis]

When attempting to start the DHCP service, I see that it fails to start, and see the following in the service logs:

dhcpd: /var/db/dhcpd.leases line 0: whitespace too long, buffer overflow.

I have logged in with the shell, and have rm'd the /var/db/dhcpd.leases file, then 'touch' it to re-create the file, but I get the same error when trying to start the service again…

Here is the complete log from my latest attempt:

Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Server 4.2.8
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: Copyright 2004-2015 Internet Systems Consortium.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: All rights reserved.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Server 4.2.8
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: Copyright 2004-2015 Internet Systems Consortium.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: All rights reserved.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: /var/db/dhcpd.leases line 0: whitespace too long, buffer overflow.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd:
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: ^
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: Exiting
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd:
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: If you did not get this software from ftp.isc.org, please
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: get the latest from ftp.isc.org and install that before
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: requesting help.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd:
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: If you did get this software from ftp.isc.org and have not
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: yet read the README, please read it before requesting help.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: If you intend to request help from the dhcp-bugs at isc.org
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: mailing list, please read the section on the README about
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: submitting bug reports and requests for help.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd:
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: Please do not under any circumstances send requests for
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: help directly to the authors of this software - please
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: send them to the appropriate mailing list as described in
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: the README file.
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd:
Mar 10 21:56:38 dhcpd: exiting.

Known problem? How do I fix?

[heper]

what if you just remove the file and try to start ?
perhaps file system corruption of some sort ? https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Forcing_a_Filesystem_Check

[wdennis]

Checked in the System Logs > General, seeing this:

php-fpm[67419]: /services_dhcp.php: The command '/usr/local/sbin/dhcpd -user dhcpd -group _dhcp -chroot /var/dhcpd -cf /etc/dhcpd.conf -pf /var/run/dhcpd.pid bce3' returned exit code '1', the output was 'Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Server 4.2.8 Copyright 2004-2015 Internet Systems Consortium. All rights reserved. For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/ /var/db/dhcpd.leases line 0: whitespace too long, buffer overflow. ^ Exiting If you did not get this software from ftp.isc.org, please get the latest from ftp.isc.org and install that before requesting help. If you did get this software from ftp.isc.org and have not yet read the README, please read it before requesting help. If you intend to request help from the dhcp-bugs at isc.org mailing list, please read the section on the README about submitting bug reports and requests for help. Please do not under any circumstances send requests for help directly to the authors of this software - please send them to the app

Pretty sure it's not fs corruption. I did try removing the leases file & starting, still fails.

[wdennis]

Google FTW… Searched for the error mssg, and found this post --
https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=87942.msg531679#msg531679

As it turns out, was looking at the wrong dhcpd.leases file, due to the chroot used to start the service... Should have been looking at /var/dhcpd/var/db/dhcpd.leases instead of /var/db/dhcpd.leases

When I did cat that file, it indeed had a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long string of spaces in it... Deleted the file, restarted the dhcpd server thru the web UI, and whaddya know, it started :)

Maintainers, take note... may want to fix that file.

[cmb]

If you find a way to make that happen, let us know. But we never touch that file's contents, dhcpd itself manages everything to do with its contents. No idea how you could end up with that, apparently only 2 people ever have encountered it.