Source
r/linux4noobs•
ostensibly_work

In the output of `w` there is a "FROM" column. For my main login session it is the display ":0". For my pseudo terminals, it is "m". What does "m" indicate / stand for?

unresolved

This isn't actually relevant to anything, I'm just curious.

USER   TTY      FROM    LOGIN@   IDLE   JCPU   PCPU    WHAT                                                                  
$ME    tty7     :0      11:38    1:09m  2:15   0.18s   cinnamon-session --session cinnamon                                  
$ME    pts/0    m       11:38    1.00s  0.03s  0.00s   tmux

Posted Jan 23, 2019, 8:59 PM UTC

810
nspectre•

The FROM field is the remote host name or IP address

I don't see anything that particularly jumps out of the code (and I am NOT a coder) to account for an output of m.

Whatever the "environment" is that w.c is querying for the hostname/IP (procps?), it appears to be returning the m to w.c which is evaluating it, cleaning it up and squirting it to STDOUT.

I'm going to guess that pts/0 is a pseudo terminal of tmux and to the environment/procps its address/hostname resolves to m or some-suchidon'tknowwtfi'mtalkingabout. :D

Hopefully this stimulates some conversation leading to a more valid answer. :)

3
maptheworldstupids•

Does ‘m’ resolve to a host in your resolutionnpath (whatever your nsswitch.conf permits)?

2
ostensibly_workOP•

I'm unsure. How would I go about testing this?

1
maptheworldstupids•

Try a dig or nslookup on ‘m’. Throwing darts here.

2
ostensibly_workOP•

Copying my original post from your deleted comment:

Running dig localhost m gives me this output:

; <<>> DiG 9.10.3-P4-Ubuntu <<>> localhost m
;; global options: +cmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 55282
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 1

;; OPT PSEUDOSECTION:
; EDNS: version: 0, flags:; udp: 4096
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;localhost.			IN	A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
localhost.		604800	IN	A	127.0.0.1

;; Query time: 14 msec
;; SERVER: 127.0.1.1#53(127.0.1.1)
;; WHEN: Wed Jan 23 18:02:47 PST 2019
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 54

;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 52607
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 1

;; OPT PSEUDOSECTION:
; EDNS: version: 0, flags:; udp: 4096
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;m.				IN	A

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
.			3600	IN	SOA	a.root-servers.net. nstld.verisign-grs.com. 2019012302 1800 900 604800 86400

;; Query time: 11 msec
;; SERVER: 127.0.1.1#53(127.0.1.1)
;; WHEN: Wed Jan 23 18:02:47 PST 2019
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 105

I can't make anything of it. Let me know if you can. Thanks!

2
maptheworldstupids•

What is in /etc/hosts?

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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