root at cents:/var/log/xymon# vi xymonclient.log No LSB modules are available.

The bug report here describes the likely source of the problem:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lsb/+bug/66914

Relevant excerpt:

This behaviour seems correct to me. http://refspecs.freestandards.org/LSB_3.1.0/LSB-Core-generic/LSB-Core-generi... "If no options are given, the -v option is assumed." -v requires the display of LSB modules, which in Debian/Ubuntu are implemented by the lsb-* metapackages. If you have none of those installed, then you'll get the output you quote.

However, if you simply say 'lsb_release -a', you'll get the information you asked for. This is in accordance with the specification for lsb_release.

Host machine output:

root at cents:/var/log/xymon# lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 10.04.2 LTS Release: 10.04 Codename: lucid root at cents:/var/log/xymon# lsb_release No LSB modules are available. root at cents:/var/log/xymon#

Interestingly, the code calls

/usr/bin/lsb_release -r -i -s | xargs echo

Which produces the correct result: Ubuntu 10.04.

However, the next line after it isn't filtered... looks like the error message being logged is going to standard out and being logged as a result, while the rest of the output is being properly redirected to the msg file in /var/lib/xymon/tmp.

elif [ -x /usr/bin/lsb_release ]; then /usr/bin/lsb_release -r -i -s | xargs echo /usr/bin/lsb_release -a

I suggest that the standard output of lsb_release -a be filtered to eliminate the errant error mesage.

Regards, Thomas Leavitt