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  • SSH logins and "finger" in debian 13

    From Tom Yates@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, July 16, 2026 08:40:01
    Under Debian 12, finger reported ssh logins:

    madhatta@bertie:~$ finger
    Login Name Tty Idle Login Time Office Office Phone madhatter Tom Yates pts/3 Jul 15 14:26 (192.168.49.2)
    madhatter Tom Yates pts/5 5 Jul 15 18:28 (192.168.49.2)
    madhatter Tom Yates pts/4 11:56 Jul 15 18:28 (192.168.49.2)

    under Debian 13, it doesn't seem to:

    new-henry:~% finger
    No one logged on.

    though "who" does:

    new-henry:~% who
    madhatter sshd pts/0 2026-07-15 18:28 (192.168.49.31)

    Is this a known behaviour? Is it something I can fix with a config
    change?


    --

    Tom Yates - https://www.teaparty.net

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Klaus Singvogel@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, July 16, 2026 09:10:02
    Hello,

    Tom Yates wrote:
    Under Debian 12, finger reported ssh logins:
    [...]
    under Debian 13, it doesn't seem to:
    [...]
    Is this a known behaviour? Is it something I can fix with a config change?

    This change was made to address the removal of /var/log/wtmp and to switch to systemd as the replacement.

    The previous wtmp format was not 64-bit compatible. With the system moving to a 64-bit time representation, Linux can avoid the Y2038 problem that would occur if it continued relying on a 32-bit time measurement.

    Reference: https://github.com/thkukuk/wtmpdb/blob/main/README.md

    As a (rough, but incomplete) replacement, you can use: loginctl list-sessions --no-legend

    Best regards,
    Klaus.
    --
    Klaus Singvogel
    GnuPG-Key-ID: 1024R/5068792D 1994-06-27

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Tom Yates@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, July 16, 2026 09:10:02
    Understood, and very many thanks.

    --

    Tom Yates - https://www.teaparty.net

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)