Users logging into the server with ssh are not recorded in lastlog

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11

Situation

Message in /var/log/messages when someone tries to login via ssh. The login works correctly and ssh allows the user in. However the lastlog is not updated. This means that information about users' last logins are missing.

Mar 22 02:00:26 linux-p3qt sshd[8372]: Accepted keyboard-interactive/pam for test from 172.16.176.1 port 50055 ssh2
Mar 22 02:00:26 linux-p3qt sshd[8372]: lastlog_filetype: Couldn't stat /var/log/lastlog: No such file or directory
Mar 22 02:00:26 linux-p3qt sshd[8372]: lastlog_openseek: /var/log/lastlog is not a file or directory!
Mar 22 02:00:26 linux-p3qt sshd[8372]: lastlog_filetype: Couldn't stat /var/log/lastlog: No such file or directory
Mar 22 02:00:26 linux-p3qt sshd[8372]: lastlog_openseek: /var/log/lastlog is not a file or directory!

Resolution

The lastlog file does not exist. Create the file with these commands:
# touch /var/log/lastlog
# chgrp utmp /var/log/lastlog
# chmod 664 /var/log/lastlog

Disclaimer

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