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I recently upgraded to El Capitan version 10.11. I put my Mac Pro, the black barrel, to sleep every night. In the morning, for the last few days, I find a window with the above message, and the option to click "OK". What is trying to find this file or directory, and how can I keep this window from popping up?
None of the Categories below this window on this page apply. Apparently it has something to do with Mail.
Lockfile is an executable file that is fundamental part of Mac OS X (actually the Darwin kernel) if it is not found, your Installation is damaged, and you should re-install Mac OS X in place (right over the old version). /usr/bin is exactly where that executable file ought to be -- it is not complaining about a lock going missing, it is complaining that the binary executable is missing.
NAME
lockfile - conditional semaphore-file creator
SYNOPSIS
lockfile -sleeptime | -r retries |
-l locktimeout | -s suspend | -! | -ml | -mu | filename ...
DESCRIPTION
lockfile can be used to create one or more semaphore files. If lock-
file can't create all the specified files (in the specified order), it
waits sleeptime (defaults to 8) seconds and retries the last file that
didn't succeed. You can specify the number of retries to do until
failure is returned. If the number of retries is -1 (default, i.e.,
-r-1) lockfile will retry forever.
Lockfile is an executable file that is fundamental part of Mac OS X (actually the Darwin kernel) if it is not found, your Installation is damaged, and you should re-install Mac OS X in place (right over the old version). /usr/bin is exactly where that executable file ought to be -- it is not complaining about a lock going missing, it is complaining that the binary executable is missing.
NAME
lockfile - conditional semaphore-file creator
SYNOPSIS
lockfile -sleeptime | -r retries |
-l locktimeout | -s suspend | -! | -ml | -mu | filename ...
DESCRIPTION
lockfile can be used to create one or more semaphore files. If lock-
file can't create all the specified files (in the specified order), it
waits sleeptime (defaults to 8) seconds and retries the last file that
didn't succeed. You can specify the number of retries to do until
failure is returned. If the number of retries is -1 (default, i.e.,
-r-1) lockfile will retry forever.
Do you use SuperDuper? See: sh:/usr/bin/lockfile error message
I tried your suggestion, but the same message came up this morning. First I downloaded the latest SuperDuper. instead of upgrading. Then I backed up from the control panel. It seemed to go okay, but the message returned. Thanks anyway.
I redownloaded and reinstalled El Capitan. Then I followed machismo777's suggestion. When I ran the backup manually, it seemed to work but is not recorded in my log, and the message came back this morning.
I deleted my schedule instruction and entered it again new, and now it works fine. Thanks.
I'm curious - did you check your /usr/bin directory to see if this file existed after re-installing? My installation doesn't have it, either. I recently upgraded to El Cap from Mavericks, and found the same message when I got home from work, (moments ago). SuperDuper is set to run during that time, but did not. No man entry for lockfile, either.
belated response. Deleting and re-entering the SuperDuper schedule instruction solved the problem. Thanks
Right, I got that. But you have another person, Grant, saying lockfile is a critical binary. I'm wondering if it showed up after you re-installed the OS. Or perhaps I misunderstood, and you never tried that?
I did not see LockFile again, and could not find one with my inspection software. Maybe it was hiding, but the problem is solved. thanks for your replies.
Maybe it was hiding
That is possible.
Perhaps the author of that Backup Utility hides that command when he needs exclusive access to the drive for certain backup situations, and restores it later.
It seems that /usr/bin/lockfile has been intentionally removed from El Capitan. According to this post:
http://mjtsai.com/blog/2015/08/17/mac-os-x-10-11-removes-usrbinlockfile/
it is part of procmail.
sh: /usr/bin/lockfile: No such file or directory (127)
