node-red-node-tail causes node-red termination after size check for /var/log/messages error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat '/var/log/messages'

Which node are you reporting an issue on?

node-red-node-tail is used in this flow for displaying error messages in a node-red-dashboard

[{"id":"e84c1031.b43f2","type":"tail","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"","filetype":"text","split":"true","filename":"/var/log/messages","inputs":0,"x":130,"y":1140,"wires":[["15fbcaac.5e0b35"]]},{"id":"15fbcaac.5e0b35","type":"switch","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Filter Errors","property":"payload","propertyType":"msg","rules":[{"t":"cont","v":"Error","vt":"str"}],"checkall":"true","repair":false,"outputs":1,"x":330,"y":1140,"wires":[["34b6985e.3703f","62b4aeaa.115f78"]]},{"id":"34b6985e.3703f","type":"counter","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Count Errors","init":"0","step":"1","lower":"","upper":"","mode":"increment","outputs":2,"x":510,"y":1140,"wires":[["ec3d71c8.81c3c8","990394e1.b136a"],["fdf03a43.c8ac2","59598d5a.a91a9c"]]},{"id":"ec3d71c8.81c3c8","type":"ui_gauge","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"CCU Fehler","group":"b2a5740.e3c2f1","order":1,"width":6,"height":4,"gtype":"gage","title":"Anzahl","label":"Fehler","format":"{{value}}","min":0,"max":"500","colors":["#00b500","#e6e600","#ca3838"],"seg1":"125","seg2":"250","x":690,"y":1080,"wires":[]},{"id":"fdf03a43.c8ac2","type":"function","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Rotate Entries","func":"var dashboardLog = context.get('dashboardLog')|| [];\n \ndashboardLog.push(msg);\nif (dashboardLog.length > 20) {\n    // Delete oldest message if > 20\n    dashboardLog.shift();\n    dashboardLog.length = 20;\n} \n\nif (msg.resetlog) {\n    dashboardLog = [];\n}\n \n// store the value back\ncontext.set('dashboardLog',dashboardLog);\n \n// make it part of the outgoing msg object\nmsg = {};\nmsg.payload = dashboardLog;\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"x":700,"y":1200,"wires":[["f3be4f6c.225958"]]},{"id":"59598d5a.a91a9c","type":"join","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Prepare Message","mode":"custom","build":"string","property":"payload","propertyType":"msg","key":"topic","joiner":"\\r\\n","joinerType":"str","accumulate":false,"timeout":"","count":"5","reduceRight":false,"reduceExp":"","reduceInit":"","reduceInitType":"num","reduceFixup":"","x":710,"y":1140,"wires":[[]]},{"id":"f3be4f6c.225958","type":"ui_template","z":"d14800ce.426d4","group":"97aaa7e1.c96128","name":"Error Dashboard Log","order":1,"width":12,"height":7,"format":"<ul>\n   <li ng-repeat=\"x in msg.payload\">\n       <p style=\"color:red\">{{x.topic}}</p>\n       <ul>\n           <li><p style=\"font-size:11px\">{{x.payload}}</p></li>\n       </ul>\n   </li>\n</ul>","storeOutMessages":true,"fwdInMessages":true,"resendOnRefresh":false,"templateScope":"local","x":940,"y":1200,"wires":[[]]},{"id":"9688061b.b2dc48","type":"ui_button","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Reset Error Count","group":"b2a5740.e3c2f1","order":5,"width":0,"height":0,"passthru":false,"label":"Zurücksetzen","tooltip":"","color":"","bgcolor":"","icon":"mi-clear","payload":"true","payloadType":"bool","topic":"","x":130,"y":1080,"wires":[["229fc580.c38dc2"]]},{"id":"229fc580.c38dc2","type":"change","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Set Reset Message","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"reset","pt":"msg","to":"true","tot":"bool"},{"t":"set","p":"topic","pt":"msg","to":"Reset Error Count","tot":"str"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":350,"y":1080,"wires":[["34b6985e.3703f"]]},{"id":"83893482.d56ca8","type":"ui_button","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Clear DashLog","group":"97aaa7e1.c96128","order":2,"width":0,"height":0,"passthru":false,"label":"Protokoll leeren","tooltip":"Anzeige der letzten 20 gespeicherten Fehler löschen","color":"","bgcolor":"","icon":"mi-delete_sweep","payload":"true","payloadType":"bool","topic":"","x":120,"y":1200,"wires":[["ad9da38f.553c98"]]},{"id":"ad9da38f.553c98","type":"change","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Set Reset Message","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"resetlog","pt":"msg","to":"true","tot":"bool"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":350,"y":1200,"wires":[["fdf03a43.c8ac2"]]},{"id":"990394e1.b136a","type":"ui_text","z":"d14800ce.426d4","group":"3917802.e83608","order":2,"width":0,"height":0,"name":"","label":"CCU Fehler:","format":"{{value}}","layout":"row-left","x":690,"y":1040,"wires":[]},{"id":"62b4aeaa.115f78","type":"debug","z":"d14800ce.426d4","name":"Filtered Errors","active":false,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":true,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"payload","statusType":"auto","x":700,"y":1260,"wires":[]},{"id":"b2a5740.e3c2f1","type":"ui_group","name":"Fehler","tab":"a46e92f.58191f","order":6,"disp":true,"width":"6","collapse":false},{"id":"97aaa7e1.c96128","type":"ui_group","name":"Fehlermeldungen","tab":"a46e92f.58191f","order":7,"disp":true,"width":"12","collapse":false},{"id":"3917802.e83608","type":"ui_group","name":"Ereignisse","tab":"4e9b13b2.12840c","order":6,"disp":true,"width":"6","collapse":false},{"id":"a46e92f.58191f","type":"ui_tab","name":"System","icon":"settings","order":10,"disabled":false,"hidden":false},{"id":"4e9b13b2.12840c","type":"ui_tab","name":"Home","icon":"home","order":1}]

What are the steps to reproduce?

There seems not to be an easy way to reproduce. I experience this problem several times with no visible cause. The only guess I have could be the daily rotation of the /var/log/messages file executed by a cron job. But this happens at a different time (each Midnight) as the crash of the node-red daemon process. May be a simultaneous access by a second process, since the relevant file is used for logging messages from the system running node-red.

What happens?

node-red-node-tail log a node-red error, after that the node-red daemon terminates:

Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red[7898]: [tail:e84c1031.b43f2] size check for /var/log/messages failed: Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat '/var/log/messages'
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red: 9 Apr 01:56:12 - [red] Uncaught Exception:
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red: 9 Apr 01:56:12 - Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat '/var/log/messages'
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at Object.statSync (fs.js:1086:3)
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at Tail.latestPosition (/usr/local/addons/redmatic/var/node_modules/node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js:74:23)
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at Tail.change (/usr/local/addons/redmatic/var/node_modules/node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js:118:22)
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at Tail.watchEvent (/usr/local/addons/redmatic/var/node_modules/node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js:183:18)
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at FSWatcher.<anonymous> (/usr/local/addons/redmatic/var/node_modules/node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js:143:101)
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at FSWatcher.emit (events.js:315:20)
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at FSEvent.FSWatcher._handle.onchange (internal/fs/watchers.js:186:12)
Apr  9 01:56:12 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red: Node-RED exited with non-zero exit status 1
...
Apr  9 12:15:48 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red[24971]: [tail:e84c1031.b43f2] size check for /var/log/messages failed: Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat '/var/log/messages'
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red: 9 Apr 12:15:49 - [red] Uncaught Exception:
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red: 9 Apr 12:15:49 - Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat '/var/log/messages'
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at Object.statSync (fs.js:1086:3)
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at Tail.latestPosition (/usr/local/addons/redmatic/var/node_modules/node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js:74:23)
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at Tail.change (/usr/local/addons/redmatic/var/node_modules/node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js:118:22)
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at Tail.watchEvent (/usr/local/addons/redmatic/var/node_modules/node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js:183:18)
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at FSWatcher.<anonymous> (/usr/local/addons/redmatic/var/node_modules/node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js:143:101)
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at FSWatcher.emit (events.js:315:20)
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red:     at FSEvent.FSWatcher._handle.onchange (internal/fs/watchers.js:186:12)
Apr  9 12:15:49 {{HOSTNAME}} node-red: Node-RED exited with non-zero exit status 1

What do you expect to happen?

Even if the log file is not accessible by node-red-node-tail, the error should be caught and not causing termination of node red daemon. There is no indication of deletion of the message log file, neither by a process nor manually while node-red is running.

Please tell us about your environment:

• Node-RED version: 1.2.9
• node.js version: 14.16.0
• npm version: 5.6.0
• Platform/OS: Linux 4.14.34 arm LE
• Browser: Safari, Chrome, Firefox on macOS 11.2.3

Start with the reported stack trace in node-red-node-tail/node_modules/tail/lib/tail.js, especially latestPosition, change, and watchEvent. Review how the missing /var/log/messages error is handled during the size check and file-watch path. Done means an inaccessible or missing log file no longer terminates the Node-RED daemon; add or run the relevant package tests if available.