Erlang No home for cookie file

Question

What does "No home for cookie file" mean? And how do I resolve this issue:

export BINDIR=/usr/lib/disco/master/ebin/;/usr/lib/erlang/erts-5.10.4/bin/beam -K true -P 10000000 -scl false -stbt s -- -root /usr/lib/erlang -progname erl -- -home /usr/var/disco info -- -lager handlers [{lager_file_backend,[{file,"/usr/var/disco/log/error.log"}, {level, error}, {size, 1048576000}, {date, "$D0"}, {count, 5}]},{lager_file_backend,[{file,"/usr/var/disco/log/console.log"}, {level, debug}, {size, 1048576000}, {date, "$D0"}, {count, 5}]}] -lager error_logger_hwm 200 -lager crash_log "/usr/var/disco/log/crash.log" -rsh ssh -connect_all false -sname disco_8989_master -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/ebin -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/deps/mochiweb/ebin -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/deps/goldrush/ebin -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/deps/lager/ebin -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/deps/meck/ebin -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/deps/bear/ebin -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/deps/folsom/ebin -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/deps/folsomite/ebin -pa /usr/lib/disco/master/deps/plists/ebin -eval "application:start(disco)"

{error_logger,{{2016,11,7},{17,25,49}},"No home for cookie file",[]}
{error_logger,{{2016,11,7},{17,25,49}},crash_report,[[{initial_call,{auth,init,['Argument__1']}},{pid,<0.20.0>},{registered_name,[]},{error_info,{exit,{"No home for cookie file",[{auth,init_cookie,0,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,285}]},{auth,init,1,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,139}]},{gen_server,init_it,6,[{file,"gen_server.erl"},{line,304}]},{proc_lib,init_p_do_apply,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,239}]}]},[{gen_server,init_it,6,[{file,"gen_server.erl"},{line,328}]},{proc_lib,init_p_do_apply,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,239}]}]}},{ancestors,[net_sup,kernel_sup,<0.10.0>]},{messages,[]},{links,[<0.18.0>]},{dictionary,[]},{trap_exit,true},{status,running},{heap_size,610},{stack_size,27},{reductions,139}],[]]}
{error_logger,{{2016,11,7},{17,25,49}},supervisor_report,[{supervisor,{local,net_sup}},{errorContext,start_error},{reason,{"No home for cookie file",[{auth,init_cookie,0,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,285}]},{auth,init,1,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,139}]},{gen_server,init_it,6,[{file,"gen_server.erl"},{line,304}]},{proc_lib,init_p_do_apply,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,239}]}]}},{offender,[{pid,undefined},{name,auth},{mfargs,{auth,start_link,[]}},{restart_type,permanent},{shutdown,2000},{child_type,worker}]}]}
{error_logger,{{2016,11,7},{17,25,49}},supervisor_report,[{supervisor,{local,kernel_sup}},{errorContext,start_error},{reason,{shutdown,{failed_to_start_child,auth,{"No home for cookie file",[{auth,init_cookie,0,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,285}]},{auth,init,1,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,139}]},{gen_server,init_it,6,[{file,"gen_server.erl"},{line,304}]},{proc_lib,init_p_do_apply,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,239}]}]}}}},{offender,[{pid,undefined},{name,net_sup},{mfargs,{erl_distribution,start_link,[]}},{restart_type,permanent},{shutdown,infinity},{child_type,supervisor}]}]}
{error_logger,{{2016,11,7},{17,25,49}},crash_report,[[{initial_call,{application_master,init,['Argument__1','Argument__2','Argument__3','Argument__4']}},{pid,<0.9.0>},{registered_name,[]},{error_info,{exit,{{shutdown,{failed_to_start_child,net_sup,{shutdown,{failed_to_start_child,auth,{"No home for cookie file",[{auth,init_cookie,0,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,285}]},{auth,init,1,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,139}]},{gen_server,init_it,6,[{file,"gen_server.erl"},{line,304}]},{proc_lib,init_p_do_apply,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,239}]}]}}}}},{kernel,start,[normal,[]]}},[{application_master,init,4,[{file,"application_master.erl"},{line,133}]},{proc_lib,init_p_do_apply,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,239}]}]}},{ancestors,[<0.8.0>]},{messages,[{'EXIT',<0.10.0>,normal}]},{links,[<0.8.0>,<0.7.0>]},{dictionary,[]},{trap_exit,true},{status,running},{heap_size,987},{stack_size,27},{reductions,179}],[]]}
{error_logger,{{2016,11,7},{17,25,49}},std_info,[{application,kernel},{exited,{{shutdown,{failed_to_start_child,net_sup,{shutdown,{failed_to_start_child,auth,{"No home for cookie file",[{auth,init_cookie,0,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,285}]},{auth,init,1,[{file,"auth.erl"},{line,139}]},{gen_server,init_it,6,[{file,"gen_server.erl"},{line,304}]},{proc_lib,init_p_do_apply,3,[{file,"proc_lib.erl"},{line,239}]}]}}}}},{kernel,start,[normal,[]]}}},{type,permanent}]}
{"Kernel pid terminated",application_controller,"{application_start_failure,kernel,{{shutdown,{failed_to_start_child,net_sup,{shutdown,{failed_to_start_child,auth,{\"No home for cookie file\",[{auth,init_cookie,0,[{file,\"auth.erl\"},{line,285}]},{auth,init,1,[{file,\"auth.erl\"},{line,139}]},{gen_server,init_it,6,[{file,\"gen_server.erl\"},{line,304}]},{proc_lib,init_p_do_apply,3,[{file,\"proc_lib.erl\"},{line,239}]}]}}}}},{kernel,start,[normal,[]]}}}"}

More context:

 disco@download1-6401:~$ cat $HOME/.erlang.cookie;echo;ls -ail .erlang.cookie 
QCQSMBOQOJCGVKZCUXQL
263466 -rw------- 1 disco disco 20 Nov  4 00:00 .erlang.cookie

Answer 1

You can run disco using the script it provides for starting it, stopping it, checking its status, etc. The steps below worked for me, but note that they require git, make, rebar, and a working Erlang installation. (I use ellipses below to indicate lengthy output not import enough to show here.)

$ git clone [email protected]:discoproject/disco.git
...
$ cd disco
$ make
...
$ PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH ./bin/disco start
Master bignosk:8989 started

I initially tried this with the latest version of Erlang, 19.x, but the build failed, so I backed down to Erlang 18.3 and then everything worked fine.