Everything seems OK in your config files you've sent. I could not replicate your problem. My best bet is that, in rip.config SOURCEFILE /usr/home/whois/conf/sources.config points to a file which is _not_ the one you've sent.
sigh. with that gdb output? puhleeze! (gdb) back #0 0x805087d in ca_parseSrcLine (lineStr=0xbfbff74c "database:\tdbrgnet", srcStructPtr=0x80c8400) at ca_sourceLoader.c:792 #1 0x8050147 in ca_readSources ( sourcesDefFile=0x80c2840 "/usr/home/whois/conf/sources.config", confVars=0x80b1840) at ca_sourceLoader.c:464 #2 0x804faa2 in ca_init (configFile=0xbfbff9b1 "../conf/rip.config") at ca_initFn.c:87 #3 0x804bc2f in main (argc=7, argv=0xbfbff858) at getvar.c:84 let me try to debug by turning on debugging in ca_sourceLoader.c # /usr/home/whois/utils/getvar -s SAMPLE -c /usr/home/whois/conf/rip.config -p dbhost Inside ca_readSources() function. Sources file is: /usr/home/whois/conf/sources.config We are reading a comment or an empty line ..... line:DATABASE SAMPLEDB:End of line Length of line: 17 LINE >>>DATABASE SAMPLEDBEND_OF_LINE Beginning of a database defintion ..... Database name is: SAMPLEDB line:host: localhost:End of line Length of line: 16 LINE >>>host: localhostEND_OF_LINE tokens[0] = host tokens[1] = localhost VarName: host; dbComp: localhost line:port: 3306:End of line Length of line: 11 LINE >>>port: 3306END_OF_LINE tokens[0] = port tokens[1] = 3306 VarName: port; dbComp: 3306 line:trx_support: n:End of line Length of line: 14 LINE >>>trx_support: nEND_OF_LINE tokens[0] = trx_support tokens[1] = n VarName: trx_support; dbComp: n line:user: rip:End of line Length of line: 10 LINE >>>user: ripEND_OF_LINE tokens[0] = user tokens[1] = rip VarName: user; dbComp: rip line:password: secret:End of line Length of line: 19 LINE >>>password: secretEND_OF_LINE tokens[0] = password tokens[1] = secret VarName: password; dbComp: secret line:/DATABASE:End of line Length of line: 9 LINE >>>/DATABASEEND_OF_LINE We have reached the end of a DATABASE definition Testing the population of the db structure: localhost::3306::n::rip::secret:: ^ wowie zowie! no database name ^ the very problem we sought guess what happens when the password is nine characters! .../ripe-dbase-3.2.0# grep -c strcpy ./modules/ca/ca_sourceLoader.c 16 oh wonderful and thanks a million for the debugging help randy