Explaining "-bash: No such file or directory"

Question

Why would bash claim that a file doesn't exist when it clearly does?

$ ls -l a
-r-x------ 1 configurator configurator 3904 Dec  7 10:36 a

$ file a
a: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked (uses shared libs), for GNU/Linux 2.2.5, stripped

$ ./a
-bash: ./a: No such file or directory

No, 64-bit. Linux koandev 3.11.0-14-generic #21-Ubuntu SMP Tue Nov 12 17:04:55 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux — configurator, Dec 09 '13 at 18:12
To everyone who's closed this question as a duplicate: Thanks. I very much appreciate the link for more information, and would never have found that answer myself. — configurator, Dec 14 '13 at 22:05

score 15 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

15

You get this error because you try to run a 32-bit executable on a 64-bit operating system.

And the message No such file or directory does not refer to your executable file called a. Instead the error it refers to a helper program that's needed to run the 32-bit dynamically linked executable a.

You can find more information referring to static and dynamic linkage in this answer.

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

Community

1

answered Dec 09 '13 at 18:35

Radu Rădeanu

169,590

1

I just wish the error message was a little friendlier and told me which file it couldn't find so I wouldn't have had to ask this question in the first place... – configurator Dec 09 '13 at 18:46

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 09 '13 at 17:59

3

The problem likely isn't the file you're trying to run, but a file it depends on. Run ldd on the file to see if any of its dependencies can't be found.

answered Dec 09 '13 at 17:59

Wutaz

541

3

Interesting. This sounds right, but ldd doesn't help, it just says: adsd: not a dynamic executable – configurator Dec 09 '13 at 18:08

Explaining "-bash: No such file or directory"

2 Answers2

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