diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_burp_backup.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_burp_backup.sh
index 3c53ded..1ad05ae 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_burp_backup.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_burp_backup.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2016-12-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ function check_linux_burp_backup
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _BURP_CONFIG_FILE="/etc/burp/burp-server.conf"
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2016-12-01"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -145,9 +146,9 @@ do
         then
             _BACKUP_RUN="$(print ${_BACKUP_STATS} | awk '{print $1}')"
             # output format: YYYYMMDD HHMM
-            _BACKUP_DATE=$(print "${_BACKUP_STATS}" | awk '{gsub(/-/,"",$2); gsub(/:/,"",$3); print $2" "substr($3,0,4)}')
+            _BACKUP_DATE=$(print "${_BACKUP_STATS}" | awk '{gsub(/-/,"",$2); gsub(/:/,"",$3); print $2" "substr($3,0,4)}' 2>/dev/null)
             # convert to UNIX seconds
-            _CUR_BACKUP_TIME=$(date -d "${_BACKUP_DATE}" '+%s')
+            _CUR_BACKUP_TIME=$(date -d "${_BACKUP_DATE}" '+%s' 2>/dev/null)
         else
             warn "no backup found for client ${_BURP_CLIENT}. Check client impersonation?"
             _COUNT=$(( _COUNT + 1 ))
@@ -155,7 +156,7 @@ do
         fi
 
         # get backup warnings
-        _BACKUP_WARNINGS="$(${_BURP_BIN} -c ${_BURP_CONFIG_FILE} -a S -C ${_BURP_CLIENT} -b ${_BACKUP_RUN} -z backup_stats 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep '^warnings' 2>/dev/null | cut -f2 -d':')"
+        _BACKUP_WARNINGS="$(${_BURP_BIN} -c ${_BURP_CONFIG_FILE} -a S -C ${_BURP_CLIENT} -b ${_BACKUP_RUN} -z backup_stats 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep '^warnings' 2>/dev/null | cut -f2 -d':' 2>/dev/null)"
         if [[ -z "${_BACKUP_WARNINGS}" ]]
         then
             warn "could not get stats for backup ${_BACKUP_RUN} of client ${_BURP_CLIENT}"
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_burp_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_burp_status.sh
index 5011570..c183a2d 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_burp_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_burp_status.sh
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2016-12-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-08: fix fall-back for sysv->pgrep [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ function check_linux_burp_status
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _BURP_INIT_SCRIPT="/etc/init.d/burp"
 typeset _BURP_SYSTEMD_SERVICE="burp.service"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-05-08"							# YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"							# YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ done
 linux_get_init
 case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'systemd')
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_BURP_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=1
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_BURP_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=1
         ;;
     'upstart')
         warn "code for upstart managed systems not implemented, NOOP"
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'sysv')
         if [[ -x ${_BURP_INIT_SCRIPT} ]]
         then
-            if (( $(${_BURP_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_BURP_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=1
             fi
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@ esac
 # 2) try the pgrep way (note: old pgreps do not support '-c')
 if (( _RC != 0 ))
 then
-    (( $(pgrep -u root burp 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l) == 0 )) && _STC=1
+    (( $(pgrep -u root burp 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l 2>/dev/null) == 0 )) && _STC=1
 fi
 
 # evaluate results
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_file_age.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_file_age.sh
index ac4286f..acf3561 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_file_age.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_file_age.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2013-05-27: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ function check_linux_file_age
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2013-05-27"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ do
         _MSG="unable to read or access requested file at ${_FILE_PATH}"
         _STC=1        
     else
-        _AGE_CHECK=$(find "${_FILE_DIR}" -type f -name "${_FILE_NAME}" -mmin -"${_FILE_AGE}")
+        _AGE_CHECK=$(find "${_FILE_DIR}" -type f -name "${_FILE_NAME}" -mmin -"${_FILE_AGE}" 2>/dev/null)
         if (( $? != 0 ))
         then
             warn "unable to execute file age test for ${_FILE_PATH}"
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_file_change.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_file_change.sh
index fb17131..058f770 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_file_change.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_file_change.sh
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2017-05-18: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ function check_linux_file_change
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-05-18"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -227,12 +228,12 @@ do
     fi
     
     # read entry from state file
-    _STATE_FILE_LINE=$(grep -E -e "^${_FILE_TO_CHECK}\|" ${_STATE_FILE})
+    _STATE_FILE_LINE=$(grep -E -e "^${_FILE_TO_CHECK}\|" ${_STATE_FILE} 2>/dev/null)
     if [[ -n "${_STATE_FILE_LINE}" ]]
     then
         # field 1 is the file name
-        _STATE_FILE_TYPE=$(print "${_STATE_FILE_LINE}" | cut -f2 -d'|')
-        _STATE_FILE_CKSUM=$(print "${_STATE_FILE_LINE}" | cut -f3 -d'|')        
+        _STATE_FILE_TYPE=$(print "${_STATE_FILE_LINE}" | cut -f2 -d'|' 2>/dev/null)
+        _STATE_FILE_CKSUM=$(print "${_STATE_FILE_LINE}" | cut -f3 -d'|' 2>/dev/null)        
     else
         _IS_NEW=1
     fi
@@ -244,7 +245,7 @@ do
             openssl-sha256)
                 if (( _USE_OPENSSL == 1 ))
                 then
-                    _FILE_CKSUM=$(${_OPENSSL_BIN} dgst -sha256 ${_FILE_TO_CHECK} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | cut -f2 -d'=' | tr -d ' ')
+                    _FILE_CKSUM=$(${_OPENSSL_BIN} dgst -sha256 ${_FILE_TO_CHECK} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | cut -f2 -d'=' 2>/dev/null | tr -d ' ' 2>/dev/null)
                     _FILE_TYPE="openssl-sha256"
                 else
                     _MSG="cannot compute checksum [${_FILE_TYPE}] for ${_FILE_TO_CHECK}"
@@ -254,7 +255,7 @@ do
             cksum-crc32)
                 if (( _USE_CKSUM == 1 ))
                 then
-                    _FILE_CKSUM=$(${_CKSUM_BIN} ${_FILE_TO_CHECK} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | cut -f1 -d' ')
+                    _FILE_CKSUM=$(${_CKSUM_BIN} ${_FILE_TO_CHECK} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | cut -f1 -d' ' 2>/dev/null)
                     _FILE_TYPE="cksum-crc32"
                 else
                     _MSG="cannot compute checksum [${_FILE_TYPE}] for ${_FILE_TO_CHECK}"
@@ -270,11 +271,11 @@ do
         # new file
         if (( _USE_OPENSSL == 1 ))
         then
-            _FILE_CKSUM=$(${_OPENSSL_BIN} dgst -sha256 ${_FILE_TO_CHECK} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | cut -f2 -d'=' | tr -d ' ')
+            _FILE_CKSUM=$(${_OPENSSL_BIN} dgst -sha256 ${_FILE_TO_CHECK} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | cut -f2 -d'=' 2>/dev/null | tr -d ' ' 2>/dev/null)
             _FILE_TYPE="openssl-sha256"
         elif (( _USE_CKSUM == 1 ))
         then
-            _FILE_CKSUM=$(${_CKSUM_BIN} ${_FILE_TO_CHECK} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | cut -f1 -d' ')
+            _FILE_CKSUM=$(${_CKSUM_BIN} ${_FILE_TO_CHECK} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | cut -f1 -d' ' 2>/dev/null)
             _FILE_TYPE="cksum-crc32"
         else
             _MSG="cannot compute checksum (openssl/cksum) for ${_FILE_TO_CHECK}"
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_fs_mounts.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_fs_mounts.sh
index c16e458..3a85ebf 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_fs_mounts.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_fs_mounts.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2013-05-17: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@
 function check_linux_fs_mounts
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
-typeset _VERSION="2013-05-17"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ cat /etc/fstab |\
     awk '{print $2}' |\
 while read _FS
 do
-    _FS_COUNT=$(grep -c -E -e ".*on[ \t]+${_FS}[ \t]+.*" ${HC_STDOUT_LOG})
+    _FS_COUNT=$(grep -c -E -e ".*on[ \t]+${_FS}[ \t]+.*" ${HC_STDOUT_LOG}) 2>/dev/null
     case ${_FS_COUNT} in
         0)
             _MSG="${_FS} is not mounted"
@@ -89,7 +90,7 @@ do
 done
 
 # add /etc/fstab to STDOUT log
-cat /etc/fstab >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG} 
+cat /etc/fstab >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG} 2>/dev/null
 
 return 0
 }
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpacucli.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpacucli.sh
index 3fad2c5..8ef315e 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpacucli.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpacucli.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2013-09-09: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ function check_linux_hpacucli
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2013-09-09"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -160,9 +161,9 @@ then
     print "=== ACU controller(s) ===" >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG}
     cat ${_TMP_FILE} >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG}
     # get all slot numbers for multiple raid controllers
-    cat ${_TMP_FILE} | grep "in Slot [0-9]" | while read _ACU_LINE
+    cat ${_TMP_FILE} | grep "in Slot [0-9]" 2>/dev/null | while read _ACU_LINE
     do
-        _SLOT_NUM="$(print ${_ACU_LINE} | cut -f6 -d' ')"
+        _SLOT_NUM="$(print ${_ACU_LINE} | cut -f6 -d' ' 2>/dev/null)"
         case "${_DO_ACU_LOGL}" in
             +([0-9])*([0-9]))
                 # numeric OK
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpasmcli.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpasmcli.sh
index b1458b1..12d980b 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpasmcli.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpasmcli.sh
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2013-09-07: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-04-06: bugfix in temperature checking [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ function check_linux_hpasmcli
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-04-06"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -157,7 +158,7 @@ then
     ${_HPASMCLI_BIN} -s 'SHOW FANS' >${_TMP_FILE} 2>${_TMP_FILE}
     (( $? != 0 )) && warn "'${_HPASMCLI_BIN} -s SHOW FANS' exited non-zero"
     # look for failures
-    grep -E -e '^#' ${_TMP_FILE} 2>/dev/null | grep -vi 'normal' |\
+    grep -E -e '^#' ${_TMP_FILE} 2>/dev/null | grep -vi 'normal' 2>/dev/null |\
         while read _ASM_LINE
     do
         _FAN_UNIT="$(print ${_ASM_LINE} | cut -f1 -d' ')"
@@ -241,15 +242,15 @@ then
     grep -E -e '^#' ${_TMP_FILE} 2>/dev/null |\
         while read _ASM_LINE
     do
-        _TEMP_FIELD="$(print ${_ASM_LINE} | cut -f3 -d' ')"
+        _TEMP_FIELD="$(print ${_ASM_LINE} | cut -f3 -d' ' 2>/dev/null)"
         _TEMP_VALUE="${_TEMP_FIELD%%C/*}"
-        _THRES_FIELD="$(print ${_ASM_LINE} | cut -f4 -d' ')"
+        _THRES_FIELD="$(print ${_ASM_LINE} | cut -f4 -d' ' 2>/dev/null)"
         _THRES_VALUE="${_THRES_FIELD%%C/*}"
         if [[ "${_TEMP_VALUE}" != "-" ]] && [[ "${_THRES_VALUE}" != "-" ]]
         then
             if (( _TEMP_VALUE >= _THRES_VALUE ))
             then
-                _TEMP_UNIT="$(print ${_ASM_LINE} | cut -f1 -d' ')"
+                _TEMP_UNIT="$(print ${_ASM_LINE} | cut -f1 -d' ' 2>/dev/null)"
                 _MSG="failure in 'SHOW TEMP', unit ${_TEMP_UNIT}"
                 _MSG="${_MSG} has ${_TEMP_VALUE} >= ${_THRES_VALUE}"
                 _STC_COUNT=$(( _STC_COUNT + 1 ))
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hplog.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hplog.sh
index 37b9dcd..1f31fdd 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hplog.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hplog.sh
@@ -19,10 +19,11 @@
 # @(#) MAIN: check_linux_hplog
 # DOES: see _show_usage()
 # EXPECTS: see _show_usage()
-# REQUIRES: data_space2comma(), init_hc(), log_hc()
+# REQUIRES: data_space2comma(), dump_logs(), init_hc(), log_hc()
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2017-04-22: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: added dump_logs() & STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ function check_linux_hplog
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
 typeset _STATE_FILE="${STATE_PERM_DIR}/discovered.hplog"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-04-22"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ then
 else
     # build the complex search regex
     _HPLOG_SEVERITIES="^"
-    print "${_SEVERITIES_LINE}" | tr ',' '\n' | while read -r _SEVERITY_ENTRY
+    print "${_SEVERITIES_LINE}" | tr ',' '\n' 2>/dev/null | while read -r _SEVERITY_ENTRY
     do
         _HPLOG_SEVERITIES="${_HPLOG_SEVERITIES}(([0-9]+)\s*${_SEVERITY_ENTRY})|"    
     done
@@ -110,6 +111,8 @@ ${_HPLOG_BIN} -v >${HC_STDOUT_LOG} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG}
 (( $? != 0 )) && {
     _MSG="unable to run ${_HPLOG_BIN}"
     log_hc "$0" 1 "${_MSG}"
+    # dump debug info
+    (( ARG_DEBUG != 0 && ARG_DEBUG_LEVEL > 0 )) && dump_logs
     return 0
 }
 
@@ -143,7 +146,7 @@ then
     _MSG="found ${_STC_COUNT} new HPLOG messages {${_HPLOG_BIN} -v}"
     _STC=1
     # add results to state file (must be sorted; re-use TMP_FILE)
-    sort -u ${_TMP1_FILE} ${_TMP2_FILE} > ${_STATE_FILE}
+    sort -u ${_TMP1_FILE} ${_TMP2_FILE} >${_STATE_FILE} 2>/dev/null
     (( $? > 0 )) && {
         warn "failed to sort temporary state file"
         return 1       
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpssacli.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpssacli.sh
index 33885a4..a52d82b 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpssacli.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_hpssacli.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2016-04-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ function check_linux_hpssacli
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2016-04-01"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -160,9 +161,9 @@ then
     print "=== SSA controller(s) ===" >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG}
     cat ${_TMP_FILE} >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG}
     # get all slot numbers for multiple raid controllers
-    cat ${_TMP_FILE} | grep "in Slot [0-9]" | while read _SSA_LINE
+    cat ${_TMP_FILE} | grep "in Slot [0-9]" 2>/dev/null | while read _SSA_LINE
     do
-        _SLOT_NUM="$(print ${_SSA_LINE} | cut -f6 -d' ')"
+        _SLOT_NUM="$(print ${_SSA_LINE} | cut -f6 -d' ' 2>/dev/null)"
         case "${_DO_SSA_LOGL}" in
             +([0-9])*([0-9]))
                 # numeric OK
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_httpd_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_httpd_status.sh
index 728348c..6f87429 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_httpd_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_httpd_status.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 # @(#) 2017-04-23: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-08: fix fall-back for sysv->pgrep [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-17: removed _MSG dupe [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ function check_linux_httpd_status
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _HTTPD_INIT_SCRIPT="/etc/init.d/httpd"
 typeset _HTTPD_SYSTEMD_SERVICE="httpd.service"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-05-17"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ done
 linux_get_init
 case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'systemd')
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_HTTPD_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=1
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_HTTPD_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=1
         ;;
     'upstart')
         warn "code for upstart managed systems not implemented, NOOP"
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
         # check running SysV
         if [[ -x ${_HTTPD_INIT_SCRIPT} ]]
         then
-            if (( $(${_HTTPD_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_HTTPD_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=1
             fi
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ esac
 # 2) try the pgrep way (note: old pgreps do not support '-c')
 if (( _RC != 0 ))
 then
-    (( $(pgrep -u root httpd 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l) == 0 )) && _STC=1
+    (( $(pgrep -u root httpd 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l 2>/dev/null) == 0 )) && _STC=1
 fi
 
 # evaluate results
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_named_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_named_status.sh
index b4680da..5a2adbd 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_named_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_named_status.sh
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2013-12-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-08: fix fall-back for sysv->pgrep [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@
 function check_linux_named_status
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
-typeset _VERSION="2017-05-08"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ esac
 linux_get_init
 case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'systemd')
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_NAMED_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=1
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_NAMED_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=1
         ;;
     'upstart')
         warn "code for upstart managed systems not implemented, NOOP"
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
         # check running named
         if [[ -x ${_NAMED_INIT_SCRIPT} ]]
         then
-            if (( $(${_NAMED_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_NAMED_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=1
             fi
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ esac
 # 2) try the pgrep way (note: old pgreps do not support '-c')
 if (( _RC != 0 ))
 then
-    (( $(pgrep -u root named 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l) == 0 )) && _STC=1
+    (( $(pgrep -u root named 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l 2>/dev/null) == 0 )) && _STC=1
 fi
 
 # evaluate results
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_ntp_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_ntp_status.sh
index 7414ce0..5408893 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_ntp_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_ntp_status.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2018-03-20: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR + other small fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ function check_linux_ntp_status
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
 typeset _NTPD_INIT_SCRIPT="/etc/init.d/ntpd"
 typeset _NTPD_SYSTEMD_SERVICE="ntpd.service"
-typeset _VERSION="2018-03-20"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 typeset _NTPQ_BIN="/usr/sbin/ntpq"
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ fi
 linux_get_init
 case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'systemd')
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_NTPD_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=1
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_NTPD_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=1
         ;;
     'upstart')
         warn "code for upstart managed systems not implemented, NOOP"
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
         # check running SysV
         if [[ -x ${_NTPD_INIT_SCRIPT} ]]
         then
-            if (( $(${_NTPD_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_NTPD_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=1
             fi
@@ -107,13 +108,13 @@ esac
 # evaluate results
 case ${_STC} in
     0)
-        _MSG="postfix is running"
+        _MSG="ntpd is running"
         ;;
     1)
-        _MSG="postfix is not running"
+        _MSG="ntpd is not running"
         ;;
     *)
-        _MSG="could not determine status of postfix"
+        _MSG="could not determine status of n"
         ;;
 esac
 log_hc "$0" ${_STC} "${_MSG}"
@@ -131,7 +132,7 @@ else
 fi
 
 # 1) active server
-_NTP_PEER="$(grep -E -e '^\*' 2>/dev/null ${HC_STDOUT_LOG} | awk '{ print $1 }')"
+_NTP_PEER="$(grep -E -e '^\*' 2>/dev/null ${HC_STDOUT_LOG} | awk '{ print $1 }') 2>/dev/null"
 case ${_NTP_PEER} in
     \*127.127.1.0*)
         _MSG="NTP is synchronizing against its internal clock"
@@ -151,11 +152,11 @@ log_hc "$0" ${_STC} "${_MSG}"
 # 2) offset value
 if (( _STC == 0 ))
 then
-    _CURR_OFFSET="$(grep -E -e '^\*' 2>/dev/null ${HC_STDOUT_LOG} | awk '{ print $9 }')"
+    _CURR_OFFSET="$(grep -E -e '^\*' 2>/dev/null ${HC_STDOUT_LOG} | awk '{ print $9 }') 2>/dev/null"
     case ${_CURR_OFFSET} in
         +([-0-9])*(.)*([0-9]))
             # numeric, OK (negatives are OK too!)
-            if (( $(awk -v c="${_CURR_OFFSET}" -v m="${_MAX_OFFSET}" 'BEGIN { print (c>m) }') != 0 ))
+            if (( $(awk -v c="${_CURR_OFFSET}" -v m="${_MAX_OFFSET}" 'BEGIN { print (c>m) }' 2>/dev/null) != 0 ))
             then
                 _MSG="NTP offset of ${_CURR_OFFSET} is bigger than the configured maximum of ${_MAX_OFFSET}"
                 _STC=1      
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_postfix_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_postfix_status.sh
index b70ab5c..18829ce 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_postfix_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_postfix_status.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 # @(#) 2016-12-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-08: suppress errors on postfix call + fix fall-back 
 # @(#)             for sysv->pgrep[Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ function check_linux_postfix_status
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _POSTFIX_INIT_SCRIPT="/etc/init.d/postfix"
 typeset _POSTFIX_SYSTEMD_SERVICE="postfix.service"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-05-08"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ done
 linux_get_init
 case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'systemd')
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_POSTFIX_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=1
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_POSTFIX_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=1
         ;;
     'upstart')
         warn "code for upstart managed systems not implemented, NOOP"
@@ -73,7 +74,7 @@ case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
         # check running SysV
         if [[ -x ${_POSTFIX_INIT_SCRIPT} ]]
         then
-            if (( $(${_POSTFIX_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_POSTFIX_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=1
             fi
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ then
     _POSTFIX_BIN="$(which postfix 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG})"
     if [[ -x ${_POSTFIX_BIN} && -n "${_POSTFIX_BIN}" ]]
     then
-        if (( $(${_POSTFIX_BIN} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running') == 0 ))
+        if (( $(${_POSTFIX_BIN} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
         then
             _STC=1
         fi
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_root_crontab.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_root_crontab.sh
index d7140d9..f687a1e 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_root_crontab.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_root_crontab.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2013-09-19: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ function check_linux_root_crontab
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2013-09-19"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ if [[ -d /etc/cron.d ]]
 then
     cat /etc/cron.d/* | while read _CRON_LINE
     do
-        if [[ $(print "${_CRON_LINE}" | awk '{print $6}') == "root" ]]
+        if [[ $(print "${_CRON_LINE}" | awk '{print $6}' 2>/dev/null) == "root" ]]
         then
             print "${_CRON_LINE}" >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG}
         fi
@@ -96,7 +97,7 @@ fi
 grep -v -E -e '^$' -e '^#' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | while read _CRON_ENTRY
 do
     _CRON_MATCH=$(grep -v '^#' ${HC_STDOUT_LOG} 2>/dev/null |\
-        grep -c -E -e "${_CRON_ENTRY}")
+        grep -c -E -e "${_CRON_ENTRY}" 2>/dev/null)
     case ${_CRON_MATCH} in
         0)
             _MSG="'${_CRON_ENTRY}' is not configured in cron"
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_samba_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_samba_status.sh
index b1c01bc..e3c2901 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_samba_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_samba_status.sh
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 # @(#) 2016-12-01: added systemd code [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-08: fix fall-back for sysv->pgrep [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-07-23: fix for systemd service names [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ function check_linux_samba_status
 typeset _SMB_INIT_SCRIPT="/etc/init.d/samba"
 typeset _SMB_SYSTEMD_SERVICE="smb.service"
 typeset _NMB_SYSTEMD_SERVICE="nmb.service"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-07-23"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -65,9 +66,9 @@ linux_get_init
 case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'systemd')
         # check running NMB
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_NMB_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=1
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_NMB_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=1
         # check running SMB
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_SMB_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=$(( _STC + 2 ))
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_SMB_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=$(( _STC + 2 ))
         ;;
     'upstart')
         warn "code for upstart managed systems not implemented, NOOP"
@@ -77,12 +78,12 @@ case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
         # check running NMB/SMB
         if [[ -x ${_SMB_INIT_SCRIPT} ]]
         then
-            if (( $(${_SMB_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i -E -e 'NMB.*is running.*') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_SMB_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i -E -e 'NMB.*is running.*' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=1
             fi
             # check running SMB
-            if (( $(${_SMB_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i -E -e 'SMB.*is running.*') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_SMB_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i -E -e 'SMB.*is running.*' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=$(( _STC + 2 ))
             fi
@@ -99,8 +100,8 @@ esac
 # 2) try the pgrep way (note: old pgreps do not support '-c')
 if (( _RC != 0 ))
 then
-    (( $(pgrep -u root nmbd 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG}| wc -l) == 0 )) && _STC=1
-    (( $(pgrep -u root smbd 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l) == 0 )) && _STC=$(( _STC + 2 ))
+    (( $(pgrep -u root nmbd 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG}| wc -l 2>/dev/null) == 0 )) && _STC=1
+    (( $(pgrep -u root smbd 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l 2>/dev/null) == 0 )) && _STC=$(( _STC + 2 ))
 fi
 
 # evaluate results
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_cluster_config.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_cluster_config.sh
index d73195d..a1a9fc4 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_cluster_config.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_cluster_config.sh
@@ -19,10 +19,11 @@
 # @(#) MAIN: check_linux_sg_cluster_status
 # DOES: see _show_usage()
 # EXPECTS: see _show_usage()
-# REQUIRES: data_space2comma(), init_hc(), log_hc(), warn()
+# REQUIRES: data_space2comma(), dump_logs(), init_hc(), log_hc(), warn()
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2017-04-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: added dump_logs() & other fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ function check_linux_sg_cluster_config
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-04-01"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 typeset _SG_DAEMON="/opt/cmcluster/bin/cmcld"
 # rubbish that cmgetconf outputs to STDOUT instead of STDERR
@@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ then
 fi
 
 # look for cluster instance names
-grep -E -e '^\[' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | cut -f1 -d']' | cut -f2 -d'[' |\
+grep -E -e '^\[' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | cut -f1 -d']' 2>/dev/null | cut -f2 -d'[' 2>/dev/null |\
 while read _CLUSTER_INSTANCE
 do
     _CLUSTER_INSTANCES="${_CLUSTER_INSTANCES} ${_CLUSTER_INSTANCE}"
@@ -103,6 +104,8 @@ else
     [[ -s ${_CLUSTER_RUN_FILE}.${_CLUSTER_INSTANCE} ]] || {
         _MSG="unable to gather cluster configuration"
         log_hc "$0" 1 "${_MSG}"
+        # dump debug info
+        (( ARG_DEBUG != 0 && ARG_DEBUG_LEVEL > 0 )) && dump_logs
         return 0
     }
     done
@@ -142,11 +145,11 @@ do
     while read _CLUSTER_ENTRY
     do
         # split entry to get the compressed version
-        _CLUSTER_CFG_ENTRY=$(print "${_CLUSTER_ENTRY}" | cut -f2 -d'|')
+        _CLUSTER_CFG_ENTRY=$(print "${_CLUSTER_ENTRY}" | cut -f2 -d'|' 2>/dev/null)
         # get parameter name from non-compressed version
-        _CLUSTER_PARAM=$(print "${_CLUSTER_ENTRY}" | cut -f1 -d'|' | awk '{ print $1 }')
+        _CLUSTER_PARAM=$(print "${_CLUSTER_ENTRY}" | cut -f1 -d'|' 2>/dev/null | awk '{ print $1 }' 2>/dev/null)
         # get parameter value from non-compressed version
-        _CLUSTER_VALUE=$(print "${_CLUSTER_ENTRY}" | cut -f1 -d'|' | awk '{ print substr($2,1,30)}')
+        _CLUSTER_VALUE=$(print "${_CLUSTER_ENTRY}" | cut -f1 -d'|' 2>/dev/null | awk '{ print substr($2,1,30)}' 2>/dev/null)
         # is it present?
         _CLUSTER_MATCH=$(grep -c "${_CLUSTER_CFG_ENTRY}" ${_CLUSTER_RUN_FILE}.${_CLUSTER_INSTANCE} 2>/dev/null)
         if (( _CLUSTER_MATCH == 0 ))
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_cluster_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_cluster_status.sh
index d684a69..0bbe16b 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_cluster_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_cluster_status.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 # @(#) 2017-04-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-07: made checks more detailed for log_hc() [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2018-05-20: added dump_logs() [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ function check_linux_sg_cluster_status
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2018-05-20"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 typeset _SG_DAEMON="/opt/cmcluster/bin/cmcld"
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ then
     warn "${_SG_DAEMON} is not installed here"
     return 1
 else
-    cmviewcl -v -f line 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | tr '|' ':' >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG}
+    cmviewcl -v -f line 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | tr '|' ':' >>${HC_STDOUT_LOG} 2>/dev/null
     (( $? != 0 )) && {
         _MSG="unable to run command: {cmviewcl}"
         log_hc "$0" 1 "${_MSG}"
@@ -90,17 +91,18 @@ fi
 
 # do cluster status checks
 # (replace ':' by '|' for cmcviewcl output)
-grep -v -E -e '^$' -e '^#' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | tr '|' ':' | while read _SG_ENTRY
+grep -v -E -e '^$' -e '^#' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | tr '|' ':' 2>/dev/null |\
+    while read _SG_ENTRY
 do
     # field split
-    _SG_CFG_PARAM="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f1 -d'=')"   # field 1
-    _SG_CFG_VALUE="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f2 -d'=')"   # field 2
+    _SG_CFG_PARAM="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f1 -d'=' 2>/dev/null)"   # field 1
+    _SG_CFG_VALUE="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f2 -d'=' 2>/dev/null)"   # field 2
 
     # check run-time values (anchored grep here!)
     _SG_MATCH=$(grep -i "^${_SG_CFG_PARAM}" ${HC_STDOUT_LOG} 2>/dev/null)
     if [[ -n "${_SG_MATCH}" ]]
     then
-        _SG_RUN_VALUE=$(print "${_SG_MATCH}" | cut -f2 -d'=')   # field 2
+        _SG_RUN_VALUE=$(print "${_SG_MATCH}" | cut -f2 -d'=' 2>/dev/null)   # field 2
     
         if [[ "${_SG_CFG_VALUE}" = "${_SG_RUN_VALUE}" ]]
         then
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_package_config.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_package_config.sh
index 3f67867..4ff981d 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_package_config.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_package_config.sh
@@ -19,10 +19,11 @@
 # @(#) MAIN: check_linux_sg_package_config
 # DOES: see _show_usage()
 # EXPECTS: see _show_usage()
-# REQUIRES: data_space2comma(), init_hc(), log_hc(), warn()
+# REQUIRES: data_space2comma(), dump_logs(), init_hc(), log_hc(), warn()
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2017-04-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: added dump_logs() & other fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ function check_linux_sg_package_config
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-04-01"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 typeset _SG_DAEMON="/opt/cmcluster/bin/cmcld"
 # rubbish that cmgetconf outputs to STDOUT instead of STDERR
@@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ then
 fi
 
 # look for package instance names
-grep -E -e '^\[' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | cut -f1 -d']' | cut -f2 -d'[' |\
+grep -E -e '^\[' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | cut -f1 -d']' 2>/dev/null | cut -f2 -d'[' 2>/dev/null |\
 while read _PKG_INSTANCE
 do
     _PKG_INSTANCES="${_PKG_INSTANCES} ${_PKG_INSTANCE}"
@@ -103,6 +104,8 @@ else
     [[ -s ${_PKG_RUN_FILE}.${_PKG_INSTANCE} ]] || {
         _MSG="unable to gather package configuration for at least one cluster package"
         log_hc "$0" 1 "${_MSG}"
+        # dump debug info
+        (( ARG_DEBUG != 0 && ARG_DEBUG_LEVEL > 0 )) && dump_logs
         return 0
     }
     done
@@ -142,11 +145,11 @@ do
     while read _PKG_ENTRY
     do
         # split entry to get the compressed version
-        _PKG_CFG_ENTRY=$(print "${_PKG_ENTRY}" | cut -f2 -d'|')
+        _PKG_CFG_ENTRY=$(print "${_PKG_ENTRY}" | cut -f2 -d'|' 2>/dev/null)
         # get parameter name from non-compressed version
-        _PKG_PARAM=$(print "${_PKG_ENTRY}" | awk '{ print $1 }')
+        _PKG_PARAM=$(print "${_PKG_ENTRY}" | awk '{ print $1 }' 2>/dev/null)
         # get parameter value from non-compressed version
-        _PKG_VALUE=$(print "${_PKG_ENTRY}" | cut -f1 -d'|' | awk '{ print substr($2,1,30)}')
+        _PKG_VALUE=$(print "${_PKG_ENTRY}" | cut -f1 -d'|' 2>/dev/null| awk '{ print substr($2,1,30)}' 2>/dev/null)
         # is it present?
         _PKG_MATCH=$(grep -c "${_PKG_CFG_ENTRY}" ${_PKG_RUN_FILE}.${_PKG_INSTANCE} 2>/dev/null)
         if (( _PKG_MATCH == 0 ))
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_package_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_package_status.sh
index 3d6f3e1..dfc8a1a 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_package_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_package_status.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 # @(#) 2017-04-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-07: made checks more detailed for log_hc() [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2018-05-20: added dump_logs() [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ function check_linux_sg_package_status
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
-typeset _VERSION="2018-05-20"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 typeset _SG_DAEMON="/opt/cmcluster/bin/cmcld"
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
@@ -91,18 +92,18 @@ fi
 
 # do package status checks
 # (replace ':' by '|' for cmcviewcl output)
-grep -v -E -e '^$' -e '^#' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | tr '|' ':' | while read _SG_ENTRY
+grep -v -E -e '^$' -e '^#' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | tr '|' ':' 2>/dev/null | while read _SG_ENTRY
 do
     # field split
     _SG_PACKAGE="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f1 -d':')"
-    _SG_CFG_PARAM="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f2- -d':' | cut -f1 -d'=')"       # field 2-,1
-    _SG_CFG_VALUE="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f2- -d':' | cut -f2 -d'=')"       # field 2-,2
+    _SG_CFG_PARAM="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f2- -d':' 2>/dev/null | cut -f1 -d'=' 2>/dev/null)"       # field 2-,1
+    _SG_CFG_VALUE="$(print ${_SG_ENTRY} | cut -f2- -d':' 2>/dev/null | cut -f2 -d'=' 2>/dev/null)"       # field 2-,2
 
     # check run-time values (anchored grep here!)
     _SG_MATCH=$(grep -i "^package:${_SG_PACKAGE}:${_SG_CFG_PARAM}" ${HC_STDOUT_LOG} 2>/dev/null)
     if [[ -n "${_SG_MATCH}" ]]
     then
-        _SG_RUN_VALUE=$(print "${_SG_MATCH}" | cut -f3- -d':' | cut -f2 -d'=')   # field3-,2
+        _SG_RUN_VALUE=$(print "${_SG_MATCH}" | cut -f3- -d':' 2>/dev/null | cut -f2 -d'=' 2>/dev/null)   # field3-,2
     
         if [[ "${_SG_CFG_VALUE}" = "${_SG_RUN_VALUE}" ]]
         then
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_qs_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_qs_status.sh
index efad74b..183b6bd 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_qs_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sg_qs_status.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #
 # @(#) HISTORY:
 # @(#) 2017-05-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@
 function check_linux_sg_qs_status
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
-typeset _VERSION="2017-05-01"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-1"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 typeset _QS_BIN="/opt/qs/bin/qsc"
 typeset _QS_AUTH_FILE="/opt/qs/conf/qs_authfile"
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ then
 fi
 
 # ---- process state ----
-(( $(pgrep -u root -f ${_QS_BIN} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l) == 0 )) && _STC=1
+(( $(pgrep -u root -f ${_QS_BIN} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l 2>/dev/null) == 0 )) && _STC=1
 
 # evaluate results
 case ${_STC} in
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sshd_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sshd_status.sh
index 9b2b770..568057b 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sshd_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_sshd_status.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 # @(#) 2016-12-01: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-05: fix fall-back for sysv->pgrep [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-08: set init/systemd based on distro [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@
 function check_linux_sshd_status
 {
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
-typeset _VERSION="2017-05-08"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ esac
 linux_get_init
 case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'systemd')
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_SSHD_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=1
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_SSHD_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=1
         ;;
     'upstart')
         warn "code for upstart managed systems not implemented, NOOP"
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'sysv')
         if [[ -x ${_SSHD_INIT_SCRIPT} ]]
         then
-            if (( $(${_SSHD_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_SSHD_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'is running' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=1
             fi
@@ -100,7 +101,7 @@ esac
 # 2) try the pgrep way (note: old pgreps do not support '-c')
 if (( _RC != 0 ))
 then
-    (( $(pgrep -P 1 -u root sshd 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l) == 0 )) && _STC=1
+    (( $(pgrep -P 1 -u root sshd 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l 2>/dev/null) == 0 )) && _STC=1
 fi
 
 # evaluate results
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_vz_ct_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_vz_ct_status.sh
index 610518e..520e178 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_vz_ct_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_vz_ct_status.sh
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 # @(#) 2017-06-08: return 1 on error [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2018-04-30: fixes on variable names Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2018-05-20: added dump_logs() [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ function check_linux_vz_ct_status
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _CONFIG_FILE="${CONFIG_DIR}/$0.conf"
 typeset _VZLIST_BIN="/usr/sbin/vzlist"
-typeset _VERSION="2018-05-20"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -91,8 +92,8 @@ grep -v -E -e '^$' -e '^#' ${_CONFIG_FILE} 2>/dev/null | while read _CT_ENTRY
 do
     # field split
     _CT_ID="$(print ${_CT_ENTRY} | cut -f1 -d';')"
-    _CT_CFG_STATUS=$(data_lc $(print "${_CT_ENTRY}" | cut -f2 -d';'))
-    _CT_CFG_BOOT=$(data_lc $(print "${_CT_ENTRY}" | cut -f3 -d';'))
+    _CT_CFG_STATUS=$(data_lc $(print "${_CT_ENTRY}" | cut -f2 -d';' 2>/dev/null))
+    _CT_CFG_BOOT=$(data_lc $(print "${_CT_ENTRY}" | cut -f3 -d';' 2>/dev/null))
     
     # check config
     case "${_CT_ID}" in
@@ -138,8 +139,8 @@ do
     if [[ -n "${_CT_MATCH}" ]]
     then
         # field split
-        _CT_RUN_STATUS=$(data_lc $(print "${_CT_MATCH}" | tr -s ' ' ';' | cut -f3 -d';'))
-        _CT_RUN_BOOT=$(data_lc $(print "${_CT_MATCH}" | tr -s ' ' ';' | cut -f4 -d';'))
+        _CT_RUN_STATUS=$(data_lc $(print "${_CT_MATCH}" | tr -s ' ' ';' 2>/dev/null | cut -f3 -d';' 2>/dev/null))
+        _CT_RUN_BOOT=$(data_lc $(print "${_CT_MATCH}" | tr -s ' ' ';' 2>/dev/null | cut -f4 -d';' 2>/dev/null))
         
         if [[ "${_CT_RUN_STATUS}" = "${_CT_CFG_STATUS}" ]]
         then
diff --git a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_winbind_status.sh b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_winbind_status.sh
index 7a59876..1aded84 100644
--- a/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_winbind_status.sh
+++ b/sources/lib/platform/linux/check_linux_winbind_status.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 # @(#) 2013-05-17: initial version [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2016-12-01: added systemd code [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # @(#) 2017-05-08: fix fall-back for sysv->pgrep [Patrick Van der Veken]
+# @(#) 2018-05-21: STDERR fixes [Patrick Van der Veken]
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # DO NOT CHANGE THIS FILE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ function check_linux_winbind_status
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION starts here -------------------------
 typeset _WINBIND_INIT_SCRIPT="/etc/init.d/winbind"
 typeset _WINBIND_SYSTEMD_SERVICE="winbind.service"
-typeset _VERSION="2017-05-08"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
+typeset _VERSION="2018-05-21"                           # YYYY-MM-DD
 typeset _SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS="Linux"                    # uname -s match
 # ------------------------- CONFIGURATION ends here ---------------------------
 
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ done
 linux_get_init
 case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'systemd')
-        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_WINBIND_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} || _STC=1
+        systemctl --quiet is-active ${_WINBIND_SYSTEMD_SERVICE} 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} || _STC=1
         ;;
     'upstart')
         warn "code for upstart managed systems not implemented, NOOP"
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ case "${LINUX_INIT}" in
     'sysv')
         if [[ -x ${_WINBIND_INIT_SCRIPT} ]]
         then
-            if (( $(${_WINBIND_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'running') == 0 ))
+            if (( $(${_WINBIND_INIT_SCRIPT} status 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | grep -c -i 'running' 2>/dev/null) == 0 ))
             then
                 _STC=1
             fi
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ esac
 # 2) try the pgrep way (note: old pgreps do not support '-c')
 if (( _RC != 0 ))
 then
-    (( $(pgrep -u root winbind 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l) == 0 )) && _STC=1
+    (( $(pgrep -u root winbind 2>>${HC_STDERR_LOG} | wc -l 2>/dev/null) == 0 )) && _STC=1
 fi
 
 # evaluate & log results