[TriLUG] Stale stuff in /var/run/utmp

[Brian Henning]

Hi!
   Occasionally ssh-tunneled stuff doesn't let go of the connection 
correctly and I have to terminate the ssh connection when I'm done (in 
place of it closing cleanly upon exiting the shell...talking about 
interactive logins).  This results (apparently) in stale records in 
/var/run/utmp.  What's the best way to clear that out?  Is it safe to 
just delete /var/run/utmp?  Or is there a particular command to issue to 
purge stale login data?

It's not a big deal..  I just have to double-take when I see "5 users 
logged in" when it's only me using the system (and "who" just lists 
multiple instances of my user)..  So I'd like to be able to clear it.

Cheers,
~Brian