node.js npm error when installing plugins with -g - node.js

Question

Trying to install express globally and gets this error. I'm running the node.js version 0.10.24 on my x86 qnap.
[/share/Qweb/Codiad/workspace/chat] # npm install express -g
npm ERR! Error: setuid user id does not exist
npm ERR! at /share/MD0_DATA/.qpkg/Optware/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/uid-number/uid-number.js:44:16
npm ERR! at ChildProcess.exithandler (child_process.js:635:7)
npm ERR! at ChildProcess.EventEmitter.emit (events.js:98:17)
npm ERR! at maybeClose (child_process.js:735:16)
npm ERR! at Socket. (child_process.js:948:11)
npm ERR! at Socket.EventEmitter.emit (events.js:95:17)
npm ERR! at Pipe.close (net.js:466:12)
npm ERR! If you need help, you may report this entire log,
npm ERR! including the npm and node versions, at:
npm ERR! http://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues
npm ERR! System Linux 3.4.6
npm ERR! command "/opt/bin/node" "/opt/bin/npm" "install" "express" "-g"
npm ERR! cwd /share/MD0_DATA/Qweb/Codiad/workspace/chat
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.24
npm ERR! npm -v 1.3.21
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR! /share/MD0_DATA/Qweb/Codiad/workspace/chat/npm-debug.log
npm ERR! not ok code 0

Answer 1

npm tool does not work correctly in QNAP OS
The work-around is telling npm that QNAP does not support get or set user-id by modifying npm source code:
Open file uid-number.js in your editor:
/share/MD0_DATA/.qpkg/Optware/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/uid-number/uid-‌​number.js
Goto line 11 and replace uidSupport = process.getuid && process.setuid with uidSupport = false

Answer 2

QNAP lacks couple of system users available on Linux systems and hence some software does not work properly on QNAP with out-of-the-box configuration, node included.
Solution to your problem: create user nobody. You can use adduser -D -H nobody
or NAS's web ui.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Node.js v5.8.0 download page
try this: node-upgrade.sh
#!/bin/sh
URL=$1
[[ $URL =~ (node-v5\.8\.0-.*)\.tar\.gz$ ]] && TARFile=${BASH_REMATCH[0]} && DirName=${BASH_REMATCH[1]}
[[ $TARFile == "" ]] && echo "url is wrong" && exit
NodeJSPath=$(/sbin/getcfg nodejs Install_Path -f /etc/config/qpkg.conf)
wget --no-check-certificate $URL
tar zxf $TARFile -C $NodeJSPath
rm -r $NodeJSPath/node $TARFile
ln -s $NodeJSPath/$DirName $NodeJSPath/node
uidscript=$NodeJSPath/$DirName/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/uid-number/uid-number.js
script="$(cat $uidscript)"
echo "${script/", uidSupport = process.getuid && process.setuid"/, uidSupport = false}" > $uidscript
e.g.
my qnap nas is Intel x86-based series
sh ./node-upgrade.sh https://nodejs.org/download/release/v5.8.0/node-v5.8.0-linux-x86.tar.gz