From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Mar 2 02:03:47 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7EF04106574A for ; Mon, 2 Mar 2009 02:03:47 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from frank@esperance-linux.co.uk) Received: from mailout.zetnet.co.uk (mailout.zetnet.co.uk [194.247.47.231]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0D1078FC18 for ; Mon, 2 Mar 2009 02:03:46 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from frank@esperance-linux.co.uk) Received: from irwell.zetnet.co.uk ([194.247.47.48] helo=zetnet.co.uk) by mailout.zetnet.co.uk with esmtp (Exim 4.63) (envelope-from ) id 1LdxVO-0003SK-Lv; Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:03:42 +0000 Received: from melon.esperance-linux.co.uk (54-144.adsl.zetnet.co.uk [194.247.54.144]) by zetnet.co.uk (8.14.1/8.14.1/Debian-9) with ESMTP id n2223gMK007700; Mon, 2 Mar 2009 02:03:42 GMT Received: by melon.esperance-linux.co.uk (Postfix, from userid 1001) id E8C2BFCA4DB; Mon, 2 Mar 2009 02:03:36 +0000 (GMT) Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 02:03:36 +0000 From: Frank Shute To: APseudoUtopia Message-ID: <20090302020336.GA18386@melon.esperance-linux.co.uk> Mail-Followup-To: APseudoUtopia , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org References: <27ade5280903011124v4d6d9fdq2071d5ab44a37ca9@mail.gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <27ade5280903011124v4d6d9fdq2071d5ab44a37ca9@mail.gmail.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.3i X-Face: *}~{PHnDTzvXPe'wl_-f%!@+r5; VLhb':*DsX%wEOPg\fDrXWQJf|2\,92"DdS%63t*BHDyQ|OWo@Gfjcd72eaN!4%NE{0]p)ihQ1MyFNtWL X-Operating-System: FreeBSD 6.4-RELEASE-p2 i386 X-Organisation: 'http://www.shute.org.uk/' X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.1.7 (zetnet.co.uk [194.247.46.1]); Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:03:42 +0000 (GMT) Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Cron Not Sending Mail X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: Frank Shute List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:03:48 -0000 On Sun, Mar 01, 2009 at 02:24:47PM -0500, APseudoUtopia wrote: > > Cron is not sending output as emails. I noticed this when I stopped > seeing the output of a backup script in my daily email. I thought > there was a problem with the backup script - but no, it's cron not > sending the emails. > > I had this problem before on 6.1, which I never found a solution to. I > gave up on it, and eventually I upgraded to 7.1. After the upgrade, > cron worked perfectly. However, I just noticed that it stopped working > again. I have no idea what changed (It's a production server, I > haven't been playing with config files). > > User www's mail is redirected to root, which is redirected to a @gmail > account via /etc/aliases. > This is on 7.1-RELEASE-p3 running a custom kernel. > > Any solution to this problem would be fantastic. I use the emails from > cron on a daily basis, and it really messes me up to have it not > working. > > ##### > # User www's crontab > # Note, I also tried removing the MAILTO to no avail > ##### > MAILTO=root > # m h dom mon dow cmd > * * * * * echo "Hello" > > > #### > # /var/log/cron > #### > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant /usr/sbin/cron[22627]: (operator) CMD > (/usr/libexec/save-entropy) > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22627]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > group_compat, setgrent, not found > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22627]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > group_compat, endgrent, not found > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22627]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > passwd_compat, endpwent, not found > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant /usr/sbin/cron[22628]: (www) CMD (echo "Hello") > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22628]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > group_compat, setgrent, not found > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22628]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > group_compat, endgrent, not found > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22628]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > passwd_compat, endpwent, not found > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22630]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > group_compat, setgrent, not found > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22630]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > group_compat, endgrent, not found > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant cron[22630]: NSSWITCH(nss_method_lookup): nis, > passwd_compat, endpwent, not found > > > > #### > # /var/log/maillog > #### > Mar 1 19:22:00 youcant sendmail[22630]: n21JM0Gl022630: from=www, > size=0, class=0, nrcpts=0, > msgid=<200903011922.n21JM0Gl022630@youcant.tastetherainbow.ws>, > relay=www@localhost It looks like you're using user: www for your crontab. Unfortunately, from /etc/passwd: www:*:80:80:World Wide Web Owner:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin i.e user www can't do much without a shell. Create a crontab as a user with a shell, MAILTO to your gmail account. The user may want to be a member of a group with privileges. Or use sudo. Don't forget to add him to /var/cron/allow as per manpage for crontab(1). You could set SHELL in your crontab for www (might work) but I'd use a different user who's a member of group operator maybe. Hope that helps. Regards, -- Frank Contact info: http://www.shute.org.uk/misc/contact.html