topic Re: Cron troubles in Operating System - HP-UX

Cron troubles

Jeffrey F. Goldsmith — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 13:37:30 GMT

I created a cron job to run a script that resides in /root folder. This script doesn’t do very much but give me a picture of how the system is doing at midnight and removes old files from the /tmp folder.

It sends an e-mail to the user (root) which should be forwarded to my e-mail address. This works properly won my L2000 server but doesn’t seem to be working on my rp3440 server.

The log file doesn’t show me any useful information other than the script ran. I am not getting any e-mails. What could be the problem?

Thanks

Re: Cron troubles

James R. Ferguson — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 13:42:01 GMT

Hi Jeffrey:

How do you do 'forwarding'? Is your "email" address merely on your server or does it live elsewhere? Do you have a 'DS' entry in:

'/etc/mail/sendmail.cf'

...for example:

DSxxx.abc.com

Regards!

...JRF...

Re: Cron troubles

James R. Ferguson — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 13:43:25 GMT

Hi (again) Jeff:

Check also '/var/adm/syslog/mail.log' for indications of mail problems.

Regards!

...JRF...

Re: Cron troubles

Carlos Roberto Schimidt — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 13:45:14 GMT

Hi,

Do you PATH setup in your script to find sendmail or mailx ?

Try put to run in cron this form:

0 0 * * * /your_script.sh 2>/tmp/err.log >/tmp/your_script.log

Look for the errors in theses logs.

Try put "set -x" in first line in script if you can figure out yet.

Look for errors in /var/adm/syslog/mail.log

Be sure your script in the log /var/adm/cron/log

Schimidt

Re: Cron troubles

Sandman! — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 13:45:28 GMT

Run your script in debug mode by adding a line to the top of your script as follows:

#!/bin/ -x

and then looking at its output on what is wrong. Additionally make sure the PATH variable in your script is defined as cron has a very limited one.

cheers!

Re: Cron troubles

Geoff Wild — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 13:47:05 GMT

Could be many things - different OS releases?

Mail not configured the same?

Can you post the script?

In your crontab, ad looging for the cron job:

0 0 0 0 0 /root/yourscript > /tmp/yourscript.cronlog 2>&1

What happens when you run the script from the command line on the rp3440?

Rgds...Geoff

Re: Cron troubles

Jeffrey F. Goldsmith — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 13:59:40 GMT

Yes, there is a difference between the OS that I am using. The L2000 is using HP-UX 11.0 and the rp3440 is using HP-UX 11.23.

Here is the script that I am running on both servers:

Re: Cron troubles

Kent Ostby — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:01:06 GMT

Check to make sure that you are using full paths in your script.

If the paths are defined differently between the two machines then it could cause a problem.

Re: Cron troubles

Geoff Wild — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:06:17 GMT

In your script, you can also redirect command outputs to a log file:

LOG=/tmp/genadmin.log

#zero the old log
>$LOG

bdf >>$LOG

swapinfo -tam >> $LOG

and so on...

Then mail the log file:

mailx -s "genadmin report" you@yourdomain.com < $LOG

Rgds...Geoff

Re: Cron troubles

Jeffrey F. Goldsmith — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:07:48 GMT

The PATHs are different because of how I setup the root user on the rp3440. Here is the two scrips that are running on the two different servers.

Rp3440 w/11.23:
root: /var/spool/cron/crontabs ==> more root
# Entry(s) in /opt/hpservices/RemoteSupport are for HP Instant Support Enterpris
e Edition

0 0 * * 1 /opt/hpservices/RemoteSupport/config/pruneIncidents.sh
50 23 * * * /root/genadmin
0,15,30,45 * * * * /opt/omni/sbin/omnitrig
root: /var/spool/cron/crontabs ==>

L2000 w/11.0:
root: /etc/mail ==> more /var/spool/cron/crontabs/root
50 23 * * * /home/root/genadmin
# omnitrig entry was automatically added by
0,15,30,45 * * * * /opt/omni/sbin/omnitrig
root: /etc/mail ==>

Re: Cron troubles

Geoff Wild — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:16:54 GMT

What Kent means - is in your scripts, use the full paths to the commands:

/usr/bin/bdf

I also noticed the first line in your script:

#\!/bin/ksh

should be

#!/bin/ksh

Rgds...Geoff

Re: Cron troubles

Jeffrey F. Goldsmith — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 15:15:48 GMT

I made the changes and also created a different script to see if I could figure out what the problem is. This one doesnt seem to be working either.

root: /root ==> more gravinadate
#!/bin/ksh -x

/usr/bin/date

# mail lvol list to root
/usr/bin/bdf

root: /root ==>

Here is my crontabs file:

root: /var/spool/cron/crontabs ==> more root
# Entry(s) in /opt/hpservices/RemoteSupport are for HP Instant Support Enterpris
e Edition

0 0 0 0 0 /root/gravinadate > /tmp/gravinadate.cronlog 2>&1

0 0 * * 1 /opt/hpservices/RemoteSupport/config/pruneIncidents.sh
0,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55 * * * * /root/gravinadate
50 23 * * * /root/genadmin
0,15,30,45 * * * * /opt/omni/sbin/omnitrig
root: /var/spool/cron/crontabs ==>

Here is my .forward too:

root: /root ==> more .forward
jgoldsmith@co.fairbanks.ak.us
# ssmith@co.fairbanks.ak.us
root: /root ==>

I checked the mail part and it looks correct.
Any other ideas as to what could be my problem?

Re: Cron troubles

Marcel Boogert_1 — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 15:38:14 GMT

Hi,

You mail setup is working well?

# cat /root/.profile | mailx jgoldsmith@co.fairbanks.ak.us

Use the command mailq to see if anything hangs...

Regards, MB.

Re: Cron troubles

Marcel Boogert_1 — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 15:39:26 GMT

Hi again,

I also found this:

http://www4.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docLocale=en_US&docId=200000062904859

MB.

Re: Cron troubles

Jeffrey F. Goldsmith — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 15:41:43 GMT

I am now thinking that I am having a problem with my mail service. I tried to send myself an e-mail and received nothing and the mqueue is empty.

Re: Cron troubles

someone_4 — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 16:10:07 GMT

Here is what i do:
------------------------
#!/bin/sh
exec > /home/whatever/logfile 2>@1

MAIL_TO=you@somewhere.net

echo "From:yourserver@somewhere.net"
echo "Subject:whatever you want.

your script here:

bottom of script

cat /home/whatever/logfile | sendmail $MAIL_TO
----------------------------

Richard

Re: Cron troubles

Geoff Wild — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 17:03:56 GMT

Yes - check your mail configuration...

/etc/mail

look at the aliases file and sendmail.cf

Main macros to check in cf:

DS
DM

Check it on the L2000 - then make changes to the sendmail.cf on the RP3440.

DS is the "smart relay" - like an exchange or notes server

DSyourexchangeserver

DM - is masquerade - so instead of root@someserver.internaldomain.net it will be root@yourdomain.com

DMyourdomain.com

Rgds...Geoff