default umask for cron

[Luis Toro]

I will be changing the umask setting in /etc/profile to be more restrictive. In running some simple tests in cron, to test the impact of this change, I noticed that even though umask was set to 027 in /etc/profile, new file permissions were rw-r--r-- in running a "touch" command in roots cron. This is on an HPUX server.
Thanks

[Patrick Wallek]

Cron does NOT source any profiles, /etc/profile or ~/.profile.

If you want a specific umask in your cron scripts you need to set it manually in the scripts themselves.

[Luis Toro]

Thanks Patrick.
Perhaps the better question is: where is cron getting its umask?

[Dennis Handly]

>Perhaps the better question is: where is cron getting its umask?

You should just set umask the way you want it in your scripts as Patrick said.

Otherwise cron is started from rc, which is started from inittab.

[Kapil Jha]

I think i got your question,
Patrick is absolutely right when he says cron does not refer any .profile file,you have to put in cron script.

Dennis
>Otherwise cron is started from rc, which is started from inittab

Lis question is if he is running touch from cron entry file has permission 644.
So from where this permission is coming.

I think its the default one 022 as said by Dennis.Cron start from rc.
When u change umask for root or someone from .profile it would be effective only for that login.
BR,
Kapil

[Kapil Jha]

Now m confused with your error , default mask should come from /etc/profile(global)
and I think cron should take default from this only.
Can you please check once again entries you have in /etc/profile.
BR,
Kapil

[Dennis Handly]

>Kapil: Now I'm confused with your error

Why? You said exactly what umask was, 022. This is hardcoded in /sbin/rc.
And that matches with what Luis said touch did.

>default mask should come from /etc/profile

But it gets reset by rc(1m).

>I think cron should take default from this only.

No, cron gets it from rc.

[Kapil Jha]

So it moves like
rc > /etc/profile > HOME/.profile

if /etc/profile and HOME/.profile does not have any specified umask then default would come from rc.
Right...

Kapil

[Dennis Handly]

>Kapil: So it moves like
>rc > /etc/profile > HOME/.profile

Why?

It moves like: maybe /etc/profile > HOME/.profile
rc > umask 022 > /sbin/rc.utils, rc.config
>> rc scripts

>if /etc/profile and HOME/.profile

Why would these be looked at after rc starts?

[OldSchool]

Kapil:
"if /etc/profile and HOME/.profile does not have any specified umask then default would come from rc.
Right..."

and cron *doesn't* login, so it doesn't use the profiles....which is why its set to the default....