AWK Shell script problem

[Peter Remirez]

Hi,
I would like to insert a line:
"auth.warn @mickey.msc.com" into the file /etc/syslog.conf. This line is to be inserted after the first opening comment blocks:
#ident "@(#)syslog.conf 1.393/12/09 SMI" /* HP11.0 */
#
#
# syslog configuration file.
#
# This file is processed by m4 so be careful to quote (`') names
# that match m4 reserved words. Also, within ifdef's, arguments
# containing commas must be quoted.
#
# Note: Have to exclude user from most lines
# so that user.alert and user.emerg are not
# included, because old sendmails
#will generate them for debugging #information. If you
#have no 4.2BSD based systems doing network
#logging, you
#can remove all the special cases for "user"
#logging.

Below is my script which is intended to insert the line "auth.warn @mickey.msc.com" into the /etc/syslog.conf file.


#!/bin/sh
gawk '/#/{
if(startHash==0){
startHas=1;
};
print
};
$0 !~/#/{
if(startHash==1){
startHash=2;
print"auth.warn @mickey.msc.com"
}
else{
print $0
}
}' syslog.conf

Unfortunately, the "auth.warn @mickey.msc.com" does not get printed into the file /etc/syslog.conf.

I could have done:
echo "auth.warn mickey.msc.com" >> /etc/syslog.conf
which would place this entry at the bottom most of the file.

However, I would like to have this entry at the very beginning of the /etc/syslog.conf i.e after the 1st comment blocks of /etc/syslog.conf.

Could someone show me how it's to be done?

Thanks in advance.

[Ian Dennison_1]

if(startHash==0){
startHas=1;
};

You are missing the 'h' at the end of the variable name! Therefore the variable you test (startHash) never gets set!

Share and Enjoy! Ian

[Michael Kelly_5]

Hi Peter,
first of all there is a typo in the script (startHas=1 instead of startHash=1) which will definitely prevent it from working.
Secondly, as written gawk will write its output to stdout.
You could redirect the output to something like /etc/syslog.conf-new, and then
mv /etc/syslog.conf /etc/syslog.conf-old
mv /etc/syslog.conf-new /etc/syslog.conf

HTH,
Michael.

[Peter Remirez]

Ian,
Unfortunately it still did not print the line "auth.warn @mickey.msc.com" into the /etc/syslog.conf file.

Any further ideas?

Thanks

[Peter Remirez]

Michael,
I tried what you suggested, but it still did not produce the result:
gawk '/#/{
if(startHash==0){
startHash=1;
};
##CHANGED THIS LINE
print > syslog.conf.1
};
$0 !~/#/{
if(startHash==1){
startHash=2;
#print"auth.warn @pgldev01.png.intel.com"
echo "auth.warn @pgldev01.png.intel.com" >> syslog.conf.1

## ADDED THIS LINE
cp syslog.conf.1 syslog.conf
}
else{
print $0
}
}' syslog.conf

Instead it produced the error:
gawk: cmd. line:5: print > syslog.conf.1
gawk: cmd. line:5: ^ parse error
gawk: cmd. line:11: echo "auth.warn @pgldev01.png.intel.com" >> syslog.conf.1
gawk: cmd. line:11: ^ parse error
gawk: cmd. line:12: cp syslog.conf.1 syslog.conf
gawk: cmd. line:12: ^ parse error
gawk: cmd. line:12: cp syslog.conf.1 syslog.conf
gawk: cmd. line:12: ^ parse error

Could you show me how's to be done?

Thanks

[Ian Dennison_1 · Accepted solution]

#!/usr/bin/sh

cat /tmp/testfile |awk 'BEGIN {found=0} found == 0 && $0 !~ /^#/ {print "auth.warn @mickey.msc.com";print $0 ;found=1}
found != 0 || $0 ~ /^#/ {print $0}' >/tmp/testfile2

cat /tmp/testfile2

This code works. I think the problem was your code is too complex for the job it needs to do. Share and Enjoy! Ian

Output from test code as follows,...

# comment block 1
# end comment block 1
auth.warn @mickey.msc.com


# comment block 2
# comment block 2a

# comment block 3
# comment block 3a

[Michael Kelly_5]

Here is my version:

Michael.

#!/bin/sh
gawk '/#/{
if(startHash==0){
startHash=1;
};
print
};
$0 !~/#/{
if(startHash==1){
startHash=2;
print"auth.warn @mickey.msc.com"
# Now print the original line as well
print $0
}
else{
print $0
}
}' syslog.conf >syslog.conf-new
mv syslog.conf syslog.conf-old
mv syslog.conf-new syslog.conf

[rachel_11]

here is mw awkfile:
BEGIN {
p=0
}

/^#/ {p++ }
{if (p==0) {print "auth.warn@mickey.msc.com "; p=2
}}
{if (p==1) p=0}
{print $0
}

run:
awk -f awkfile /etc/syslog.conf
and redircet the output

[Peter Remirez]

Michael, Rachel & Ian,

I tried the solution from Michael and the changes are now reflected in the /etc/syslog.conf file.

However, the comment block beginning with "#" are not reflected in the new file or new output.

Could anyone of you show me how I could preserve all comment blocks in the /etc/syslog.conf file once the line auth.warn @mickey.msc.com
is included?

Thanks

PS: Attached is the /etc/syslog.conf file after the inclusion of the line:
auth.warn @mickey.msc.com

Note that the "#" are not present compared to the original.

[Ian Dennison_1]

try setting the firsy occurence of "print" by itself to be "print $0".

Share and Enjoy! Ian