Re: cron error messages

[Bob McClure Jr <robertmcclure earthlink net>]

On Mon, Nov 10, 2003 at 12:25:15PM +1100, Graeme Nichols wrote:
> Hello Bob McClure and others,
> 
> I am getting a lot of these messages in my mail and I don't understand
> them. I have looked at the perl script mrtg and the mrtg.cfg files but
> line 1 doesn't have what the mail message appears to be complaining
> about. Line 1 is a comment. The mail message is as follows:
> 
> begin mail message------------------------
> 
> -- Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 11:50:01 +1100
> From: Cron Daemon <root localhost localdomain>
> To: root localhost localdomain
> Subject: Cron <graeme localhost> root /usr/bin/mrtg /etc/mrtg/mrtg.cfg

The Subject line, above indicates this is a result of one of the
entries in your personal (graeme localhost) crontab.  To look at it:

  crontab -l # as your mere mortal "graeme"

If that's not in there, then look at the scripts it executes and see
if something like that is in one of them.

> /bin/bash: line 1: root: command not found
> 
> end mail message----------------------
> 
> Can anyone tell me what is going on?

My really wild guess is that you intended to have a line in your
crontab, maybe something like

  mm hh * * * su - root /usr/bin/mrtg /etc/mrtg/mrtg.cfg

But what you have is

  mm hh * * * su -; root /usr/bin/mrtg /etc/mrtg/mrtg.cfg

and you shouldn't have that ";" in there.  That's a command
separator.  Actually, that wouldn't even work.  That's just a
contrived example of what could go wrong.

To change your crontab, do

  crontab -e

If you don't like the default vi for an editor, set or change the
EDITOR environment variable to something friendlier like "pico" or
something more powerful like "emacs".

Excuse me while I go don my Nomex duds.

> btw, I have root's mail redirected to my mail box.

And well you should.

> Kind regards,
> 
> Graeme Nichols
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> You teach best what you most need to learn.

Amen.

Cheers,
-- 
Bob McClure, Jr.             Bobcat Open Systems, Inc.
robertmcclure earthlink net  http://www.bobcatos.com
God answers prayers, not advice.