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ShiroiKuma
n00b
Joined: 09 Nov 2012
Posts: 40
Location: Japan
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 Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:24 pm Post subject: [SOLVED] Daily portage update via vixie-cron |
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I'm currently trying to work out vixie-cron on my system and a little confused by it, I have Gentoo sitting in a small VM on my desktop, and I'd like it to update portage once a day, preferably just after booting up. (Following on from that, the rest of my network can sync against this local portage).
I've added a new file to /etc/cron.daily that is executable (chmod +x) called portage. It looks like
| Code: | #! /bin/sh
# Portage Tree Update
exec /usr/bin/nice /usr/bin/emerge --sync
echo "$(date)" > /portage |
And if I run it manually, it syncs my tree and timestamps the file /portage.
However vixie-cron doesn't appear to be calling it. It's been over 2 days now, and still doesn't run. I have to run this file manually myself.
My /etc/crontab looks like | Code: | # for vixie cron
#
# $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo-x86/sys-process/vixie-cron/files/crontab-3.0.1-r4,v 1.3 2011/09/20 15:13:51 idl0r Exp $
#
#
# Global variables
SHELL=/bin/bash
PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
MAILTO=root
HOME=/
# check scripts in cron.hourly, cron.daily, cron.weekly and cron.monthly
59 * * * * root rm -f /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.hourly
30 9 * * * root rm -f /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.daily
19 4 * * 6 root rm -f /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.weekly
29 5 1 * * root rm -f /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.monthly
*/10 * * * * root test -x /usr/sbin/run-crons && /usr/sbin/run-crons |
I assumed that after vixie-cron starts up (it's added to default runlevel), that it either 1) if started before 9:30am, it'll wait until 9:30am and then run it and 2) if started after 9:30am and the lastrun is over 24hrs ago, it'll run immediately.
I've checked /var/log/cron.log and no errors are reported, my ~/dead.letters file is empty. The timestamp on the file /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.daily is current 50hrs or so ago.
Based on the documentation I've read, this should be working as I expect it to work, but clearly I've misunderstood something somewhere (or read the wrong document, that's always a possibility).
Is there a way to check when cron.daily 1) last ran, and 2) will next run?
Last edited by ShiroiKuma on Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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lexflex
Guru
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 363
Location: the Netherlands
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:32 pm Post subject: Re: Daily portage update via vixie-cron |
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Hi,
| ShiroiKuma wrote: |
I assumed that after vixie-cron starts up (it's added to default runlevel),
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You can check if a service is actually started ( and has not crashed ) using:
| Code: | | /etc/init.d/vixie-cron status |
You post the entries of /etc/crontab. but what does the actual entry that refers to your scripts looks like?
Usually the actual entries are eddited using : |
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ShiroiKuma
n00b
Joined: 09 Nov 2012
Posts: 40
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:12 am Post subject: |
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When using as root, I get a completely blank nano session opening up looking at /tmp/crontab.XXXXNgDggo
If I look in /etc/cron.daily/ I saw (on a default install with mlocate emerged too) 2 files
| Quote: |
/etc/cron.daily/makewhatis
/etc/cron.daily/mlocate
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Which based on Chapter 4 of the Cron Guide http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/cron-guide.xml#doc_chap4 is expected and is also a reliable way to do this.
| Quote: |
*/15 * * * * test -x /usr/sbin/run-crons && /usr/sbin/run-crons
0 * * * * rm -f /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.hourly
0 3 * * * rm -f /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.daily
15 4 * * 6 rm -f /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.weekly
30 5 1 * * rm -f /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.monthly
To avoid going into much detail, we can just assume that these commands will effectively run your hourly, daily, weekly and monthly scripts. This method of scheduling cron-jobs has some important advantages:
* They will run even if your computer was off when they were scheduled to run
* It is easy for package maintainers to place scripts in those well defined places
* You know exactly where your cron-jobs and your crontab are stored, making it easy for you to backup and restore this part of your system
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That's where I got the idea from that I can put a script into the cron.daily folder. I'm now even more confused, are these system installed ones even running at all then?
EDIT I think this might be due to vixie-cron, as that is designed for continuously running systems apparently. So fcron may be a better choice for a VM/Desktop/Laptop etc
| Quote: | | Designed to work on systems that are not continuously running, i.e. it can run a job after restarting if it was missed |
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BillWho
Veteran
Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Posts: 1600
Location: US
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:00 am Post subject: |
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| ShiroiKuma wrote: | | I have Gentoo sitting in a small VM on my desktop, and I'd like it to update portage once a day, preferably just after booting up |
An alternative to a cron job would be to place your script in /etc/local.d to run at boot time. You would just have to have the suffix .start as part of the script name.
Also, you might want to add a sleep time, say 60 seconds or so at the start of the script.
_________________
Good luck 
Since installing gentoo, my life has become one long emerge  |
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lexflex
Guru
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 363
Location: the Netherlands
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| ShiroiKuma wrote: | When using as root, I get a completely blank nano session
That's where I got the idea from that I can put a script into the cron.daily folder. I'm now even more confused, are these system installed ones even running at all then?
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The "regular"way to add a job is to use crontab -e...
| Quote: |
EDIT I think this might be due to vixie-cron, as that is designed for continuously running systems apparently. So fcron may be a better choice for a VM/Desktop/Laptop etc | Quote: | | Designed to work on systems that are not continuously running, i.e. it can run a job after restarting if it was missed |
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Indeed, the system should be running at the time the job is supposed to run...
Maybe do as Bill says, and add it to the startup-script when booting.
| BillWho wrote: | | An alternative to a cron job would be to place your script in /etc/local.d to run at boot time. You would just have to have the suffix .start as part of the script name.. |
(however, since you use a VM, you might not actually reboot the VM every time you start it....)
Alex. |
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ShiroiKuma
n00b
Joined: 09 Nov 2012
Posts: 40
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:39 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the answers so far, I would like to get a cron system working, it'd be good to learn and handy for the future too.
I removed vixie-cron and emerge fcron. I then used fcrontab -e to create a quick script to write to /fcrontest every minute. However this doesn't appear to be working either.
Looking at /var/log/cron.log I can see several ENTRYPOINT errors which leads me to believe my issue is actually down to using an SELinux kernel.
| Code: | Feb 18 19:32:29 gan fcrontab[2525]: fcrontab : editing root's fcrontab
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan fcron[2208]: updating configuration from /var/spool/fcron
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan fcron[2208]: adding new file root
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan fcron[2208]: ENTRYPOINT FAILED for user "root" (CONTEXT root:sysadm_r:sysadm_t) for file CONTEXT root:object_r:user_cron_spool_t
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan fcron[2208]: adding new file systab
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan fcron[2208]: ENTRYPOINT FAILED for user "systab" (CONTEXT system_u:system_r:netutils_t) for file CONTEXT system_u:object_r:system_cron_spool_t |
EDIT Yup definitely SELinux... my avc.log (grep fcron) shows lots of denies (the time diff is because I restarted the service)
| Code: | Feb 18 19:32:29 gan kernel: [ 113.319565] type=1400 audit(1361183549.903:215): avc: denied { lock } for pid=2525 comm="fcrontab" path="/run/utmp" dev="tmpfs" ino=614 scontext=root:sysadm_r:admin_crontab_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:file_t tclass=file
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan kernel: [ 117.477818] type=1400 audit(1361183554.063:216): avc: denied { fsetid } for pid=2525 comm="fcrontab" capability=4 scontext=root:sysadm_r:admin_crontab_t tcontext=root:sysadm_r:admin_crontab_t tclass=capability
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan kernel: [ 117.480438] type=1400 audit(1361183554.066:217): avc: denied { setfscreate } for pid=2525 comm="fcrontab" scontext=root:sysadm_r:admin_crontab_t tcontext=root:sysadm_r:admin_crontab_t tclass=process
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan kernel: [ 117.508115] type=1400 audit(1361183554.093:218): avc: denied { getattr } for pid=2528 comm="fcronsighup" path="/run/fcron.pid" dev="tmpfs" ino=5932 scontext=root:sysadm_r:admin_crontab_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:file_t tclass=file
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan kernel: [ 117.508303] type=1400 audit(1361183554.093:219): avc: denied { signal } for pid=2528 comm="fcronsighup" scontext=root:sysadm_r:admin_crontab_t tcontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tclass=process
Feb 18 19:32:34 gan kernel: [ 117.508640] type=1400 audit(1361183554.093:220): avc: denied { read } for pid=2208 comm="fcron" name="new.root" dev="sda3" ino=131590 scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=root:object_r:user_cron_spool_t tclass=file
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 604.948697] type=1400 audit(1361184041.676:280): avc: denied { create } for pid=2598 comm="rc" name="fcron" scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:file_t tclass=lnk_file
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.076773] type=1400 audit(1361184041.803:281): avc: denied { create } for pid=2617 comm="rc" name="fcron" scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:file_t tclass=dir
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.076807] type=1400 audit(1361184041.803:282): avc: denied { create } for pid=2619 comm="fcron" name="fcron.fifo" scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:file_t tclass=sock_file
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.076818] type=1400 audit(1361184041.803:283): avc: denied { setattr } for pid=2619 comm="fcron" name="fcron.fifo" dev="tmpfs" ino=2895 scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:file_t tclass=sock_file
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.076953] type=1400 audit(1361184041.803:284): avc: denied { read } for pid=2619 comm="fcron" name="new.root" dev="sda3" ino=131590 scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=root:object_r:user_cron_spool_t tclass=file
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.076965] type=1400 audit(1361184041.803:285): avc: denied { open } for pid=2619 comm="fcron" path="/var/spool/fcron/new.root" dev="sda3" ino=131590 scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=root:object_r:user_cron_spool_t tclass=file
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.077051] type=1400 audit(1361184041.803:286): avc: denied { write } for pid=2619 comm="fcron" name="user" dev="selinuxfs" ino=9 scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:security_t tclass=file
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.077075] type=1400 audit(1361184041.803:287): avc: denied { compute_user } for pid=2619 comm="fcron" scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:security_t tclass=security
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.078114] type=1400 audit(1361184041.806:288): avc: denied { check_context } for pid=2619 comm="fcron" scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:security_t tclass=security
Feb 18 19:40:41 gan kernel: [ 605.078133] type=1400 audit(1361184041.806:289): avc: denied { compute_av } for pid=2619 comm="fcron" scontext=system_u:system_r:initrc_t tcontext=system_u:object_r:security_t tclass=security |
EDIT: Thanks to @SwiftT's help in #gentoo I was able to fix the problem by setting the following
| Code: | setsebool fcron_crond 1
setsebool cron_userdomain_transition 1 |
Atleast, this works for root, still an error for systab but probably something similar to fix. |
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