Bug 48472

Summary:	vixie-cron return error "root: command not found"...
Product:	Gentoo Linux	Reporter:	Luiz da Silva <lasn_al>
Component:	[OLD] Core system	Assignee:	Gentoo's Team for Core System packages <base-system>
Status:	RESOLVED INVALID
Severity:	minor
Priority:	High
Version:	unspecified
Hardware:	x86
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:
Package list:		Runtime testing required:	---

Description Luiz da Silva 2004-04-20 09:06:29 UTC

First, sorry but my english is very bad! :-D

Well after install vixie-cron-3.0.1-r4 and run crontab /etc/crontab, errors of the "root: command not found" had happened... This happens because the crontab file contains the user root in the jobs lines:

example:
default
*  *  * * *     root    test -x /usr/sbin/run-crons && /usr/sbin/run-crons
correct
*  *  * * *     test -x /usr/sbin/run-crons && /usr/sbin/run-crons

After alter the crontab file removing user root, run crontab /etc/crontab and ok!

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Run cron
2. Mails with errors return
3. 

Actual Results:  
several e-mails in the inbox

Expected Results:  
none

I'm using Gentoo Linux 2004.0 and gentoo-dev-kernel 2.6.3-gentoo-r1 in the four
machines...

Comment 1 james lische 2004-05-10 20:26:50 UTC

this is not a bug.

do NOT "crontab /etc/crontab" with vixie-cron.

/etc/crontab is read automatically when /etc/init.d/vixie-cron is started.

the format for /etc/crontab is different from "crontab /path/file".
do not remove "root" from /etc/crontab.

"crontab /path/file" is for installing cron jobs to run as the user
who executed the command.

the default /etc/crontab is correct.


related documentation:
/usr/share/doc/vixie-cron-3.0.1-r4/
"man cron"
"man crontab"
"man 5 crontab"

Comment 2 Aron Griffis (RETIRED) gentoo-dev

2004-05-10 20:44:37 UTC

James is right.  You should run "crontab -e" to remove the bogus entries you mistakenly added to root's crontab.