Re: [gentoo-user] vixie-cron keeps stopping

[Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@gmail.com>]

On Saturday 17 April 2010 10:47:15 Mick wrote:
> On Friday 16 April 2010 22:25:47 Alan McKinnon wrote:
> > On Friday 16 April 2010 20:29:27 Dale wrote:
> > > Alan McKinnon wrote:
> > > > On Thursday 15 April 2010 02:58:15 Matt Harrison wrote:
> > > >> I apologise if this has come twice, it didn't appear to post
> > > >> correctly first time, not even on the archives.
> > > >> 
> > > >> Its been happening for a while but I haven't got round to find out
> > > >> why, but every so often (anything between a week or an hour)
> > > >> vixie-cron just stops. There's nothing in the logs, the service just
> > > >> stops.
> > > >> 
> > > >> I have no idea where to start looking for a culprit so I'm hoping
> > > >> someone here has some good ideas :)
> > > >> 
> > > >> thanks in advance
> > > >> 
> > > >> Matt
> > > > 
> > > > You probably don't want to hear this, but:
> > > > 
> > > > vixie-cron is problematic in the extreme. I have endless hassle with
> > > > it's weird behaviours.
> > > > 
> > > > Use a different cron daemon.
> > > 
> > > I am using vixie as well.  It was in the install guide many years ago.
> > > What all would have to be changed to switch to fcron?  I think some
> > > packages "detect" which cron you have installed and put things in the
> > > proper place for cron jobs to run.  I could be wrong on that since it
> > > has been a while since I noticed packages doing this.
> > 
> > emerge -C vixie-cron && emerge <other cron of your choice>
> > 
> > You might have to tweak crontabs.
> > 
> > I have come to detest with a passion every piece of software written or
> > inspired by Paul Vixie. It took 10-15 years to get bind into a shape
> > where
> > 
> >  it takes less than 20 minutes to start here, it's low, buggy and
> >  performance is pathetic. dhcp is just way too complex for my liking, ...
> > 
> > ... and as for vixie-cron: When software doesn't act like it's supposed
> > to, breaks in horrible ways without giving me any clue (like, "cron
> > restart"
> > 
> >  works with no known init scripts on any platform I have) and instead
> >  says "cron restarted [OK]", which brings down 5000 Cisco devices as as
> >  a nasty side effect, and causes a Severity 0 committee to be called,
> >  twice, then that software's remaining life span on my boxes is measured
> >  in
> >  milliseconds :-)
> > 
> > rant over
> 
> Blimey!  That sounds like horribly_broken!
> 
> Which cron do you recommend for a desktop?

Strangely enough, I'd tell folk to use vixie-cron if it's already working for 
them and they know it. I don't see the point in advising someone to switch a 
package that is working well for them and doing it's job.

Most folk let cron be installed then they never touch it again, or add at most 
a few entries. Everything they need or want to be done is covered with the 
default /etc/cron.*/*. Why change it? Besides, they know how to work vixie-
cron.

But if they are run into problems or weird errors (like the OP where the thing 
just dies), then fcron is good.


-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com