Re: deleting content of /tmp

[andy <geek_show@dsl.pipex.com>]

Raquel wrote:

On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 16:12:10 -0300
"Jorge Peixoto de Morais Neto" <please.no.spam.here@gmail.com>
wrote:

  

Can someone advise me on the pros and cons of deleting the
contents of /tmp/ as part of general security conscious
non-paranoia. 
      

<snip>

  

>From the FHS:

tmp : Temporary files

Purpose

The /tmp directory must be made available for programs that
require temporary files.

    

<snip>

  

So it is safe to delete /tmp when you know that no running
programs are using any file there. You can delete /tmp in the
beginning of the boot process, as the FHS itself suggests. I think
this already happens automatically on Debian, but I'm not sure.
-- 

    

Several years ago I was using RedHat.  It had a crontab which daily
deleted any files in /tmp which were over a certain age.

I have difficulty believing that any programs would hold onto any
files that are a month old or possibly even a week old ... for a
machine which does not reboot.

  

Thank you all for your comments in response to my question.

I tend to leave the machine running, but am the only user. I tend to default to the Gnome wm altho' do use XFce4 from time-to-time. For a machine that has an uptime of 6 days having a handful of some 23 items in the /tmp is not excessive, so is probably erased on shut down or boot up. This question of course could be answered by simply making a habit of shutting down regularly, which would be better on the environment too.

Thanks all

/@

-- 

"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." - Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow"