Re: How to configure cron (and pam?) to allow mail from cron?
On Saturday 14 November 2015 17:58:59 Kynn Jones wrote:
> I'm trying to set up a `cron` job that will send me mail for some
> outputs.
>
> In my `crontab` I have the `MAILTO` variable set to my email address,
> as well as the directives
>
> * * * * * /bin/date >> /tmp/debug_cron
> * * * * * /bin/date >&2
On the machine, MAILTO: is not normally to your email address, but
usually is username@localhost.
> as a test (i.e. a proxy for the command I eventually want to run), but
> I'm getting no mail from `cron`. (I do get outptu in the
> `/tmp/debug_cron` file.)
>
> My `/var/log/auth.log` file shows many pairs of lines of the form:
>
> Nov 14 17:25:01 myhost CRON[29571]: pam_unix(cron:session): session
> opened for user myusername by (uid=0)
> Nov 14 17:25:01 myhost CRON[29571]: pam_unix(cron:session): session
> closed for user myusername
>
> A new pair of such lines gets added every minute, which coincides with
> the timing of my crontab commands. Therefore, it may be that
> `pam_unix` is blocking `cron`'s attempt to send me mail? I don't know
> how to pursue this possibility further. (I have never done any
> PAM-related configuration in my life, so whatever configuration I have
> is either what "came out of the box" when I installed Debian, or was
> carried out by some program without my intervention.)
>
> (BTW, aside from what I've described above, nothing else in the logs
> appears relevant to this question, even remotely so.)
>
> How can I troubleshoot this problem further?
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice!
>
> kj
>
> PS: FWIW, my `/etc/pam.conf` file contains only comments and
> whitespace, and here are the contents (excluding comments and
> whitespace) of other `pam` relevant config files:
>
> # /etc/pam.d/cron
> @include common-auth
> session required pam_loginuid.so
> session required pam_env.so
> session required pam_env.so envfile=/etc/default/locale
> @include common-account
> @include common-session-noninteractive
> session required pam_limits.so
>
> # /etc/pam.d/common-auth
> auth [success=1 default=ignore] pam_unix.so nullok_secure
> auth requisite pam_deny.so
> auth required pam_permit.so
> auth optional pam_cap.so
>
> # /etc/pam.d/common-account
> account [success=1 new_authtok_reqd=done default=ignore]
> pam_unix.so account requisite pam_deny.so
> account required pam_permit.so
>
> # /etc/pam.d/common-session-noninteractive
> session [default=1] pam_permit.so
> session requisite pam_deny.so
> session required pam_permit.so
> session required pam_unix.so
Cheers, Gene Heskett
--
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
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