cron doesn't execute it's commands
- by Silvio Keller
I created an own small server with Debian. Last night i updated it.
It created an error while generating the initrd and it didn't boot.
Today i booted from another filesystem and did dpkg --configure -a with chroot. I also checked the filesystem.
Now everything should be ok.
But cron doesn't work:-( It is the same /etc/crontab-File but it doesn't work. I reinstalled cron and tried many things.
Is there a way to see cron's log?
I only readed about rsyslog, but i have not installed rsyslog, because the server is based on a minimal system (Freeagent Dockstar).
Has someone an idea?
Best regards
Silvio Keller
Update
There is no file /var/log/syslog and dpkg -l|grep syslog gives me no output, so i think syslog is not installed. It is only a minimal system.
cron -l gives:
cron: can't lock /var/run/crond.pid, otherpid may be 687: Resource temporarily unavailable
So i stopped cron with /etc/init.d/cron stop and executed cron -l again, this gives no output. At this moment i tried to start cron with /etc/init.d/cron start:
Starting periodic command scheduler: cron failed!
But there's no additional error info...
But i see there's now in the background a proccess called cron -l which runs.
If i stop it /etc/init.d/cron start works:
Starting periodic command scheduler: cron.
I used the crontab-file /etc/crontab, this worked for me always. Till i updated my kernel and the initrd it doesn't.
The file's content is:
SHELL=/bin/sh
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
# m h dom mon dow user command
17 * * * * root cd / && run-parts --report /etc/cron.hourly
25 6 * * * root test -x /usr/sbin/anacron || ( cd / && run-parts --report /etc/cron.daily )
47 6 * * 7 root test -x /usr/sbin/anacron || ( cd / && run-parts --report /etc/cron.weekly )
52 6 1 * * root test -x /usr/sbin/anacron || ( cd / && run-parts --report /etc/cron.monthly )
00 5 * * * root dummy
23 45 * * 7 root dummy
00 * * * * root dummy
*/1 * * * * root dummy
00 1 * * * root dummy
00 4 * * * root dummy
*/5 * * * * root dummy
#00 */10 * * * root dummy
01 0 * * * root dummy
00 5 * * * root dummy
00 4 * * * root dummy
#
If i start crontab -e it creates a new file /tmp/crontab.vn87tv/crontab, which is unfortunaly on a tmpfs and which also doesn't work.
Thanks & Best regards
