cron without sendmail generates bogus logfile names

Linus Hicks linush100@gmail.com
Tue Sep 9 22:03:00 GMT 2008


The "poor man's mailer" included as part of the cron package uses the
following construct to generate part of the filename used in making
log file names:

DATE=$(date '+%Y%m%d_%H%M%S')

It then generates the filename as:

FILE="/tmp/cron.$DATE.$$.log"

However, it seems to be tacking on a CR character at the end of the
DATE portion which messes up the generated filenames. I cannot
reproduce this behavior in sh running in an xterm window:

oracle@ERPPRODDBS03 log $ DATE=$(date '+%Y%m%d_%H%M%S')
oracle@ERPPRODDBS03 log $ echo $DATE
20080909_170639
oracle@ERPPRODDBS03 log $ FILE="/tmp/cron.$DATE.$$.log"
oracle@ERPPRODDBS03 log $ echo $FILE
/tmp/cron.20080909_170639.6588.log
oracle@ERPPRODDBS03 log $ ls -l /usr/sbin/sendmail
lrwxrwxrwx 1 oracle None 16 Jul  3 15:00 /usr/sbin/sendmail -> /usr/bin/cronlog*
oracle@ERPPRODDBS03 log $

Here's a hexdump of the cron.log showing the spurious characters:

oracle@ERPPRODDBS03 log $ hexdump.exe -C cron.log
00000000  2f 75 73 72 2f 73 62 69  6e 2f 73 65 6e 64 6d 61  |/usr/sbin/sendma|
00000010  69 6c 3a 20 6c 69 6e 65  20 34 30 3a 20 2f 74 6d  |il: line 40: /tm|
00000020  70 2f 63 72 6f 6e 2e 32  30 30 38 30 39 30 35 5f  |p/cron.20080905_|
00000030  32 33 35 35 30 32 0d 2e  34 35 39 36 2e 6c 6f 67  |235502..4596.log|
00000040  3a 20 4e 6f 20 73 75 63  68 20 66 69 6c 65 20 6f  |: No such file o|
00000050  72 20 64 69 72 65 63 74  6f 72 79 0a 2f 75 73 72  |r directory./usr|
00000060  2f 73 62 69 6e 2f 73 65  6e 64 6d 61 69 6c 3a 20  |/sbin/sendmail: |
00000070  6c 69 6e 65 20 34 30 3a  20 2f 74 6d 70 2f 63 72  |line 40: /tmp/cr|
00000080  6f 6e 2e 32 30 30 38 30  39 30 36 5f 32 33 35 35  |on.20080906_2355|
00000090  30 32 0d 2e 35 38 38 34  2e 6c 6f 67 3a 20 4e 6f  |02..5884.log: No|
000000a0  20 73 75 63 68 20 66 69  6c 65 20 6f 72 20 64 69  | such file or di|
000000b0  72 65 63 74 6f 72 79 0a  2f 75 73 72 2f 73 62 69  |rectory./usr/sbi|
000000c0  6e 2f 73 65 6e 64 6d 61  69 6c 3a 20 6c 69 6e 65  |n/sendmail: line|
000000d0  20 34 30 3a 20 2f 74 6d  70 2f 63 72 6f 6e 2e 32  | 40: /tmp/cron.2|
000000e0  30 30 38 30 39 30 37 5f  32 33 35 35 30 32 0d 2e  |0080907_235502..|
000000f0  33 32 30 34 2e 6c 6f 67  3a 20 4e 6f 20 73 75 63  |3204.log: No suc|
00000100  68 20 66 69 6c 65 20 6f  72 20 64 69 72 65 63 74  |h file or direct|
00000110  6f 72 79 0a 2f 75 73 72  2f 73 62 69 6e 2f 73 65  |ory./usr/sbin/se|
00000120  6e 64 6d 61 69 6c 3a 20  6c 69 6e 65 20 34 30 3a  |ndmail: line 40:|
00000130  20 2f 74 6d 70 2f 63 72  6f 6e 2e 32 30 30 38 30  | /tmp/cron.20080|
00000140  39 30 38 5f 32 33 35 35  30 32 0d 2e 38 33 36 2e  |908_235502..836.|
00000150  6c 6f 67 3a 20 4e 6f 20  73 75 63 68 20 66 69 6c  |log: No such fil|
00000160  65 20 6f 72 20 64 69 72  65 63 74 6f 72 79 0a     |e or directory.|
0000016f

I am baffled as to why this is a problem, and have seen it on two
different systems both running Windows 2003 Server.

cygcheck output attached...
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