Subject: Re: misc/2422: /etc/daily doing too much
To: None <ivanenko@ctps01.mit.edu>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Collatz.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 05/16/1996 13:06:36
> >Synopsis:       /etc/daily script removes the files and file systems that are not related to the system

I'm entirely in agreement with most of this, but...

> In general, I believe, there should not be any explicit assumptions
> about the environment the system is running in the distribution
> files.  Cleaning /tmp and /var/tmp is justified as the system depends
> on those directories, but no more than that.

I disagree about this.  There's no more reason to "clean up" (meaning,
really, stomp about destroying things in) /tmp than there is anywhere
else.  Much of the system depends on having /tmp (/var/tmp, /usr/tmp,
whatever) available, but the only failure mode the automated "cleanup"
script can fix is being out of disk space, and if that happens to /tmp
it needs attention more immediate than daily can provide.  (Well, on
most systems, and on the rest it can wait for a human even if it takes
longer than day.)

One can argue that what's there is a reasonable default, and that
admins can change it - but that applies to everything there; indeed, on
my system the daily/weekly/monthly scripts are not run at all.

					der Mouse

			    mouse@collatz.mcrcim.mcgill.edu