Re: cron 2.9.2

Re: cron 2.9.2

[Corinna Vinschen]

Hi Jens,

the error message, you got, is the hint, you haven't configured
the /etc/passwd file. It's strictly needed for getting user login
information. crontab reads /etc/passwd first, then checks the
password, which is two-way encrypted in /var/cron/pwf and if
this password isn't the NT password of the current user, it
asks for the password. Any action, taken by crontab, is only
done with a correct password!

BTW: It's not the correct way, to edit the crontab files manually
without usage of crontab(1). If you want to edit it in an editor,
you should set the environment variable VISUAL or EDITOR to your
favorite editor and use `crontab -e' to edit your crontab file.

I didn't get a chance, to test it with domain accounts and
would appreciate, if somebody (you?) would test it.
Patches are welcome.

Hope this helps,
Corinna


js@ddre.dk wrote:
> 
> Corinna,
> 
> I recently downloaded your cron packages ver 2.9.2. However, your
> documentation isn't very clear. I did use your two binaries and the
> installation was rather simple.
> 
> /var/cron/allow contains my local NT account name (What about NT domain
> accounts ?)
> 
> After creating a cron file, I tried using crontab, with no success (It
> continiously said "crontab: can't obtain passwd entry", which it
> shouldn't do the first time ?
> 
> In your readme file, you write:
> 
>    - system
>        - Windows NT4 with cygwin1.dll
> 
>    - Cygwin
>        - for B20
>        - binary and text mount
>        - CYGWIN=[all one]
> 
> I understand this as only the the cygwin1.dll is required ?
> 
> Hope you can help me
> 
> Jens Stavnstrup
> js@ddre.dk


--   
Want to unsubscribe from this list?                             
Send a message to cygwin-unsubscribe@sourceware.cygnus.com

Re: cron 2.9.2

[Corinna Vinschen]

Hi Jens,

the error message, you got, is the hint, you haven't configured
the /etc/passwd file. It's strictly needed for getting user login
information. crontab reads /etc/passwd first, then checks the
password, which is two-way encrypted in /var/cron/pwf and if
this password isn't the NT password of the current user, it
asks for the password. Any action, taken by crontab, is only
done with a correct password!

BTW: It's not the correct way, to edit the crontab files manually
without usage of crontab(1). If you want to edit it in an editor,
you should set the environment variable VISUAL or EDITOR to your
favorite editor and use `crontab -e' to edit your crontab file.

I didn't get a chance, to test it with domain accounts and
would appreciate, if somebody (you?) would test it.
Patches are welcome.

Hope this helps,
Corinna


js@ddre.dk wrote:
> 
> Corinna,
> 
> I recently downloaded your cron packages ver 2.9.2. However, your
> documentation isn't very clear. I did use your two binaries and the
> installation was rather simple.
> 
> /var/cron/allow contains my local NT account name (What about NT domain
> accounts ?)
> 
> After creating a cron file, I tried using crontab, with no success (It
> continiously said "crontab: can't obtain passwd entry", which it
> shouldn't do the first time ?
> 
> In your readme file, you write:
> 
>    - system
>        - Windows NT4 with cygwin1.dll
> 
>    - Cygwin
>        - for B20
>        - binary and text mount
>        - CYGWIN=[all one]
> 
> I understand this as only the the cygwin1.dll is required ?
> 
> Hope you can help me
> 
> Jens Stavnstrup
> js@ddre.dk


--   
Want to unsubscribe from this list?                             
Send a message to cygwin-unsubscribe@sourceware.cygnus.com

Re: cron 2.9.2

[Corinna Vinschen]

Hi Jens,

js@ddre.dk wrote:
> You should include the following in your documentation :
> 
> Requirements:
> 
> /etc/passwd
> /bin/sh

This is already mentioned in the man page `crontab.5'.

> An example passwd file would be appreciated 

Call `mkpasswd' from cygwin distribution for getting a passwd file.

> and also an example crontab
> file, using a lot of NT specific syntax in the command field.

I don't know, what you mean with `NT specific syntax'. The syntax is
compatible to Vixie cron 3.0.1, which is part of Linux distributions.
In fact, two features are missing:
 - The support of setting environment variables in crontab file and 
 - the support of the file `/etc/crontab'.
Both are planned for a future release.

> One bug allthough
> 
>     crontab -l
> 
> doesn't generate a proper (CRLF seperated) output.

I'm using standard output mode of stdout in this case. Don't know, why this
should happen, if you haven't set CYGWIN=...binmode...

> It would also be nice if the -u flag (user) is implemented for crontab.

This is part of a NT security problem. I can't explain it in detail now,
but I'm working on a solution already.

> 
> Anayway, thanks for a very nice implementation, I have been looking for

Thank you!

Corinna


--   
Want to unsubscribe from this list?                             
Send a message to cygwin-unsubscribe@sourceware.cygnus.com

Re: cron 2.9.2

[Corinna Vinschen]

Hi Jens,

js@ddre.dk wrote:
> You should include the following in your documentation :
> 
> Requirements:
> 
> /etc/passwd
> /bin/sh

This is already mentioned in the man page `crontab.5'.

> An example passwd file would be appreciated 

Call `mkpasswd' from cygwin distribution for getting a passwd file.

> and also an example crontab
> file, using a lot of NT specific syntax in the command field.

I don't know, what you mean with `NT specific syntax'. The syntax is
compatible to Vixie cron 3.0.1, which is part of Linux distributions.
In fact, two features are missing:
 - The support of setting environment variables in crontab file and 
 - the support of the file `/etc/crontab'.
Both are planned for a future release.

> One bug allthough
> 
>     crontab -l
> 
> doesn't generate a proper (CRLF seperated) output.

I'm using standard output mode of stdout in this case. Don't know, why this
should happen, if you haven't set CYGWIN=...binmode...

> It would also be nice if the -u flag (user) is implemented for crontab.

This is part of a NT security problem. I can't explain it in detail now,
but I'm working on a solution already.

> 
> Anayway, thanks for a very nice implementation, I have been looking for

Thank you!

Corinna


--   
Want to unsubscribe from this list?                             
Send a message to cygwin-unsubscribe@sourceware.cygnus.com