cramfs and crontab timestamp

cramfs and crontab timestamp

[hubert.loewenguth]

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hi to the community

I'm not sure here is the good place for my question because it's not 
related to the ppc architecture, but i try.
Here is my problem I don't understand:
I have an embended linux 2.4.20 on a 8260 ppc with a cramfs root 
file-system I use since 1 year.
Everything works fine.
During the init process, the content of the /etc directory is copy in a 
tmpfs file system and then then a tmpfs file-system is mounted on /etc 
and fill with the old content.
(thanks to that, I can replace after some files in the /etc by other 
specific files store in a little jffs part of the flash with the 
customer specific configurations /etc configuration files).

Recently, I've decided to add cron to this platform and something very 
strange appear.
My /etc/crontab file is very simple:

-----------------------------------------------
SHELL=/bin/sh
PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
MAILTO=""
HOME=/

#test of cron
* * * * * root echo date >>/tmp/essai
-----------------------------------------------

everything works fine when I boot on a nfs file-system.
But nothing is done (/tmp/essai not created) if I boot on the cramfs 
file-system.
And what is the only difference beetwen the two startup:........ the 
timestamp of the /etc/crontab (1/1/1970 for crontab coming from the cramfs)

So I try something after having boot on cramfs:
echo "#toto">>/etc/crontab

And ones  I have done this, the cron process start to work correctly, 
creating and editing the /tmp/essai.
I know that cron verify if the /etc/crontab has changed every mn, so I 
think this is the reason it works after, but why does it not see the 
first crontab file ?
It's juste like the 1/1/1970 timestamp of /etc/crontab make him 
invisible by cron.

Does anyone having an idea or having already encounter this kind of 
problem ?
I have find nothing on the web about this or a similar problem.

Thanks for any help


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Re: cramfs and crontab timestamp

[hubert.loewenguth]

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Hi
Just a little precision: the /etc "copy/mount" is done before having 
start the cron process.
Thanks again if you have an idea.

hubert.loewenguth a écrit :

> hi to the community
>
> I'm not sure here is the good place for my question because it's not 
> related to the ppc architecture, but i try.
> Here is my problem I don't understand:
> I have an embended linux 2.4.20 on a 8260 ppc with a cramfs root 
> file-system I use since 1 year.
> Everything works fine.
> During the init process, the content of the /etc directory is copy in 
> a tmpfs file system and then then a tmpfs file-system is mounted on 
> /etc and fill with the old content.
> (thanks to that, I can replace after some files in the /etc by other 
> specific files store in a little jffs part of the flash with the 
> customer specific configurations /etc configuration files).
>
> Recently, I've decided to add cron to this platform and something very 
> strange appear.
> My /etc/crontab file is very simple:
>
> -----------------------------------------------
> SHELL=/bin/sh
> PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
> MAILTO=""
> HOME=/
>
> #test of cron
> * * * * * root echo date >>/tmp/essai
> -----------------------------------------------
>
> everything works fine when I boot on a nfs file-system.
> But nothing is done (/tmp/essai not created) if I boot on the cramfs 
> file-system.
> And what is the only difference beetwen the two startup:........ the 
> timestamp of the /etc/crontab (1/1/1970 for crontab coming from the 
> cramfs)
>
> So I try something after having boot on cramfs:
> echo "#toto">>/etc/crontab
>
> And ones  I have done this, the cron process start to work correctly, 
> creating and editing the /tmp/essai.
> I know that cron verify if the /etc/crontab has changed every mn, so I 
> think this is the reason it works after, but why does it not see the 
> first crontab file ?
> It's juste like the 1/1/1970 timestamp of /etc/crontab make him 
> invisible by cron.
>
> Does anyone having an idea or having already encounter this kind of 
> problem ?
> I have find nothing on the web about this or a similar problem.
>
> Thanks for any help
>
>_______________________________________________
>Linuxppc-embedded mailing list
>Linuxppc-embedded@ozlabs.org
>https://ozlabs.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxppc-embedded
>

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