Re: mdadm mail option configuration

[Neil Brown <neilb@cse.unsw.edu.au>]

On Wednesday May 29, danci@agenda.si wrote:
> On Wed, 29 May 2002, Neil Brown wrote:
> 
> > > Then, I just have an init script that runs:
> > >
> > > 	/sbin/mdadm -Fs --delay=600 &
> >
> > Why 600 (10 minutes)?? I would suggest 60seconds for normal operation
> > and 1 second for testing.
> 
> I've tried this and maybe I'm missing something. I've set a 5 second
> interval for checking and I only got one mail - notifiyng me about
> a failure.

Yes, that's right.  One failure, one email.  I'm not in the business
of spam.

> 
> Now I'm not sure whether mdadm is supposed to send mail on every check? Or
> is it sending mail just when a BAD thing happens?

Exactly.

It has occurred to me that it could be useful to send mail at startup
if there appear to be any abnormalities, but I think I would prefer
that sort of functionality to be external.  A sysdamin might want that
mail are reboot, or every night, or every week, or never.  A simple:
  grep -s > /dev/nu $magic_pattern /proc/mdstat && 
       mail -s "Raid problem on `hostname`" root << END
	    Possible RAID problem, please check.
	    `hostname`
	    `cat /proc/mdstat
	    END

is all that is needed.
> 
>   D.
> 
> PS: The PROGRAM was started more often (I think three times).

That's quite possible. 
   Once for  Fail
   Once for  RebuildStarted
   maybe some RebuildNN
   Once for  SpareActive

NeilBrown