Subject: Re: bug#36838: mcron leaves zombies around
From: Maxim Cournoyer <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Cc: Leo Prikler <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2023 09:19:06 -0400
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

Hi,

Maxim Cournoyer <[email-masked]> writes:

> Hi Leo,
>
> Leo Prikler <[email-masked]> writes:
>
>> Hi Maxim,
>>
>> I still have a defunct mcron flying around with a fairly standard Guix
>> configuration.  The only service running through mcron seems to be
>> rottlog-service-type.
>
> If you have the energy/bandwidth, would you mind trying this patch here:
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-mcron/2021-08/msg00008.html; it
> may have positive side-effects in that regard, I believe.
>
> I've modified the mcron package to use a local checkout in my system
> config like so:
>
> @@ -2,7 +2,14 @@
>  ;;; RAID-1c3 storage bay.
>  (use-modules (gnu)
>               (guix modules)
> -             (srfi srfi-1))
> +             (srfi srfi-1)
> +             ;; for mcron experiment
> +             (gnu packages autotools)
> +             (gnu packages guile-xyz)
> +             (gnu packages man)
> +             (gnu packages texinfo)
> +             (guix git)
> +             (guix packages))
>  
>  (use-service-modules admin desktop docker linux mail mcron networking nfs nix
>                       spice ssh sysctl telephony virtualization vpn xorg)
> @@ -196,6 +203,15 @@
>          (pam-limits-entry "@realtime" 'both 'memlock 'unlimited)))
>        (service mcron-service-type
>                 (mcron-configuration
> +                (mcron (package/inherit mcron
> +                         (source (git-checkout
> +                                  (url "file:///home/maxim/src/mcron")))
> +                         (native-inputs (append
> +                                         `(("autoconf" ,autoconf)
> +                                           ("automake" ,automake)
> +                                           ("help2man" ,help2man)
> +                                           ("texinfo" ,texinfo))
> +                                         (package-native-inputs mcron)))))
>                  (jobs (list duckdns-job
>                              backup-home-job
>
>
> The output is now annotated as:
>
> 2021-08-25T00:01:34 /gnu/store/xcngj8vg5j8g54r3aqm71vbgsgrsjl31-rottlog-0.72.2/sbin/rottlog: mail: Cannot open mailer: No such file or directory
> 2021-08-25T00:01:34 /gnu/store/xcngj8vg5j8g54r3aqm71vbgsgrsjl31-rottlog-0.72.2/sbin/rottlog: mail: cannot send message: No such file or directory
> 2021-08-25T00:01:34 /gnu/store/xcngj8vg5j8g54r3aqm71vbgsgrsjl31-rottlog-0.72.2/sbin/rottlog: mail: Cannot open mailer: No such file or directory
> 2021-08-25T00:01:34 /gnu/store/xcngj8vg5j8g54r3aqm71vbgsgrsjl31-rottlog-0.72.2/sbin/rottlog: mail: cannot send message: No such file or directory
> 2021-08-25T00:01:34 /gnu/store/xcngj8vg5j8g54r3aqm71vbgsgrsjl31-rottlog-0.72.2/sbin/rottlog: mail: Cannot open mailer: No such file or directory
> 2021-08-25T00:01:34 /gnu/store/xcngj8vg5j8g54r3aqm71vbgsgrsjl31-rottlog-0.72.2/sbin/rottlog: mail: cannot send message: No such file or directory
> 2021-08-25T00:01:34 /gnu/store/xcngj8vg5j8g54r3aqm71vbgsgrsjl31-rottlog-0.72.2/sbin/rottlog: completed in 93.625s
> 2021-08-25T00:05:00 duckdns-update: running...
> 2021-08-25T00:05:01 duckdns-update: completed in 0.519s
>
> And I don't have any mcron zombie process lying around, unless I'm
> reading the ps output wrong.

It's been a while and I haven't seen this problem myself in all this
time; closing.  Do reopen if you encounter it or better yet, have a
reproducer for it.

-- 
Thanks,
Maxim