Stop all manner of periodic scripts from running

[Matthew Seaman]

Chuck Swiger wrote:
> On Mar 17, 2009, at 5:09 PM, Steve Bertrand wrote:
>> Although SMTP is denied, I just realized that there are numerous
>> messages from periodic scripts that are queued up that can't be sent.
>>
>> Can someone advise how to find out each and every periodic script that
>> tries to send out email (given a standard install), and/or how to
>> disable this?
> 
> Besides the answer to disable sendmail listening on localhost, consider 
> the following to /etc/periodic.conf:
> 
> daily_clean_hoststat_enable="NO"
> daily_status_mail_rejects_enable="NO"
> daily_status_include_submit_mailq="NO"
> daily_submit_queuerun="NO"

In answer to the principal question: just divert the periodic script
output to a log file:

daily_output="/var/log/daily.log"
daily_status_security_output="/var/log/daily.log"
weekly_output="/var/log/weekly.log"
monthly_output="/var/log/monthly.log"

You'll find those file names are already setup for appropriate log
rotations in /etc/newsyslog.conf

In the default install, the only things that generate e-mail are the
periodic cron jobs, so this change should be all that is necessary.  If
you have set up your own cron jobs, then you'll have to be careful to
redirect all output >/dev/null 2>&1  or else set a MAILTO variable in
each crontab directing any output to an address that won't send mail
outside the specific box.  Perhaps something aliased to /dev/null even.

	Cheers,

	Matthew

-- 
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.                   7 Priory Courtyard
                                                  Flat 3
PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey     Ramsgate
                                                  Kent, CT11 9PW

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