Make periodic's output log to files if sendmail is disabled on

[Chris H]

1) if sendmail is disabled during installation, have periodic's output
logged to files (per example in
https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?periodic(8) )
2) make this the default anyway (logging to files), arguably the vast
majority of systems' reporting is ignored :)
At least now it could be logrotated out!

Hmm, if they are "arguably" already ignoring their system emails. Won't
they then *also* "arguably" ignore their [system] log files?
Why not just remove periodic etc/periodic(daily/weekly/monthly/security)?
But maybe I've just misunderstood the attempt here.

[22:54.53]  <Myke> AllanJude: will you make the installer smart that if
the user disables sendmail, that periodic's output will be sent to
logfiles instead?
[22:55.17]  <AllanJude> not sure how doable that is
https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?periodic(8) <-- see examples
[22:57.55]  <AllanJude> ohh
[22:57.57]  <AllanJude> ok then
[22:58.04]  <AllanJude> should be fairly easy to do then
[23:00.02]  <Myke> AllanJude: I'd argue logging periodic to files should
become the default since I'm willing to bet 99% of fBSD machines' output
is ignored.
[23:00.34]  <AllanJude> Myke: that is a reasonable idea for freebsd 12
[23:00.42]  <Myke> :)
[23:00.57]  <AllanJude> and then i'll do it ;)

--Chris

[Rodney W. Grimes]

1) if sendmail is disabled during installation, have periodic's output
logged to files (per example in
https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?periodic(8) )

I would not make this option dependent on sendmail, it should just
be a stand alone set of options
"Do you want logs"
#Completely turn off periodic in crontab
"Do you want logs mailed or stored in files"
#dtrt

2) make this the default anyway (logging to files), arguably the vast
majority of systems' reporting is ignored :)
At least now it could be logrotated out!

You can argue that when you provide a statistical data set,
until then this is speculation at best and should not be used
in an argument for or against a change like this.


If I do nothing different in the installer please make sure
the systems end up as they have been configured for a very
long time to minimize POLA. And to minimize any changes to
all the post install configuration that people have been
doing up until now.

Changing how things work out of the box undoes or adds to
changes people already have in place, and for larger instances,
probably have fully automated.

If your adding fine grained configuraton like this to the
installer Allan, I'll make a request for the dma users,
add an option to have:

Which mail agent would you like, none, dma or sendmail?"

IMHO, this list of "feature tweeaks" goes on forever and
really should just be the user configuring there system post
install, maintaining this in bsdinstall is ad hoc, and would
be better served by a page of "things you may want to set up
after the install is finished"

[22:54.53]? <Myke> AllanJude: will you make the installer smart that if
the user disables sendmail, that periodic's output will be sent to
logfiles instead?
[22:55.17]? <AllanJude> not sure how doable that is
https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?periodic(8) <-- see examples
[22:57.55]? <AllanJude> ohh
[22:57.57]? <AllanJude> ok then
[22:58.04]? <AllanJude> should be fairly easy to do then
[23:00.02]? <Myke> AllanJude: I'd argue logging periodic to files should
become the default since I'm willing to bet 99% of fBSD machines' output
is ignored.
[23:00.34]? <AllanJude> Myke: that is a reasonable idea for freebsd 12
[23:00.42]? <Myke> :)
[23:00.57]? <AllanJude> and then i'll do it ;)
_______________________________________________
https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-current