Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Pierre Schmitz]

On Sun, 1 May 2011 21:43:42 -0400, Jim Pryor wrote:
> On Mon, May 02, 2011 at 04:06:47AM +0300, Grigorios Bouzakis wrote:
>> Jim Pryor wrote:
>> > v4.5 was released as a tarball at 
>> > ; but Paul won't be able to 
>> > package it right away.
>> >
>> Pierre already built a 4.5 package, which is current in testing
>> http://www.archlinux.org/packages/testing/i686/dcron
> 
> Super, thanks.
> 
> I suggest these changes:
> 
> --- PKGBUILD2011-05-01 21:30:00.046676526 -0400
> +++ PKGBUILD.new2011-05-01 21:35:10.066676512 -0400
> @@ -38,5 +38,8 @@
> install -D -m0600 extra/root.crontab "$pkgdir/var/spool/cron/root" 
> install -D -m755 extra/crond.rc "$pkgdir/etc/rc.d/crond"
> install -D -m0644 extra/crond.conf "$pkgdir/etc/conf.d/crond"
> -   install -D -m644 extra/crond.logrotate "$pkgdir/etc/logrotate.d/crond"
> +   #install -D -m644 extra/crond.logrotate "$pkgdir/etc/logrotate.d/crond"
> +   install -D -m644 extra/crontab.vim
> "$pkgdir/usr/share/vim/vimfiles/ftplugin/crontab.vim"
> +   sed -i -e 's=/var/spool/cron/cronstamps=/var/spool/cronstamps='
> extra/prune-cronstamps
> +   install -D -m755 extra/prune-cronstamps
> "$pkgdir/etc/cron.d/prune-cronstamps"
>  }
> 
> 
> But none of those are especially urgent. Note that the logrotate file
> should not be installed if there continues to be a reference to
> /var/log/crond.log in /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf. I distribute it as
> an example for users or distros who don't use dcron with syslog.

Thanks for the hint. Just applied that to the package.

-- 
Pierre Schmitz, https://users.archlinux.de/~pierre

Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Jim Pryor]

On Mon, May 02, 2011 at 06:19:36AM +0200, Andrea Scarpino wrote:
> On Sunday 01 May 2011 21:43:42 Jim Pryor wrote:
> > I suggest these changes:
> > 
> > --- PKGBUILD2011-05-01 21:30:00.046676526 -0400
> > +++ PKGBUILD.new2011-05-01 21:35:10.066676512 -0400
> > @@ -38,5 +38,8 @@
> > install -D -m0600 extra/root.crontab "$pkgdir/var/spool/cron/root"
> > install -D -m755 extra/crond.rc "$pkgdir/etc/rc.d/crond"
> > install -D -m0644 extra/crond.conf "$pkgdir/etc/conf.d/crond"
> > -   install -D -m644 extra/crond.logrotate "$pkgdir/etc/logrotate.d/crond"
> > +   #install -D -m644 extra/crond.logrotate "$pkgdir/etc/logrotate.d/crond"
> > +   install -D -m644 extra/crontab.vim
> > "$pkgdir/usr/share/vim/vimfiles/ftplugin/crontab.vim" +   sed -i -e
> > 's=/var/spool/cron/cronstamps=/var/spool/cronstamps='
> > extra/prune-cronstamps +   install -D -m755 extra/prune-cronstamps
> > "$pkgdir/etc/cron.d/prune-cronstamps" }
> > 
> > 
> > But none of those are especially urgent. Note that the logrotate file
> > should not be installed if there continues to be a reference to
> > /var/log/crond.log in /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf. I distribute it as
> > an example for users or distros who don't use dcron with syslog.
> Please file a bug report so we don't forget about this changes.
> Thanks

Sure, it's now FS#24040.

-- 
Jim Pryor
prof...@jimpryor.net

Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Andrea Scarpino]

On Sunday 01 May 2011 21:43:42 Jim Pryor wrote:
> I suggest these changes:
> 
> --- PKGBUILD2011-05-01 21:30:00.046676526 -0400
> +++ PKGBUILD.new2011-05-01 21:35:10.066676512 -0400
> @@ -38,5 +38,8 @@
> install -D -m0600 extra/root.crontab "$pkgdir/var/spool/cron/root"
> install -D -m755 extra/crond.rc "$pkgdir/etc/rc.d/crond"
> install -D -m0644 extra/crond.conf "$pkgdir/etc/conf.d/crond"
> -   install -D -m644 extra/crond.logrotate "$pkgdir/etc/logrotate.d/crond"
> +   #install -D -m644 extra/crond.logrotate "$pkgdir/etc/logrotate.d/crond"
> +   install -D -m644 extra/crontab.vim
> "$pkgdir/usr/share/vim/vimfiles/ftplugin/crontab.vim" +   sed -i -e
> 's=/var/spool/cron/cronstamps=/var/spool/cronstamps='
> extra/prune-cronstamps +   install -D -m755 extra/prune-cronstamps
> "$pkgdir/etc/cron.d/prune-cronstamps" }
> 
> 
> But none of those are especially urgent. Note that the logrotate file
> should not be installed if there continues to be a reference to
> /var/log/crond.log in /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf. I distribute it as
> an example for users or distros who don't use dcron with syslog.
Please file a bug report so we don't forget about this changes.
Thanks

-- 
Andrea

Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Jim Pryor]

On Mon, May 02, 2011 at 04:06:47AM +0300, Grigorios Bouzakis wrote:
> Jim Pryor wrote:
> > v4.5 was released as a tarball at 
> > ; but Paul won't be able to 
> > package it right away.
> >
> Pierre already built a 4.5 package, which is current in testing
> http://www.archlinux.org/packages/testing/i686/dcron

Super, thanks.

I suggest these changes:

--- PKGBUILD2011-05-01 21:30:00.046676526 -0400
+++ PKGBUILD.new2011-05-01 21:35:10.066676512 -0400
@@ -38,5 +38,8 @@
install -D -m0600 extra/root.crontab "$pkgdir/var/spool/cron/root" 
install -D -m755 extra/crond.rc "$pkgdir/etc/rc.d/crond"
install -D -m0644 extra/crond.conf "$pkgdir/etc/conf.d/crond"
-   install -D -m644 extra/crond.logrotate "$pkgdir/etc/logrotate.d/crond"
+   #install -D -m644 extra/crond.logrotate "$pkgdir/etc/logrotate.d/crond"
+   install -D -m644 extra/crontab.vim 
"$pkgdir/usr/share/vim/vimfiles/ftplugin/crontab.vim"
+   sed -i -e 's=/var/spool/cron/cronstamps=/var/spool/cronstamps=' 
extra/prune-cronstamps
+   install -D -m755 extra/prune-cronstamps 
"$pkgdir/etc/cron.d/prune-cronstamps"
 }


But none of those are especially urgent. Note that the logrotate file
should not be installed if there continues to be a reference to
/var/log/crond.log in /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf. I distribute it as
an example for users or distros who don't use dcron with syslog.

-- 
Jim Pryor
prof...@jimpryor.net

Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Grigorios Bouzakis]

Jim Pryor wrote:
> v4.5 was released as a tarball at ; 
> but Paul won't be able to package it right away.
>
Pierre already built a 4.5 package, which is current in testing
http://www.archlinux.org/packages/testing/i686/dcron


Greg

Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Jim Pryor]

The git repo has been updated in the way I described. There's a single
branch, whose history looks like this:

tag="v4.4"
...many many commits...
tag="reverted" (back to v4.4)
...a few commits...
tag="v4.5"
...one or two more commits... (someday soon I will rebase all the
   reverted work back on top of v4.5)

v4.5 was released as a tarball at ; 
but Paul won't be able to package it right away.

But dcron-git is also now available at
, and if you like you
can just add a `git checkout v4.5` to its PKGBUILD and get the same
sources I tarballed.

Please let me know of any difficulties you have; or if you're able to
confirm that scheduling glitches you saw before have gone away. Thanks.

-- 
Jim Pryor
prof...@jimpryor.net

Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Johannes Held]

On 01.05.2011 19:00, Jim Pryor wrote:

I don't know yet how to push a new local branch to remote, though I know
I'll be able to figure it out.

That would be
git push origin new_local_branch

--
Johannes

Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Jim Pryor]

On Sun, May 01, 2011 at 04:01:01PM +0200, Pierre Schmitz wrote:
> On Sun, 1 May 2011 03:33:37 -0400, Jim Pryor wrote:
> > ...
> > As I said, my source tree contains a large refactoring push. I have
> > deferred this, and back-ported some important bugfixes, and a few simple
> > features or packaging changes, to a v4.5 release. I'll push this to
> >  shortly; and I hope it can be
> > packaged and pushed to [testing]. I'd welcome any testing and feedback
> > any of you might be able to do.
> > 
> > I will push those changes, as well as all the other deferred parts of my
> > source tree, to dcron's git repo at . And
> > I'll update the dcron-git package on AUR, at
> > . If any of you were
> > interested and able to test this, I'd very much welcome such feedback
> > too.
> > 
> > These will all be pushed in the next couple of hours.
> 
> Could you also tag the releases in git (maybe you just forgot to push
> them using git push --tags)

Hi Pierre, yes I can, and indeed I didn't know what I needed to do to
push the tags.

However, I guess I'm going to have to make the history ugly. Here is how
it currently looks:

initial --- tagged as v4.0 --- ... --- tagged as v4.4 --- lots of commits
 \   in master
  \
    v4.5 branch

I don't know yet how to push a new local branch to remote, though I know
I'll be able to figure it out. But also, it's awkward having most of the
releases as tags and v4.5 on a separate branch.

And it seems like the only way to get everything back on a single branch
would be to do something like described here
.
In essence, I'll have to change the history to look like this:

--- up to tag v4.4 --- up to present --- revert back --- tagged as ---+
   as before masterto 4.4  v4.5   |
  |
  rebase the present
   master on top of
  v4.5

If anyone has better suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

-- 
Jim Pryor
j...@jimpryor.net

Re: [arch-general] Status of dcron

[Pierre Schmitz]

On Sun, 1 May 2011 03:33:37 -0400, Jim Pryor wrote:
> ...
> As I said, my source tree contains a large refactoring push. I have
> deferred this, and back-ported some important bugfixes, and a few simple
> features or packaging changes, to a v4.5 release. I'll push this to
>  shortly; and I hope it can be
> packaged and pushed to [testing]. I'd welcome any testing and feedback
> any of you might be able to do.
> 
> I will push those changes, as well as all the other deferred parts of my
> source tree, to dcron's git repo at . And
> I'll update the dcron-git package on AUR, at
> . If any of you were
> interested and able to test this, I'd very much welcome such feedback
> too.
> 
> These will all be pushed in the next couple of hours.

Could you also tag the releases in git (maybe you just forgot to push
them using git push --tags)

-- 
Pierre Schmitz, https://users.archlinux.de/~pierre

[arch-general] Status of dcron

[Jim Pryor]

Hi I'm the upstream developer of dcron (and an Arch user). As some of
you know, I haven't been able to tend to this project much for the past
year. Part of the trouble was I was in the middle of a large refactoring
project when other responsibilities dragged me away, and I was never
able to make enough time to catch up with the bug reports and patches
several helpful users sent me. I appreciate all the help you guys sent
my way; and I am sorry I wasn't able to push it out more quickly.

I've now made some time to catch up with dcron. I've just seen that
there's been a recent mailing list thread discussing the long time that
dcron has sat with an unfixed scheduling bug, and whether Arch should
switch to a different default cron daemon. I wanted to write and push
this email out before I read that thread.

There are two separate issues here.

One issue is that the current developer of dcron (me) has demonstrated
he won't always be able to respond to issues promptly. There were some
times when development was active, but for the past year an important
scheduling bug was left unaddressed. (A scheduling bug in a cron
daemon!) Even if that bug will now be fixed, individual users may
sensibly prefer to use a program whose development team can commit to
being more responsive. Moreover, the Arch distro may itself sensibly
prefer to use such as a default.

I think those arguments are entirely reasonable; and I don't want to
campaign for anyone to stay with dcron if it doesn't suit their needs.

However, I still like dcron myself; that's why I took over development
of it. And I believe the outstanding issues and most-requested
refinements are fixed, or are in the immediate pipeline. So I do want to
keep developing it for those who still value its balance of simplicity
and features.

That raises the second issue: what is the current status of dcron?

As I said, my source tree contains a large refactoring push. I have
deferred this, and back-ported some important bugfixes, and a few simple
features or packaging changes, to a v4.5 release. I'll push this to
 shortly; and I hope it can be
packaged and pushed to [testing]. I'd welcome any testing and feedback
any of you might be able to do.

I will push those changes, as well as all the other deferred parts of my
source tree, to dcron's git repo at . And
I'll update the dcron-git package on AUR, at
. If any of you were
interested and able to test this, I'd very much welcome such feedback
too.

These will all be pushed in the next couple of hours.

Thanks, and I apologize for any inconvenience my inability to keep up
with this project has caused anybody.


-- 
Jim Pryor
profj...@jimpryor.net