Linux SUSE guru's needed!!! what does this do?

[MustangSVT]

we found this in our log and was wondering the purpose of this command.

"root rm -rf /var/spool/cron/lastrun/cron.hourly"

thanks!

 

[skyking]

deletes a logfile.
wrong forum .

 

[Crucial]

to delete the cron.hourly file?

 

[xSauronx]

two things:

1: wrong forum
2: why doesnt anyone there know what rm -rf does?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

rm is the command to reverse the mutation
rf is the switch to specify "radio frequency" as the method.
var is variable
spool is the differential type
cron means chronilogical order
lastrun means that it's the directory where something will be hunted down and killed
cron.hourly means that the hunt happens hourly

So what it does is that is reverses the mutation using RF energy with both sides locked together, this should take about an hour after which the traces of the mutation should be completely eliminated in the order of which it was created in.

 

[skyking]

Indeed, it is one of the oldest linux jokes around

 

[ultimatebob]

Yeah, that command will delete cron.hourly, or anything under cron.hourly if it's directory.

As a UNIX admin, you should get really scared when people run rm -rf on ANY directory as root. You can seriously fubar a system if you run that in the wrong directory!

 

[Crusty]

So you have linux servers running cron jobs and someone issued a rm -rf command and nobody in the office knows wtf it means?

 

[Chryso]

I bet a consultant wrote a batch job for them.

 

[rasczak]

hrrmm, something new to toy around with. :evil: (new unix admin so i'm learning a lot of stuff on the fly.)

 

[Specop 007]

Originally posted by: rasczak
hrrmm, something new to toy around with. :evil: (new unix admin so i'm learning a lot of stuff on the fly.)

And for tomorrow class we'll learn how to restore from backups.........

 

[Platypus]

lol...

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Specop 007

Originally posted by: rasczak
hrrmm, something new to toy around with. :evil: (new unix admin so i'm learning a lot of stuff on the fly.)

And for tomorrow class we'll learn how to restore from backups.........

Sadly, that's a class that needs to be taught much more often. Everyone teaches you "make backups", but nobody teaches you how to use them.

 

[venkman]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
rm is the command to reverse the mutation
rf is the switch to specify "radio frequency" as the method.
var is variable
spool is the differential type
cron means chronilogical order
lastrun means that it's the directory where something will be hunted down and killed
cron.hourly means that the hunt happens hourly

So what it does is that is reverses the mutation using RF energy with both sides locked together, this should take about an hour after which the traces of the mutation should be completely eliminated in the order of which it was created in.

so it's the command line version of that kid from X-Men 3.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: venkman

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
rm is the command to reverse the mutation
rf is the switch to specify "radio frequency" as the method.
var is variable
spool is the differential type
cron means chronilogical order
lastrun means that it's the directory where something will be hunted down and killed
cron.hourly means that the hunt happens hourly

So what it does is that is reverses the mutation using RF energy with both sides locked together, this should take about an hour after which the traces of the mutation should be completely eliminated in the order of which it was created in.

so it's the command line version of that kid from X-Men 3.

Basically, yeah.

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: Specop 007

Originally posted by: rasczak
hrrmm, something new to toy around with. :evil: (new unix admin so i'm learning a lot of stuff on the fly.)

And for tomorrow class we'll learn how to restore from backups.........

Sadly, that's a class that needs to be taught much more often. Everyone teaches you "make backups", but nobody teaches you how to use them.

the ironing is strong. I just got a call that a fileserver has died after a power failure. All the other servers are OK, and I have backup files from friday the 19th so no worries there.
I get to migrate the users and file structure to another server and get all the shares working from here, but it beats a 350 mile drive in the snow