DAILY(5)

📦 version 11.0, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 DAILY(5) — ok bestie, this is the File Formats Manual page for daily and daily.conf

So like… every night, NetBSD runs a lil maintenance shift while you're asleep, and this page is the group chat rules for what goes down. It's giving "chores but make it cron." Let's get into it 💖

✨ NAME ✨

daily, daily.conf — daily maintenance, aka the nightly glow-up routine for your system 🧖‍♀️

🌙 DESCRIPTION 🌙

Okay so the /etc/daily script is run, by default, every single night on a NetBSD system. Like clockwork, no cap. And the /etc/daily.conf file is the one that specifies which of the standard daily services are performed — it's the vibe-check file, basically 🎀

The variables described below can be set to "YES" or "NO" in the /etc/daily.conf file. Most default to "YES", but not all — so check the /etc/defaults/daily.conf file if you are in doubt. 🙈

⚠️ And listen — you should never edit /etc/defaults/daily.conf directly, because it is often replaced during system upgrades. That's a canon event you cannot undo, bestie. Don't do it. 💀

🫶 the YES/NO toggles (the main character list)

  • find_core — This runs find(1) over the entire local filesystem, looking for core files. Treasure hunt but for crashes 🔍
  • run_msgs — This runs msgs(1) with the -c argument.
  • expire_news — This runs the /etc/expire.news script.
  • purge_accounting — This ages accounting files in /var/account.
  • run_calendar — This runs calendar(1) with the -a argument.
  • check_disks — This uses the df(1) and dump(8) to give disk status, and also reports failed raid(4) components. Disk drama report, delivered fresh ✨
  • show_remote_fs — In check_disks, show remote file systems, which are not reported on by default.
  • check_mailq — This runs mailq(1).
  • check_network — This runs netstat(1) with the -i argument, and also checks the rwhod(8) database, and runs ruptime(1) if there are hosts in /var/rwho.
  • full_netstat — By default, check_network outputs a summarized version of the netstat(1) report. If a full version of the output run with the -inv options is desired, set this variable. Want the whole lore dump instead of the tl;dr? This is your girl 📜
  • run_fsck — This runs fsck(8) with the -n option.
  • run_rdist — This runs rdist(1) with /etc/Distfile.
  • run_security — This runs the /etc/security script looking for possible security problems with the system. Bestie patrol 🕵️‍♀️
  • run_skeyaudit — Runs the skeyaudit(1) program to check the S/Key database and informs users of S/Keys that are about to expire.
  • run_makemandb — If the /etc/man.conf file exists, runs the makemandb(8) utility to update the man.db database for use by apropos(1).
  • fetch_pkg_vulnerabilities — Refreshes the local database of package vulnerabilities. See the settings in security.conf(5) for details on the actual package checks.

🛠️ the "actually, let me tweak that" variables

The variables described below can be set to modify the tests:

  • find_core_ignore_fstypes — Lists filesystem types to ignore during the find_core phase. Prefixing the type with a ! inverts the match. For example, procfs !local will ignore procfs type filesystems and filesystems that are not local. The ! is giving reverse uno card 🃏
  • find_core_ignore_paths — Lists paths to ignore during the find_core phase. For example, /export will not descend into any directories under the /export hierarchy. This, on a file server, allows to skip user data while still scanning system files. Respect the boundaries 🚧
  • run_fsck_flags — Extra options to be passed to fsck(8) if run_fsck is enabled.
  • send_empty_security — If set, the report generated by the run_security phase will always be sent, even if it is empty. Like texting "nothing to report" just so they know you're alive 🫡
  • pkgdb_dir — DEPRECATED. Please set PKGDB_DIR in pkg_install.conf(5) instead. 😭

If defined, points to the location of the packages database. Defaults to /usr/pkg/pkgdb.

🎀 FILES 🎀

  • /etc/daily — daily maintenance script
  • /etc/daily.conf — daily maintenance configuration
  • /etc/defaults/daily.conf — default settings, overridden by /etc/daily.conf
  • /etc/daily.local — local site additions to /etc/daily

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

monthly(5), security.conf(5), weekly(5)

(it's a whole family, iykyk 👑)

🌸 HISTORY 🌸

The /etc/daily.conf file appeared in NetBSD 1.3. She's an icon, she's a legend, and she is the moment ⭐

and that's the whole page, bestie — slay 🫶

Cute lil sign-off: this one's from Debian, dated December 2, 2020 — the manual name up top was DAILY(5), and you officially made it to the end. ilysm, go run your dailies 💜🌙

📦 where this page comes from