How can I clean /tmp while system is running?

ahc_fan · 03-12-2016, 07:20 PM

I know I can put a command in the shutdown script to clean /tmp, but I rarely reboot my computer. So how should I manage this? Do I use cron and periodically delete files that are certain age? Could someone provide examples? Thank you.

cliffordw · 03-13-2016, 11:28 AM

Hi there,

Yes, a daily cron job should do the trick nicely. Possibly something like this:

Code:

find /tmp -xdev -type f -atime +1 -print | xargs rm

Habitual · 03-17-2016, 05:25 PM

Back when I ran Slackware (14'ish), I installed tmpwatch.
Seemed to do the job.

Now-a-days, I guess the new fangled thing is to mount /tmp as tmpfs file system and it gets
emptied on every reboot?

sundialsvcs · 03-17-2016, 09:30 PM

Not too familiar with tmpfs, but a Linux machine might well not be 'rebooted' for months at a time . . .

kohli · 03-18-2016, 12:59 AM

The tmpreaper program can be used to clean up /tmp periodically. This program deletes everything that has not been accessed in a given timeframe, typically two weeks. For this to work properly, the filesystem it is on should have the atimes option enabled. If you use a tmpfs, which it appears you are doing, then you should be fine.

Of course, rebooting also clears /tmp, but that would be boring.