LinuxQuestions.org - [SOLVED] 'source' behaves differently in RHEL 5 and 6

In RHEL5.4, the following entries in the crontab works:

* * * * * set >/tmp/set.output
* * * * * . my_env && cat my_env >/tmp/deleteme

The file my_env is placed under my home directory with mode 644 owned by me. The file /tmp/set.output and /tmp/deleteme are created as expected.

However the same entries and the same setup doesn't work in RHEL6.4. It doesn't create or write to /tmp/deleteme although I have permission to create files and write to them in /tmp.

The man page says `source` will look for my_env from the PATH. On non-posix shell, the home directory is searched as well. So RHEL6.4 is correct. I wonder if this is an intended improvement or is it something else that makes the behaviour different?

RHEL5.4:

Code:

$ cat /tmp/set.output 

BASH=/bin/sh

BASH_ARGC=()

BASH_ARGV=()

BASH_EXECUTION_STRING='set >/tmp/set.output'

BASH_LINENO=()

BASH_SOURCE=()

BASH_VERSINFO=([0]="3" [1]="2" [2]="25" [3]="1" [4]="release" [5]="x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu")

BASH_VERSION='3.2.25(1)-release'

DIRSTACK=()

EUID=5111

GROUPS=()

HOME=/var/hello

HOSTNAME=hello

HOSTTYPE=x86_64

IFS='        

'

LOGNAME=hello

MACHTYPE=x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu

OPTERR=1

OPTIND=1

OSTYPE=linux-gnu

PATH=/usr/bin:/bin

POSIXLY_CORRECT=y

PPID=27700

PS4='+ '

PWD=/var/hello

SHELL=/bin/sh

SHELLOPTS=braceexpand:hashall:interactive-comments:posix

SHLVL=1

TERM=dumb

UID=5111

USER=hello

_=/bin/sh

RHEL6.3:

Code:

$ cat /tmp/set.output 

BASH=/bin/sh

BASHOPTS=cmdhist:extquote:force_fignore:hostcomplete:interactive_comments:progcomp:promptvars:sourcepath

BASH_ALIASES=()

BASH_ARGC=()

BASH_ARGV=()

BASH_CMDS=()

BASH_EXECUTION_STRING='set >/tmp/set.output'

BASH_LINENO=()

BASH_SOURCE=()

BASH_VERSINFO=([0]="4" [1]="1" [2]="2" [3]="1" [4]="release" [5]="x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu")

BASH_VERSION='4.1.2(1)-release'

DIRSTACK=()

EUID=5104

GROUPS=()

HOME=/home/hello

HOSTNAME=hello

HOSTTYPE=x86_64

IFS='        

'

LOGNAME=hello

MACHTYPE=x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu

OPTERR=1

OPTIND=1

OSTYPE=linux-gnu

PATH=/usr/bin:/bin

POSIXLY_CORRECT=y

PPID=23161

PS4='+ '

PWD=/home/hello

SHELL=/bin/sh

SHELLOPTS=braceexpand:hashall:interactive-comments:posix

SHLVL=1

TERM=dumb

UID=5104

USER=hello

_=/bin/sh

I have changed some output to 'hello' for privacy.