Strange entries in cron.log file || Ubuntu Server

macfanpl · 07-11-2020, 08:25 AM

I am head admin for one of our servers running Ubuntu.

Browsing through logs Ive found strange entries, supposedly made by sysstat software.

Well, ok, but I have not installed this. Only I have both direct access to root. People who can use sudo is 10, But, none of them can do anything with apt.

Thats strange. It seems that Canonical pushed sysstat with update.

When I try apt purge sysstat, I get: https://imgur.com/9qsSXns
What may cause this? And how to stop logs from being spammed with things from unexisting software?

Thanks

berndbausch · 07-11-2020, 08:43 AM

How do you know that the cron logs are from sysstat?
Have you checked the crontabs?
Have you checked the apt logs?

macfanpl · 07-11-2020, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berndbausch

How do you know that the cron logs are from sysstat?
Have you checked the crontabs?
Have you checked the apt logs?

1. Because this is indicated within the logs itself.
2. Yes, nothing there....
3. Here, also no trace of sysstat being installed manually......

berndbausch · 07-11-2020, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macfanpl

1. Because this is indicated within the logs itself.

I'd like to see them.

Note that more recent versions of Ubuntu, 16 and later if I am not wrong, have cron logs in the journal.

Code:

journalctl -u cron

berndbausch · 07-11-2020, 10:44 AM

I just checked on my Ubuntu 16. It has the sysstat package, though it's disabled. It is executed by /etc/cron.daily/sysstat and would, if it were enabled, generate log files in /var/log/sysstat. To enable it, I'd have to set ENABLED=true in /etc/default/sysstat.
There is also a file /etc/crond.d/sysstat.
There is no trace of sysstat in the cron log, though cron.daily, executed by anacron, is reported in /var/log/syslog.
You may want to check all this on your system.

macfanpl · 07-12-2020, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berndbausch

I just checked on my Ubuntu 16. It has the sysstat package, though it's disabled. It is executed by /etc/cron.daily/sysstat and would, if it were enabled, generate log files in /var/log/sysstat. To enable it, I'd have to set ENABLED=true in /etc/default/sysstat.
There is also a file /etc/crond.d/sysstat.
There is no trace of sysstat in the cron log, though cron.daily, executed by anacron, is reported in /var/log/syslog.
You may want to check all this on your system.

No anacron here, sorry....
Also journalctl -e cron gives nothing