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crontab script execution - different behaviour user-cronfile <-> system-wide cronfile

Hello everybody.

I stumbled upon the following:

Script iptables_reset.sh

Code:

#!/bin/bash



IPTABLES="$(which iptables)"



$IPTABLES -P INPUT ACCEPT

$IPTABLES -P FORWARD ACCEPT

$IPTABLES -P OUTPUT ACCEPT

$IPTABLES -F

$IPTABLES -X



exit 0

This works if I edit the system-wide crontab in /etc/crontab like this:

Code:

0 12 * * * root /root/iptables/iptables_reset.sh

But it won't work, if i edit roots user-cronfile by using crontab(1):

Code:

crontab -l

# m h  dom mon dow  command

0 12 * * * /root/iptables/iptables_reset.sh

The log entry is the same for system-wide and user-cronfile:

Code:

/USR/SBIN/CRON[5135]: (root) CMD (/root/iptables/iptables_reset.sh)

I tried different things and found out, if i don't use the "$(which iptables)" substitution in the script, it also works with the user-cronfile.
What i can't figure out is why. Maybe someone can enlighten me?!

maybe the user cron doesn't have a correct PATH.
if so, you just have to define PATH somewhere (the script or the crontab).

Non-root user wouldn't have that in their path...

the user is root ;).

Really, the main point is that the default env settings for cron are minimal; this sort of issue, even for quite innocuous cmds/files is common.
The general rule is (search LQ) to always use full paths to all cmds/files required if running under cron.
Other options include sourcing the relevant user's .bash_profile/.bashrc files or set the cron env vars: http://adminschoice.com/crontab-quic...Crontab%20file