Bug 4891

Summary: Smartd package should default to mailing root@localhost
Product: Mageia Reporter: Richard Neill <mageia>
Component: RPM PackagesAssignee: Damien Lallement <mageia>
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX QA Contact:
Severity: minor    
Priority: Normal Keywords: Triaged
Version: Cauldron   
Target Milestone: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
Whiteboard:
Source RPM: smartmontools CVE:
Status comment:

Description Richard Neill 2012-03-12 03:11:50 CET
Description of problem:

The default installation of smartmontools is set (in /etc.smartd.conf) to send
email to "you@yourdomain.com". It does come with a warning in the config file to change this, but not everyone does. I, for one, failed to spot this the last time.

May I suggest that a better default would be root@localhost ? At least this would be compatible with all the other system generated email, and would stand a chance of being delivered by default.

imho, an out of the box installation of smartmontools should be configured to email root when it detects trouble.
Comment 1 Manuel Hiebel 2012-03-12 18:28:43 CET
Hi, thanks for reporting this bug.
Assigned to the package maintainer.

(Please set the status to 'assigned' if you are working on it)

Keywords: (none) => Triaged
Assignee: bugsquad => mageia
Severity: normal => minor

Comment 2 Damien Lallement 2012-03-14 15:54:34 CET
This line in smartd.conf is commented. Do you mean you want it to be "un-commented"?

Status: NEW => ASSIGNED

Comment 3 Richard Neill 2012-03-14 16:26:24 CET
(In reply to comment #2)
> This line in smartd.conf is commented. Do you mean you want it to be
> "un-commented"?

Yes, that's probably a good idea. In keeping with "it just works", I'd suggest that simply the default (unconfigured) installation "urpmi smartmontools" should automatically set up to email root if there is a problem. Otherwise, it's too easy to miss the warning! Guess how I found out.
Comment 4 Damien Lallement 2012-03-14 16:39:26 CET
If the line is commented, your request is useless.
If the line is uncommented, your request is good but it could fill the box for nothing and slow down the system...
Comment 5 Richard Neill 2012-03-14 16:59:59 CET
Yes... but if the disk is failing, root really needs to know NOW, rather than the next time he checks the syslog!  If the emails go only once a day or so, the risk of clogging is slight. (Worst case, a few MB wasted per year), and the benefit (of knowing about a disk failure) is really quite worthwhile, imho.
Comment 6 Damien Lallement 2012-03-14 17:15:05 CET
Yes but I think you misunderstood this line. It's not to send a mail "NOW" if a smart error happens but to send a mail once a week (on saturday here), if smart error happens during weekly test...
No the same as you said. I think that we should let ppl configure smartmontools depending on their needs.
Comment 7 Richard Neill 2012-03-14 18:03:24 CET
I agree of course that people should be able to configure as they need. Changing the defaults doesn't alter that. What I'm trying to suggest is that the newbie (or in my case, the absent-minded sysadmin!) might expect smartmontools to be rather more vocal.

By default, Mageia should (imho) warn every day if it detects a disk is failing, or (in a related way) if a RAID array is degraded. It would also be beneficial to tie it into the desktop notifications (like when a network device is connected/disconnected).
Comment 8 Damien Lallement 2012-03-14 18:32:18 CET
Changing default will load computer without telling people. Bad!
People have to read the man or other help files to understand the tools they use.
Uncommenting the .conf file won't be done to prevent reports saying "my computer is unusable on saturday night and load is high!".
I advise you to use GUI for smartmontools if you want something more easy to use. GUI like gsmartcontrol.

Moreover, when a disk is failing, fs is, in general, not readable anymore so, mail can't be sent. I think people should use smartd as they wish. We should not enable mail by default as your need is a "personal need". We can't configure package for each "personal need". Perhaps being absent-minded sysadmin 2 or 3 times will make you change. :-)

And smartmontools is not a tool to warn about RAID array. It's just for smart checks on HDD. You need to use other tools for RAID array.

I think people using this kind of tools are good enough to configure it as they want.
Comment 9 Damien Lallement 2012-03-20 11:34:24 CET
I close as WONTFIX as this feature is a personal need.
If I can package smart-notifier, I will. Perhaps it will fit your demand.

Status: ASSIGNED => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => WONTFIX