Crontab Error Emails: Set Sender to Root Using -f

Question

For a crontab entry in this format,

*/1 * * * *  /usr/bin/php /app/<userid>/command --flag='value'

I see this message emailed to <userid>@host (and view via mail) at one per minute:

From root@host  Wed May  2 16:36:02 2012
Return-Path: <root@host>
Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 16:36:01 -0400
X-Authentication-Warning: host: <userid> set sender to root using -f
From: root@host (Cron Daemon)
To: <userid>@host
Subject: Cron <<userid>@host> /usr/bin/php /app/<userid>/command --flag='value'
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Auto-Submitted: auto-generated
X-Cron-Env: <SHELL=/bin/bash>
X-Cron-Env: <PATH=/usr/lib64/qt-3.3/bin:/usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/home/<userid>/bin>
X-Cron-Env: <HOME=/home/<userid>>
X-Cron-Env: <LOGNAME=<userid>>
X-Cron-Env: <USER=<userid>>
Status: R

I'm unsure what this error is, particularly the 4th line and if it something to be worried about. This only happens on one of our test servers, and the production servers are fine. I don't have root access on these servers.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Could be email message that is bounced / returned because it could not be delivered

see reference http://docs.phplist.com/PhpListConfigBounces.html

Answer 2

X-Authentication-Warning: host: <userid> set sender to root using -f

That line is something I've seen sendmail do. It is a common result of sending mail via something like:

blahblahblah.sh | /usr/sbin/sendmail  -f $SENDER $RECIPIENT 

Where $SENDER is 'root' (and sender masquerade isn't on.)

I wouldn't consider it something to worry about, it's just letting the recipient know that the sender was manually forced and could be bogus.

In any event, I don't imagine that that's the cause of cron emailing you -- that's a result of the emailing process. Was there any further content to the message? Also, does Status: R mean anything to you? Because it's not an email header field I recognize.