[rancid] Completely disable mail functionality in 3.14?

[Andrew Weaver]

We use many different types.

The one I am trying to fix right now is "smc"

it doesn't seem like it sends 'term length 0' before looking at the 
configuration so there ends up being spaces in the configuration file in 
weird places as it paginates so it counts the exact same "configuration 
file" as having a diff in it..

It was this:

smc;script;rancid -t smc
smc;login;hlogin
smc;timeout;90
smc;module;smc
smc;inloop;smc::inloop
smc;command;rancid::RunCommand;terminal datadump
smc;command;smc::ShowSys;show system
smc;command;smc::ShowVer;show version
smc;command;smc::Dir;dir
smc;command;smc::ShowVlan;show vlan
smc;command;smc::WriteTerm;show running-config

I'm not sure what "terminal datadump" is supposed to do as that command 
doesn't exist on our dell switches.

So we'll end up seeing things like this in the configs and the configs 
are "updated" every time RANCID goes out to check the configuration file 
and I cannot figure out why since the configurations almost never 
actually change.

"!
  <return>                                                       
interface vlan 1"

So I tried changing it to:

smc;script;rancid -t smc
smc;login;hlogin
smc;timeout;90
smc;module;smc
smc;inloop;smc::inloop
smc;command;rancid::RunCommand;terminal length 0
#smc;command;smc::ShowSys;show system
#smc;command;smc::ShowVer;show version
#smc;command;smc::Dir;dir
#smc;command;smc::ShowVlan;show vlan
smc;command;smc::WriteTerm;show running-config

Is there any way to log what it's actually doing when it is running like 
as far as the commands and the responses? I'd like to get it to stop 
thinking that there is a configuration change every single time 
rancid-run is ran.

thanks.

On 2026-05-14 05:43, Jethro Binks wrote:

> What "devices" are you backing up?  What rancid type are you using?
> 
> Many of the rancid types have an exclusion for filenames that are known 
> to be volatile and change and filter them out from processing, or else 
> the time fields are filtered out.
> 
> (eg in ios.pm:
> 
> sub ShowFlash {
> ...
> # Drop these files entirely.
> /\s+(private-multiple-fs|multiple-fs|LISP-MapCache-IPv\S+|nv_hdr)$/ &&
> Next;
> 
> )
> 
> Jethro.
> 
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  
> .
> 
> Jethro R Binks, Network Manager,
> 
> Information Services Directorate, University Of Strathclyde, Glasgow, 
> UK
> 
> The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in 
> Scotland, number SC015263.
> 
> -------------------------
> 
> From: Rancid-discuss <rancid-discuss-bounces at www.shrubbery.net> on 
> behalf of Andrew Weaver <aweaver at ee.net>
> Sent: 13 May 2026 7:55 PM
> To: rancid-discuss at www.shrubbery.net <rancid-discuss at www.shrubbery.net>
> Subject: Re: [rancid] Completely disable mail functionality in 3.14?
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I apologize for replying to myself but it seems like the reason it's 
> trying to send that many emails is because it thinks that this is a 
> change and so it's creating a diff for things like this:
> 
> 38,39c38,39
> < ! syslog1.sys             r-       131072      --      26-Apr-2016 
> 15:15:24
> < ! syslog2.sys             r-       131072      --      26-Apr-2016 
> 15:15:24
> ---
>> ! syslog1.sys             r-       131072      --      26-Apr-2016 
>> 15:26:39
>> ! syslog2.sys             r-       131072      --      26-Apr-2016 
>> 15:26:39
> 
> We're solely using RANCID as a way to backup the configuration files on 
> our devices.
> 
> Is there any way to globally disable it checking the file dates on the 
> syslog files on network devices?
> 
> I noticed on other switches it appears to think that the wattage being 
> used by the PSUs is a configuration change.
> 
> Do I need to make a custom version of whatever commands it's running to 
> exclude things that change constantly?
> 
> On 2026-05-13 14:37, Andrew Weaver wrote:
> 
>> Hello,
>> 
>> I noticed that the logs on our RANCID machine were growing quite 
>> large.
>> 
>> I determined that it is because it's writing 10MB of this half of the 
>> time rancid-run runs:
>> 
>> No configuration file found at /home/rancid/.esmtprc or /etc/esmtprc
>> No configuration file found at /home/rancid/.esmtprc or /etc/esmtprc
>> No configuration file found at /home/rancid/.esmtprc or /etc/esmtprc
>> No configuration file found at /home/rancid/.esmtprc or /etc/esmtprc
>> No configuration file found at /home/rancid/.esmtprc or /etc/esmtprc
>> No configuration file found at /home/rancid/.esmtprc or /etc/esmtprc
>> 
>> So then I created a blank .esmtprc file that caused it to start 
>> logging two lines for each thing that I don't want it doing in the 
>> first place. ;)
>> 
>> File /home/rancid/.esmtprc must have no more than -rwx--x--- (0710) 
>> permissions.
>> open: /home/rancid/.esmtprc: Success
>> 
>> OK fine, I fixed that.
>> 
>> How do I just disable every single thing to do with SMTP .esmtprc, 
>> etc?
>> 
>> Thank you so much if anyone can assist me.
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Rancid-discuss at www.shrubbery.net
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> 
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