now every crontab that should produce an output file follows the form: &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-PURPOSE.log where PURPOSE depends on what the crontab does.
#[backup git account]
# archives the whole ~git folder with all account databases into a compressed tar file.
-34 20 * * 5 tar -czf /z/stuffing/archives/git_archive_$(date +"\%Y_\%m_\%d_\%H\%M_\%S" | tr -d '/\n/').tar.gz /home/git >/home/git/archiving_log.txt
+34 20 * * 5 tar -czf /z/stuffing/archives/git_archive_$(date +"\%Y_\%m_\%d_\%H\%M_\%S" | tr -d '/\n/').tar.gz /home/git &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-backup_git_account.log
#[backup mysql databases]
# backs up all of our mysql databases on a weekly basis.
-28 4 * * 2 (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; mysqldump -u root '-pPASSWORD' --all-databases | gzip > /z/stuffing/archives/database_backup_$(hostname)_$(date_stringer).sql.gz) &>/tmp/database_backup_${USER}.log
+28 4 * * 2 (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; mysqldump -u root '-pPASSWORD' --all-databases | gzip > /z/stuffing/archives/database_backup_$(hostname)_$(date_stringer).sql.gz) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-backup_mysql_databases.log
#[backup photo albums]
# back up the pictures in coppermine gallery every month.
-34 6 4 * * (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; tar -czf /z/stuffing/archives/photo_albums_backup_$(date_stringer).tar.gz /home/albums ; refred) &>/tmp/albums_backup_${USER}.log
+34 6 4 * * (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; tar -czf /z/stuffing/archives/photo_albums_backup_$(date_stringer).tar.gz /home/albums ; refred) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-backup_photo_albums.log
#[backup serene system]
# backs up config files and important parts of home directories to off-machine storage.
-14 2 * * */7 (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/archival/serene_backer_upper.sh) &>/tmp/offmachine_backup.log
+14 2 * * */7 (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/archival/serene_backer_upper.sh) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-backup_serene_system.log
#[backup trac]
# backs up trac every week.
-28 7 * * 2 bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/archival/backup_trac.sh /home/trac /z/stuffing/archives
+28 7 * * 2 bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/archival/backup_trac.sh /home/trac /z/stuffing/archives &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-backup_trac.log
#[bookmarks builder]
# regenerate the bookmarks pages.
-24 10 * * * (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/bookmarks/create_marks.sh ) &>>/tmp/zz_bookmarkingering_$USER.log
+24 10 * * * (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/bookmarks/create_marks.sh ) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-bookmarks_builder.log
#[chkrootkit]
# this runs chkrootkit to demonstrate a bug in the vm kernel currently
# provided by...? hmmm: who's the vendor?
-3 * * * * (/usr/sbin/chkrootkit -q &>/var/www/rootkit_report_quiet.txt )
-4 * * * * (/usr/sbin/chkrootkit -x &>/var/www/rootkit_report_expert.txt )
+3 * * * * (/usr/sbin/chkrootkit -q &>/var/www/rootkit_report_quiet.txt ) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-chkrootkit.log
+4 * * * * (/usr/sbin/chkrootkit -x &>/var/www/rootkit_report_expert.txt ) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-chkrootkit.log
#[doxygen]
# update the feisty meow documentation once on each of tuesday, thursday and saturday.
-20 4 * * 2,4,6 (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; cd $HOME/feisty_meow/documentation; make) &>>/tmp/zz_doxy_make_$USER.log
+20 4 * * 2,4,6 (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; cd $HOME/feisty_meow/documentation; make) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-doxygen.log
#[emit crontab]
# meta-operation to backup the crontab file using cron itself.
-28 */8 * * * crontab -l >$HOME/$USER.crontab
+28 */8 * * * crontab -l >$HOME/$(hostname).$USER.crontab
#[letsencrypt renewal]
# run the letsencrypt certificate renewal process every 4 hours.
-37 */4 * * * letsencrypt renew &>>/tmp/letsencrypt_last_run.txt
+37 */4 * * * letsencrypt renew &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-letsencrypt_renewal.log
#[mailman attribute fix]
-# fix the mailman binaries.
+# fix the mailman log files so that an obnoxious bug doesn't happen on the mailman web site.
23 5 * * * chmod -R 02775 /var/lib/mailman/logs &>/dev/null
#[opensim restart]
# ensure opensim is started if we can't detect it as running.
-*/5 * * * * export FOOP=/tmp/opensim_restart_$USER.log; export LIGHTWEIGHT_INIT=true; source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh &>>$FOOP ; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/opensim/maybe_restart_opensim.sh &>>$FOOP ; /bin/chmod g+w $FOOP
+*/5 * * * * (export LIGHTWEIGHT_INIT=true; source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/opensim/maybe_restart_opensim.sh) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-opensim_restart.log
#[pack feisty for web]
# this packs up our source code distributions every 8 days.
-16 22 */8 * * (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/archival/pack_feisty_meow.sh) &>$TMP/zz_packing_cron.log
+16 22 */8 * * (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/archival/pack_feisty_meow.sh) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-pack_feisty_for_web.log
#[process check]
# a crontab for periodically dumping the process state.
-* * * * * (export LIGHTWEIGHT_INIT=true; source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/processes/show_hot_ones.sh) &>>/home/$USER/zz_hot_processes.log
+* * * * * (export LIGHTWEIGHT_INIT=true; source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/processes/show_hot_ones.sh) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-active_processes.log
#[random sound]
-* * * * * (export LIGHTWEIGHT_INIT=true; source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/multimedia/randomly_play.sh) &>>/tmp/zz_random_sound_$USER.log
+* * * * * (export LIGHTWEIGHT_INIT=true; source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/multimedia/randomly_play.sh) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-random_sound.log
#[snarf linux configuration]
# do a backup of the linux configuration files once a week.
-28 7 * * 4 (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; cd /z/stuffing/archives; perl $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/archival/snarf_linux_config.pl) &>>/tmp/zz_linux_config_snarf_$USER.log
+28 7 * * 4 (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; cd /z/stuffing/archives; perl $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/archival/snarf_linux_config.pl) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-snarf_linux_configuration.log
#[tell zooty our ip]
# firewall host only--inform serene/zooty of our home IP address to enable back-connections.
-0,14,28,42,56 * * * * (bash /home/fred/feisty_meow/scripts/security/tell_zooty_our_ip.sh serene.feistymeow.org fred fred ) &>>/tmp/zooty_tell_report.txt
+0,14,28,42,56 * * * * (bash /home/fred/feisty_meow/scripts/security/tell_zooty_our_ip.sh serene.feistymeow.org fred fred ) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-tell_zooty_our_ip.log
-#[time synch crontab]
+#[time synch]
# standard to synch to local machine.
-0,4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,48,52,56 * * * * /usr/sbin/sntp -P no -r greendragon
-or
-0,4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,48,52,56 * * * * /usr/bin/rdate -s -n greendragon
+#0,4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,48,52,56 * * * * /usr/sbin/sntp -P no -r greendragon &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-time_synch.log
+#or
+0,4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,48,52,56 * * * * /usr/bin/rdate -s -n greendragon &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-time_synch.log
# -n is nntp which may not work with govt servers.
# one machine on the network uses this version, to synch externally.
-#0 0,4,8,12,16,20 * * * /usr/sbin/sntp -P no -r time.nist.gov
+#0 0,4,8,12,16,20 * * * /usr/sbin/sntp -P no -r time.nist.gov &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-time_synch.log
#or
-0 0,4,8,12,16,20 * * * /usr/bin/rdate -s time-c.nist.gov
+0 0,4,8,12,16,20 * * * /usr/bin/rdate -s time-c.nist.gov &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-time_synch.log
#[uptime report]
# the script writes the current time and current uptime to the log file.
-0 * * * * (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/system/write_uptime_report.sh) &>>/tmp/zz_uptime_report_$USER.log
+0 * * * * (source $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/core/launch_feisty_meow.sh; bash $HOME/feisty_meow/scripts/system/write_uptime_report.sh) &>>/tmp/${USER}-cron-uptime_report.log