Custom Cleanup Script Worked, But Now This...

[wyattwhiteeagle]

This may be specific to Lubuntu, but I'm not sure.

My custom cleanup script worked phenominally on 22.04, but on 24.04 the script removes and purges those things which I install, such as Bleachbit, Kolourpaint, Falkon, etc.

What changed from 22.04 that might cause this?

[dragonfly41]

If you build optional logging into your custom script that might be a start.

[wyattwhiteeagle]

If you build optional logging into your custom script that might be a start.

Optional logging, hmm

Here's the current script, any corrections/suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I run this script with sudo

# Delete "orphaned" packages
   deborphan | xargs apt remove --purge -y

# Houseclean over 10 days
   journalctl --vacuum-time=10d

# Delete old logs
   find /var/log -type f -name "*.gz" -delete

# Remove packages that didn’t install completely
   apt autoclean -y

# Clean your apt-cache
   apt clean -y

# Clear thumbnails
   rm -rfv ~/.cache/thumbnails

# Clear cache
   du -sh /var/cache/apt

# Remove software dependencies that you no longer need
   apt autoremove -y

# Kernel and other Cleanups after Deletions
   apt autoremove --purge -y

[Rubi1200]

I would be tempted to suggest that perhaps the deborphan part of your script is responsible for purging packages that you want to keep.

With your current Lubuntu 24.04 setup, deborphan might be identifying some critical or installed applications (like Bleachbit, Kolourpaint, Falkon) as orphaned due to changes in package dependencies or configurations.

One possible solution would be to whitelist packages you do not want removed.

For example, create or modify the /etc/deborphan.conf file and add these lines:

keep Bleachbit
keep Kolourpaint
keep Falkon

Note, I am not a Lubuntu user so this is kind of guesswork on my part.

Let's wait for others to add their thoughts before you make any changes.

[TheFu]

That script makes all sorts of dangerous assumptions.
It doesn't specify the script interpeter to be used on the first line. That is non-standard.

The commands are dependent on the PATH, which can be dangerous. Best to fully specify the exact, absolute, location for any program used in a script. For example, "apt" should be "/usr/bin/apt". Find the full path for the other commands too and specify them.

# Clear cache
   du -sh /var/cache/apt

doesn't actually clear anything. It just lists the size. Incorrect comments are a maintenance nightmare. The /usr/bin/apt autoclean and /usr/bin/apt autoremove options do the cleaning.

Is there a reason you don't just have the journald config file limit log file sizes? Then you would need the /usr/bin/journalctl command at all. Set it once and forget about it. There are good reasons to do it in a script, but having the system automatically handle things where it can easily is usually preferred. You might want to also address the text log files with /etc/logrotate.d/ files to ensure you limit sizes and have appropriate log rotation there too.

[wyattwhiteeagle]

I would be tempted to suggest that perhaps the deborphan part of your script is responsible for purging packages that you want to keep.


With your current Lubuntu 24.04 setup, deborphan might be identifying some critical or installed applications (like Bleachbit, Kolourpaint, Falkon) as orphaned due to changes in package dependencies or configurations.


One possible solution would be to whitelist packages you do not want removed.


For example, create or modify the /etc/deborphan.conf file and add these lines:

keep Bleachbit
keep Kolourpaint
keep Falkon

Note, I am not a Lubuntu user so this is kind of guesswork on my part.


Let's wait for others to add their thoughts before you make any changes.

Good catch. 1+ and thank you.


While not ignoring the very important points from others here, I'll begin with this...


The Deborphan manpage mentions the following...

FILES
/var/lib/deborphan/keep
A newline-separated list of packages to keep. Package names are in no
particular order.

Do I put in this "keep" file only the package name as it is listed in "dpkg -l" or is it better to include all pertinent paths to everything that the app, package, program, etc uses and its dependencies?


How might I get a list of all relevant things and also those of the dependencies?

[wyattwhiteeagle]

This post wasn't actually needed.
It was something for me to put together a personal file.

Somewhere I believe there should be a "delete post" option for the person posting to delete unneeded posts.
Maybe there's the option to enable that feature in my profile...I don't know.

[Rubi1200]

To my knowledge, you can add any program you want to keep using its common name.

For example,

bleachbit
falkon
python3

No need for the full path and also no need to put them in any particular order.

Note this was just an example, you need to add the program name as shown in the package manager.

[Rubi1200]

This post wasn't actually needed.
It was something for me to put together a personal file.

Somewhere I believe there should be a "delete post" option for the person posting to delete unneeded posts.
Maybe there's the option to enable that feature in my profile...I don't know.

As far as I know, this option does not exist.

Only an admin can delete posts but that means you would need to PM them.

Or I guess you could use the Report Post button at the bottom of the post and request it there.

[wyattwhiteeagle]

For now...

Is there a reason you don't just have the journald config file limit log file sizes? Then you would need the /usr/bin/journalctl command at all. Set it once and forget about it. There are good reasons to do it in a script, but having the system automatically handle things where it can easily is usually preferred.

Where would I find the journald config file?
What is it's file name?
What are the proper commands to effectively limit log file sizes?