HP-UX UNIX: Start / Stop and Configure Cron Services
Q. I need to run a backup and other stuff everyday. How do I check and start cron service under HP-UX UNIX operating system? How do I write cron jobs?
A. Cron service is required to run jobs and tasks such as backup.
You must login as the root to run following commands. Each user that is using the cron service must have a cron configuration file in the /var/spool/cron/crontab directory. Also users are permitted if their name appeared in /var/adm/cron/cron.allow file
Task: Find out if cron is running under HP-UX
Type the following command at a shell prompt
# ps -ef | grep cron
Open /etc/rc.config.d/cron file
vi /etc/rc.config.d/cron
Set control variable to 1 to enable cron : CRON=1
Set control variable to 0 to disable : CRON=0
Close and save the file. To start or stop cron you can type the following command:
# /sbin/init.d/cron start <-- start cron
# /sbin/init.d/cron stop <-- stop cron
Task: HP-UX Start cron service
If cron is not running, simply type:
# cron
Task: Edit / create cron jobs
Type the following command to submit a cron job:
# crontab -e
List your cron file:
# crontab -l
Backup all your cron jobs:
# crontab -l > ~/backup.cron.jobs
Remove ALL cron job:
# crontab -r
Task: Crontab file format
Cron file format is as follows:
MIN HOUR DATE MONTH DAY /PATH/TO/COMMAND 0-59 0-23 1-31 1-12 0-6 /root/scripts/backup2tape.sh
Easy to remember crontab file format:
* * * * * command to be executed - - - - - | | | | | | | | | ----- Day of week (0 - 7) (Sunday=0 or 7) | | | ------- Month (1 - 12) | | --------- Day of month (1 - 31) | ----------- Hour (0 - 23) ------------- Minute (0 - 59)
To run /root/script/backup at 23:00, every day, enter:
# crontab -e
Append following
0 23 * * * /root/script/backup
Run foo job very weekday (MON-Fri) at 6am, enter:
0 6 * * 1-5 /root/script/backup
For more information refer to cron and crontab man pages.
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Tags: /etc/rc.config.d/cron, /sbin/init.d/cron, /var/adm/cron/cron.allow, /var/spool/cron/crontab, add unix cron, configuration file, control variable, cron command, cron configuration, cron configure, cron job, cron jobs, crontab command, file format, hp ux, hp ux cron, hp ux cron allow, hp ux crontab, hp-ux cronjob, hpux cron, hpux cron allow, hpux cron log, hpux crontab, unix operating system
January 15th, 2008 at 12:21 am
You might note that all files normally found in /etc/init.d, /etc/rc*.d, and others are all in /sbin in HP-UX 10.20 and up.
Note too that your formatting is off in the description of the /etc/rc.config.d/cron file. Also, if you run /usr/bin/cron instead of /sbin/init.d/cron start, the /etc/rc.config.d/cron file is not used.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:50 am
it is very usefull