On my RHEL/Fedora boxes, /etc/cron.d files are the same syntax as
/etc/crontab. So you *can* run non-root jobs from there, as well as have
custom time.
The problem with /etc/crontab is it's one file, can get big and unwieldy.
The problem with /etc/cron.daily is everything kicks off at the same time.
I often have large jobs that i don't want starting at the same time. Also,
I haven't tested this, but RHEL5 uses ISC cron 4.1 and apparently
discontinues using symlinks. From the man page:
---
CAVEATS
In this version of cron , without the -p option, /etc/crontab must
not be writable by any user other than root, no crontab files may be
links, or linked to by any other file, and no crontab files may be
executable, or be writable by any user other than their owner.
---
>From a management perspective, user crontabs would be the most consistent
across Unix flavors. Commercial systems like Solaris and AIX only have
user crontabs, and have none of the /etc/cron* stuff. But you
specifically said Linux. :) And the root user crontab has the same issues
as /etc/crontab.
Although I personally don't use it a lot, I would say /etc/cron.d
provides the best balance of manageability and flexibility. If writing a
new policy, I would probably go with /etc/cron.d.
ray
On Tue, 8 Jan 2008, Dustin Puryear wrote:
> So what do you do when you need to run a job as a non-root user? Do you
> just modify /etc/crontab?
>
> --
> Puryear Information Technology, LLC
> Baton Rouge, LA * 225-706-8414
> http://www.puryear-it.com
>
> Author, "Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers"
> http://www.puryear-it.com/pubs/linux-unix-best-practices
>
> Identity Management, LDAP, and Linux Integration
>
>
> Adam Melancon wrote:
>> Never really use the users crontab.
>> Put custom timed stuff in /etc/cron.d/ (stuff that runs every 5min like MRTG)
>> If it's something that runs daily, it always goes in /etc/cron.daily/
>> If it's something that runs hourly, it always goes in /etc/cron.hourly/
>>
>> This is what I usually follow.
>>
>>
>> On Jan 8, 2008 8:54 PM, Dustin Puryear <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>> So, we have an internal debate at Puryear IT about how to best setup
>>> cronjobs. First, let's assume Linux here. Every UNIX flavor has some
>>> unique trick it likes to use, but Linux is a good example of several
>>> ways to do cronjobs.
>>>
>>> So, with most Linux installs, you have these options:
>>>
>>> 1. normal use of crontabs
>>> 2. creating a crontab-like entry in a file in /etc/cron.d/
>>> 3. creating symlinks to your scripts in /etc/cron.hourly/,
>>> /etc/cron.daily/, etc. (I'll just say /etc/cron.daily to be short.)
>>> 4. /etc/crontab for the root user being able to run cron jobs as any
>>> user, unlike /etc/cron.d/ and /etc/cron.daily/.
>>>
>>> The question here isn't one of technical correctness (they are all
>>> correct), but one of consistency both internally and, potentially, with
>>> other people messing with cronjobs on the same box.
>>>
>>> The debate started when I logged into a server and didn't see our jobs
>>> in root's crontab or as symlink under /etc/cron.daily/. They were in
>>> /etc/cron.d/. Fine. Except I never do that. I usually use a user's
>>> crontab or /etc/cron.daily/. So, immediately, we have a internal
>>> consistency issue, which could, conceivably, cause me to create a
>>> duplicate cronjob. (Let's ignore documentation and change management.)
>>>
>>> The problem I have with /etc/cron.d/ is that most people DON'T USE IT.
>>> Sure, system scripts that come with the distro often do, but, really,
>>> how many sysadmins create their cronjobs there? Not many in my
>>> experience. Yet, there is a certain cleanness to /etc/cron.d/. :)
>>>
>>> /etc/crontab has the unique benefit of letting centralize your cronjobs,
>>> but then you have a single file that everyone has to muck with. Yuck.
>>> Oh, and trouble..
>>>
>>> So, what are your thoughts? How do you handle this?
>>>
>>> --
>>> Puryear Information Technology, LLC
>>> Baton Rouge, LA * 225-706-8414
>>> http://www.puryear-it.com
>>>
>>> Author, "Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers"
>>> http://www.puryear-it.com/pubs/linux-unix-best-practices
>>>
>>> Identity Management, LDAP, and Linux Integration
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> General mailing list
>>> [email protected]
>>> http://mail.brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ray DeJean http://www.r-a-y.org
Systems Engineer Southeastern Louisiana University
IBM Certified Specialist AIX Administration, AIX Support
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