Want to set the PATH to run a SAS command from cron

Cabon · 10-03-2018, 01:54 PM

Hi,

We're using Linux 3.10.0-693.17.1.el7.x86_64.

I'm trying to kick off a SAS job from cron. I understand cron is a differnt shell than my current session.

Here is my cron line below:

Code:

15 * 1 10 * /usr/bin/bash;. ~/.profile;/home/rscheid/first.bsh cat dog > /home/rscheid/first.out 2>&1
59 3 26 9 * sas -noterminal -batch /sasdata/mids_output02/rjs/simple_run.sas > /sasdata/mids_output02/rjs/simple_run.log

The second cron command just tries to run the SAS command but I think it doesn't work because in cron you lose your PATH am I right?

So I'm using the first cron line to see how I can set the PATH in a cron line. I'm not expecting it to 'carry over' to the second line I just want to see if I can get it to work on its own line. I tried to set the PATH in the first cron line by setting the shell to bash (/usr/bin/bash) then running a .profile script that just set the path to my current session's path (the .profile script is just this line--->PATH= $PATH:/usr/local/bin: /usr/bin:....) I'm using the ';' so I can have multiple commands on the same line.

When I look at the log afterwards I just see the base path which is: /usr/bin:/bin so the assignment didn't work.

I've seen this done.

How can I set the PATH from within cron?

smallpond · 10-03-2018, 02:15 PM

The simple way is to have cron run a script whose first line is:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

and second line is

Code:

PATH=/usr/lib64/ccache:/usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin

or whatever.

Habitual · 10-03-2018, 02:20 PM

Welcome to LQ!

In the cron interface you will need to set the desired path,like so (this is an example)

Code:

This has the username field, as used by /etc/crontab.
# /etc/crontab: system-wide crontab
# Unlike any other crontab you don't have to run the `crontab'
# command to install the new version when you edit this file.
# This file also has a username field, that none of the other crontabs do.

SHELL=/bin/sh
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin

See also https://stackoverflow.com/questions/...-paths#2409369

Looks funny from here. Is that a test of some kind?

Code:

15 * 1 10 * /usr/bin/bash;. ~/.profile;/home/rscheid/first.bsh cat dog > /home/rscheid/first.out 2>&1

scasey · 10-03-2018, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabon

Code:

15 * 1 10 * /usr/bin/bash;. ~/.profile;/home/rscheid/first.bsh cat dog > /home/rscheid/first.out 2>&1

Both of the solutions posted by smallpond and Habitual are complete and correct.
smallpond's will allow you set a path for all commands in the script.
Habitual's will set the path for all cron jobs.

To your specifics:
Each cron job will run in its own shell instance, so even if the above line did set a PATH, it wouldn't do it for the second job. Additionally the twiddle '~' is a shortcut for the $USER, and, unless specified*, there's no $USER (just like there's no $PATH)

*a user can be specified in the crontab; see man crontab for the syntax