cron: problem with perl script

Clemente · 05-10-2006, 12:13 PM

Hi all,
I cannot figure it out...
I want to run dirvish-runall - a perl script for rsync backups - priodly with cron.
I inserted following line in /etc/crontab:

Code:

* * * * * root /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish

I see the expected output in /root/dirvish, but the script does no backup.
If I run /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish directly in a bash, all works fine.
/var/log/messages shows the expected:

Code:

root@enthal1 : /usr/local/sbin : 21:11
>!tail -n15
tail /var/log/messages  -n15
May 10 21:00:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9178]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish)
May 10 21:00:13 enthal1 syslog-ng[2850]: STATS: dropped 0
May 10 21:00:15 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9223]: (CRON) STARTUP (V5.0)
May 10 21:01:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9236]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dodirvish>>/root/dirvish)May 10 21:02:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9247]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dodirvish>>/root/dirvish)May 10 21:03:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9259]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dodirvish>>/root/dirvish)May 10 21:04:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9277]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dodirvish>>/root/dirvish)May 10 21:05:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9295]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dodirvish>>/root/dirvish)May 10 21:05:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9223]: (*system*) RELOAD (/etc/crontab)
May 10 21:06:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9301]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish)
May 10 21:07:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9307]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish)
May 10 21:08:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9313]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish)
May 10 21:09:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9319]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish)
May 10 21:10:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9327]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish)
May 10 21:11:01 enthal1 /usr/sbin/cron[9333]: (root) CMD ( ^I/usr/local/sbin/dirvish-expire --quiet ; /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish)

root@enthal1 : /usr/local/sbin : 21:11
>

What can I do to get the backup job CRONolized?

Thank you,
Clemente

nutthick · 05-10-2006, 01:17 PM

If

Code:

 /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish

works in bash then the cronjob is just

Code:

* * * * *  /usr/local/sbin/dirvish-runall>>/root/dirvish >/dev/null 2>&1

You will need at least one of the asterisks replaced with a number, for example

Code:

1 * * * *

for every minute.

Clemente · 05-10-2006, 01:52 PM

Thank you for your suggestion. I thought, that

Code:

1 * * * * command

runs the command at 1:01, 2:01, 3:01 and so on.
Anyway, I tried it, and I tried (earlier) 0,10,20,30,40,50 for every ten minutes, too:
Same Behaviour. The script runs, but does nothing.

Clemente

Clemente · 05-10-2006, 02:17 PM

I found the solution... Quiet simple.
The dirvish script resides in /usr/local/sbin and seems to use another script from this location.
Unfortunately this directory was not in cron's $path.
I just added /usr/local/sbin to the path = stanza.
Clemente

nutthick · 05-10-2006, 02:30 PM

You're right, I'm being thick

Code:

1 * * * *

would run at 1 minute past every hour.

Glad you got it sorted