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Switchkick
Asked: 2010-10-16 20:47:13 +0800 CST

Function of /etc/cron.hourly

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If I create a script and then place it in this folder (/etc/cron.hourly), will my system run this script hourly? Or does my script need to begin with a command as well?

scripts command-line bash cron-jobs

3 Answers

  1. Every script placed in folder /etc/cron.hourly would run on hourly basis.

    However your files needs to be:

    • executable,
    • match the Debian cron script namespace (^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$).

    So for example if you've script with extension, it won't work.

    To print the names of the scripts which would be invoked, run:

    sudo run-parts --report --test /etc/cron.hourly
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  2. Best Answer

    Yep, you got it.

    Just start it with a #!/bin/bash like you normally would. And make sure you sudo chmod +x /etc/cron.hourly/yourscript because it won't run without execute permissions.

    • 17

  3. Anything in /etc/cron.hourly will be executed hourly, just like anything in /etc/cron.daily will be run once a day.

    Make sure the file is executable, and start it with #!/bin/bash or #!/usr/bin/python (or #!/usr/bin/env python) or whatever is appropriate for the type of script you'll be running.

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