Re: restart cron in Solaris

[Katherine Morris]

Perhaps it uses a tmp file while you're in edit mode if you want to be
technically specific.  But it would be totally bogus not also update the
file in /var/spool/cron/crontabs because at some point the system will
likely be rebooted. As you know /tmp get's wiped on reboot, and the only
file cron reads when it starts is in /var/spool/cron/crontabs for all users.
You'd loose all your updates if that file were never updated.

The first line in my manpage for crontab says:

crontab <filename>

So, I think it's a well accepted practice to update cron this way...

-K

----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel Nilsson" <dlist@nlsn.nu>
To: "Katherine Morris" <klmorris@pobox.com>
Cc: "Dan Zubairi" <dan@dizzy.net>; "Alan Silver" <asilver@hbs.edu>;
<help-cfengine@gnu.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2001 2:02 AM
Subject: Re: restart cron in Solaris


>
> I always thought that crontab -e did:
>
> * crontab -l > /tmp/crontabhRaO1I...
> * vi /tmp/crontabhRaO1I...
> * crontab /tmp/crontabhRaO1I...
>
> At least it does that on Solaris...
>
> Well well, I'll go for your solution for now. :)
>
> Thank you all!
>
> /// D
>
> On Mon, 10 Dec 2001, Katherine Morris wrote:
>
> > What exactly do you think you're doing when you do crontab -e? You're
> > overwriting that very same file, and invoking cron to re-read all at the
> > sametime via the wonderful -e option.
> >
> > It's not magic folks, just use editfile to change the crontab file and
then
> > using a shell command to tell cron
> > to re-read it.
> >
> > -Katherine
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Dan Zubairi" <dan@dizzy.net>
> > To: "Daniel Nilsson" <dlist@nlsn.nu>
> > Cc: "Katherine Morris" <klmorris@pobox.com>; "Alan Silver"
> > <asilver@hbs.edu>; <help-cfengine@gnu.org>
> > Sent: Monday, December 10, 2001 7:25 PM
> > Subject: Re: restart cron in Solaris
> >
> >
> > >
> > > No its not safe. The change will not take place unless you re-start
cron.
> > >
> > > use crontab -e username
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Is this safe? Seems dangerous to edit /var/spool/cron/crontabs/root
> > > > directly, cron is placing the real file here, what if cron
overwrites
> > the
> > > > edits?
> > > >
> > > > Anyone else using this method?
> > > >
> > > > I cant find the "old" discussion in the archives... any pointers?
> > > >
> > > > /// Daniel
> > > >
> > > > On Fri, 7 Dec 2001, Katherine Morris wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I'm using shell command, crontab takes a file as an argument.
> > > > >
> > > > > crontab /var/spool/cron/crontabs/root
> > > > >
> > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > From: "Alan Silver" <asilver@hbs.edu>
> > > > > To: "Daniel Nilsson" <dlist@nlsn.nu>
> > > > > Cc: <help-cfengine@gnu.org>
> > > > > Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 1:17 PM
> > > > > Subject: Re: restart cron in Solaris
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > Daniel:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I don't believe that cron accepts any signals. You will need to
kill
> > and
> > > > > > restart the cron in order for your example to work. But, it
might be
> > > > > > easier to just use crontab -e rather than  editing a tmp file.
That
> > way,
> > > > > > you won't have to worry about stopping and restarting cron. YOu
> > should
> > > > > > be able to do your example using crontab -e.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > alan
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Daniel Nilsson wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Does sending HUP to cron really reread crontabs in Solaris?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Ive tried:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > "cron"     signal=hup inform=false
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > But it doesnt work...
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > How are you editing crontabs? (crontab -l > /tmp/aaa;vi
> > /tmp/aaa;crontab
> > > > > > > /tmp/aaa) ???
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > /// Daniel
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > > Help-cfengine mailing list
> > > > > > > Help-cfengine@gnu.org
> > > > > > > http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-cfengine
> > > > > >
> > > > > > --
> > > > > > Alan Silver
> > > > > > UNIX Systems Administrator
> > > > > > Harvard Business School
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 617-495-5801
> > > > > > asilver@hbs.edu
> > > > > >
> > > > > > "The two prime movers of the Universe are Time and Luck"
> > > > > >    -- Kurt Vonnegut
> > > > > >
> > > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > Help-cfengine mailing list
> > > > > > Help-cfengine@gnu.org
> > > > > > http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-cfengine
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Help-cfengine mailing list
> > > > Help-cfengine@gnu.org
> > > > http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-cfengine
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
>
>
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