Using Crontab - Shell Programming and Scripting

#1 (**permalink**) 02-19-2007

Hi All,

I've a shell script which calls a Sybase stored procedure to do some functionality. I want to schedule the running of this script by crontab. I'm using Solaris 5.8. When i executed the following command

Code:

crontab -l

i got the output as

Code:

crontab: can't open your crontab file

How can i schedule the script. I'm not the administrator. How can i unschedule it later as this script is a sample script.

Thanks in advance
Sumesh

zazzybob · #2 (**permalink**) 02-19-2007

That means that you do not yet have a crontab.

Code:

crontab -e

to edit (and thus create) it.

To view syntax on the crontab command, and the crontab file itself (as well as cron facility access controls, etc)...

Code:

man crontab

If you want to unschedule your job, either crontab -e, then remove the line containing the job completely, or just comment it out. Else; if that's the only job in your crontab, crontab -r to delete the crontab entirely.

Cheers
ZB

#3 (**permalink**) 02-19-2007

ZB,
Thanks for the reply.

I created the crontab file and my file looks like

Code:

47,3,19,2,1 /home/dsdev/bdayfinder.sh

I want the aforesaid script to get executed at the specified time, but i get the error like

Code:

crontab: error on previous line; unexpected character found in line.
crontab: errors detected in input, no crontab file generated.

I've checked the file thoroughly and couldn't trace the problem.

Pls help me out.

Sumesh

Franklin52 · #4 (**permalink**) 02-19-2007

Did you read the man page?
The syntax of your line isn't correct, the 5 time and date fields must be seperated by spaces or tabs.

Regards

#5 (**permalink**) 02-19-2007

Thanks for the reply.

I used the correct synatx and now my crontab file is

Code:

50 1 20 2 * /home/dsdev/bdayfinder.sh

But, the script specified above is not getting executed.

I checked the /usr/lib/cron directory. There is no cron.allow file and the username dsdev which i use is not present in cron.deny as well.

I edited the crntab file and included the above mentioned line, saved and came out of the editor. The script which is expected to be triggered at 1:50 is not getting triggered at that time.

Pls let me know what has gone wrong?

Thanks,
Sumesh

aigles · #6 (**permalink**) 02-19-2007

Check your mails for error messages from crn dealon.

Quote:

The cron daemon runs commands according to the crontab file entries. Unless you
redirect the output of a cron job to standard output or error, the cron daemon
mails you any command output or errors. If you specify a cron job incorrectly in
your crontab file, the cron daemon does not run the job.

Jean-Pierre.

#7 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007

The script which i try to get scheduled is having isql command in it. The crontab file is set as follows.

Code:

* * * * * cd; script.sh > /tmp/result 2>&1

the file result in /tmp directory shows

Code:

isql: not found

I came to know that the isql is not set in the PATH environment variable.

Presently the PATH environment variable in my .profile file is

Code:

export PATH=$SYBASE_OCS/bin:$DSHOME/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/bin:/usr/local/bin/:/usr/ccs/bin:/usr/local/SUNWspro/bin:$PATH

Will including isql into this will solve the problem. If so, how can i modify it.

Thanks,
Sumesh

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