UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi,

I've set a cron job using crontab -e to backup databases in my server using the automysql backup script.

I've set it to backup daily at 5.00 p.m. This works fine :

Code:

00 17 * * * sh /etc/cron.daily/automysqlbackup.sh.2.5

But there is another default file, named 'crontab' in the /etc directory that has default settings to perform cron jobs at 4.02 a.m. daily :

Code:

SHELL=/bin/bash
PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
MAILTO=root
HOME=/

# run-parts
01 * * * * root run-parts /etc/cron.hourly
02 4 * * * root run-parts /etc/cron.daily
22 4 * * 0 root run-parts /etc/cron.weekly
42 4 1 * * root run-parts /etc/cron.monthly

So the problem now is, the database backs up daily at 4.02 a.m and 5.00 p.m.

How do I stop the cron from backing up at 4.02 a.m? I only want to have the backups at 5.00 p.m.

Should I remove the crontab file completely from the /etc directory?

From the look of it, I'd say Debian, or one of it's derivates. If so, the run-parts script goes through the directory /etc/cron.daily on the specified time, and runs all executable files therein. This is very useful for scripts that have to run at this interval (say, logrotation) and do not require any command line options, as you can use an existing script and easily turn it into an automated job. Same for cron.weekly, cron.monthly, ...

Put the backup script into another location (say for example /root/bin) and change your crontab entry accordingly.

Well I have performed as mentioned, it work fine but the only problem is, the database is not backed up on Saturdays. It is backed up on Sundays, but not Saturdays.

Why does this problem occur and how do I solve it?

Code:

22 4 * * 0 root run-parts /etc/cron.weekly

0 is sunday as explained here in "man 5 crontab".

Code:

day of week    0-7 (0 or 7 is Sun, or use names)

The above is the output (database backups) in the database folder. The time I had set is 17.30 which 5.30 p.m in the evening.

This means that the database should backup at 5.30 p.m rite?

But according to the cron.weekly output, the database will backup on Sundays at 4.22 a.m.

The backup script is already not in etc/cron.daily as before. I've already placed the script in root/bin.

So will default settings of the cron still affect the backup time? (which is Sundays at 4.22 a.m - will that still happen?)

The time you have set is 4:22 only...

22 4 * * 0 root run-parts /etc/cron.weekly

What is the confusion, the minute & hour field shows it as 4:22, you yourself could have located this ?!