UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I have not written any code in about 15 years. The company I work for has Unix servers and they utilize KSH. The scriptors say that what I want can only be scripted in PERL which on my server they say they cannot get to work. They also tell me that what I want done cannot be scripted in KSH.

I think someone is blowing smoke up my Kilt!!!

Here is what I have:

A server which has a database on it that has four nodes(0-3). The first node(0) is very small, the others are pretty large. Sometimes the backup hangs on the first node(0) and we have to manually correct.

The server and application folks can't find any reason for the hang so we are having to find that it is hung and stop the backup, application and database and restart them to get it to backup.

I would like:

1. A script that would send an E-mail if Node (0) has not completed the backkup by 18:30.

2. A script that would check the latest log files timestamp (Example of log file name: 6514 Aug 17 00:08 file_bkup.2006-08-16-18-15-00.log)
and determine if the backup completed after midnight. If it has completed afted midnight I would like it to start a polling script.

Backup logs are located in /apps/ief/log/db2

Standard log files are located in /apps/ief/log

Are these folks right or can this be scripted in KSH? If so and it is not too much trouble could you post the scripts? I would really love to prove these "Know it alls" wrong!!

BTW: I do have a test server to verify the scripts operate nominally before I suggest using them on the production server.