thinking about crontabs, in terms of sudo

[rasprm3]

These two lines are very different, aren't they?

sudo crontab -e
vs.
crontab -e


crontab -e is just 'per profile,' just for the one user, right? While 'sudo crontab -e' is for the whole OS, right?

[Martin Frezman]

Not really. There isn't really any concept of "The whole OS".

The command:

Code: Select all

sudo crontab -e

which should never be used, edits the crontab file for a specific user, namely "root".

[rasprm3]

They're two completely separate files though, aren't they?

I think the sudo one was the only way I could get an update/upgrade automated before. I was looking into it again but it's been a while.

[Martin Frezman]

They're two completely separate files though, aren't they?

Yes, although it is probably not such a good idea to think of them as "files", as much as a system functionality where each user has his own crontab functionality. Even though they are usually stored as (separate) files, conceptually, there's no reason why it couldn't all be sorted in a single database.

I think the sudo one was the only way I could get an update/upgrade automated before. I was looking into it again but it's been a while.

No, you could just as easily do it by invoking "sudo" from pi's crontab. Opinions vary on whether or not this is a good idea (some here violently believe that it is not and that people who do it are sub-human life forms), but I personally think it is much easier to keep track of things by having it all in the default user's (i.e., pi's) crontab, than having it spread all over the place.

I also think that what you do in crontab should, to as great a degree as is possible, mirror what you do on the command line (i.e., before you decide to crontab it), and since you frequently see people recommending:

Code: Select all

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get upgrade
$

I.e., with "sudo" on each command line - it then follows that it is more natural to do the same thing when you crontab it.

P.S. It is probably not a good idea to automate the update/upgrade process, tempting as it is to do so...

[W. H. Heydt]

Not really. There isn't really any concept of "The whole OS".

The command:

Code: Select all

sudo crontab -e

which should never be used, edits the crontab file for a specific user, namely "root".

Well... That dependos. If you want to run a cron job that requires root permissions, putting it in the root crontab would certainly be a logical choice. I use it for (for instance) changing the backlight setting on an RPF display.

[DougieLawson]

Well... That dependos. If you want to run a cron job that requires root permissions, putting it in the root crontab would certainly be a logical choice. I use it for (for instance) changing the backlight setting on an RPF display.

Bzzzt! Wrong.

Put a file with a crontab line (single part name, no qualifiers) in /etc/cron.d

[rasprm3]

It looks like I was messing with update, upgrade, and rebooting before. But with Ubuntu in addition to the Pi, and there were a few slight differences I think.

I found this line in one of my posts. It may have been getting the Pi (or Ubuntu) to reboot with a crontab that pushed me to 'sudo crontab -e.'
time sudo /usr/bin/ap-get update && sudo /sbin/reboot



Found this in one of my posts about Ubuntu...
On my Ubuntu machine,
sudu crontab -e
00 5 * * * sudo /usr/bin/apt-get update && sudo /usr/bin/apt-get upgrade -y && sudo /sbin/reboot

From this thread.
viewtopic.php?f=91&t=129133&p=866899#p866899



I'm going to upgrade to Sketch on my Pi. I just want to copy out whatever settings I current have. It's a very simple Pi set up but still on Wheezy. Basically I just need to look at my Pi's "crontab -e" and "sudo crontab -e" information.

[rasprm3]

Put a file with a crontab line (single part name, no qualifiers) in /etc/cron.d

This I wouldn't mind knowing a little more about. Can you tell me or point me in the direction of how that works please? You just add files in a folder and cronjobs will run from those?

From the terminal, I'm not even quite sure how to make a simple text file in linux or how to move one for sure. I wouldn't mind knowing that.

Before I was just trying to upgrade/update and restart a Pi or Ubuntu machine. I'm willing to have it mess up for the trade off of always having it updated.

[DougieLawson]

sudo nano or sudo vi to make a file owned by root.
nano or vi to make a file owned by pi.

There's also GUI editors, but I've never used one of those.

https://www.linuxquestions.org/question ... bs-853881/ is a good starting point for the various crontabs.

[rasprm3]

Checked my pi at home. I'm doing everything with "crontab -e" there. So it must have been the Ubuntu test machine I was experimenting with before. I think that needed "sudo crontab -e" in order to get it to restart. Or maybe it was the folder path. That must have been as far as I got. My home Pi must not have had restarts automated. The Ubuntu machine wouldn't make sense to restart often though.

[W. H. Heydt]

Well... That dependos. If you want to run a cron job that requires root permissions, putting it in the root crontab would certainly be a logical choice. I use it for (for instance) changing the backlight setting on an RPF display.

Bzzzt! Wrong.

Put a file with a crontab line (single part name, no qualifiers) in /etc/cron.d

My method may not be "approved", but it isn't actually "wrong" as it works. Like many things in *nix, there are multiple ways of accomplishing this, even if some may be preferred over others. At best, you should have said "not the generally recognized as preferable method."