PROPOSAL: Cron jobs (draft 2)
Draft 2:
Changes: removed references to anacron until someone figures out the
matter, added /etc/cron.hourly, using shell scripts is now only a
recommendation, not a requirement.
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Cron jobs
Packages may not touch the configuration file /etc/crontab, nor may
they modify the files in /var/spool/cron/crontabs.
If a package wants to install a job that has to be executed via cron,
it shall place a file with the name if the package in one of the
following directories:
/etc/cron.hourly
/etc/cron.daily
/etc/cron.weekly
/etc/cron.monthly
As these directory names say, the files within them are executed on a
daily, weekly, or monthly basis, respectively.
If a certain job has to be executed more frequently than `daily,' the
package shall install a file /etc/cron.d/<package-name> tagged as
configuration file. This file uses the same syntax as /etc/crontab and
is processed by cron automatically.
It is recommended that files installed in any of these directories be
scripts (shell scripts, Perl scripts, etc.) so that they may be
modified by the local system administrator. In addition, they must be
registered as configuration file.
The scripts in these directories have to check, if all necessary
programs are installed before they try to execute them. Otherwise,
problems will arise when a package was removed (but not purged), since
the configuration files are kept on the system in this situation.
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