Fcron-2.9.5.1

Introduction to Fcron

The Fcron package contains a periodical command scheduler which aims at replacing Vixie Cron.

Package information

Fcron dependencies

Installation of Fcron

Fcron uses the cron facility of syslog to log all messages. Since LFS does not set up this facility in /etc/syslog.conf, it needs to be done prior to installing Fcron. This command will append the necessary line to the current /etc/syslog.conf:

cat >> /etc/syslog.conf << "EOF"
# Begin fcron addition to /etc/syslog.conf

cron.* -/var/log/cron.log

# End fcron addition
EOF

The configuration file has been modified, so reloading the sysklogd daemon will activate the changes.

/etc/rc.d/init.d/sysklogd reload

For security reasons, an unprivileged user and group for Fcron should be created:

groupadd fcron &&
useradd -d /dev/null -c "Fcron User" -g fcron -s /bin/false fcron

Install Fcron by running the following commands:

./configure --without-sendmail --with-answer-all=no &&
make

Now, as the root user:

make install

Command explanations

--without-sendmail: Fcron will use an installed MTA to email you the results of the fcron script. Omit the switch and use --with-sendmail=[/path/to/MTA] if you wish to utilize this feature.

--with-answer-all=no: After the files are installed, the make install script enters into a configuration routine. The first test will be whether to install a boot script in the /etc/rc.d/init.d directory with the appropriate symbolic links in run levels 2, 3, 4, and 5. The second is to stop any current fcron processes and start a new one. Since this is probably your first install and a boot script based upon the BLFS template is desired, answer 'n' to both tests.

Configuring Fcron

Config files

/etc/fcron.conf, /etc/fcron.allow and /etc/fcron.deny

Configuration Information

There are no required changes in any of the config files. Configuration information can be found in the man page for fcron.conf.

fcron scripts are written using fcrontab. Refer to the fcrontab man page for proper parameters to address your situation.

Install the /etc/rc.d/init.d/fcron init script from the blfs-bootscripts-6.0 package.

make install-fcron

If Linux-PAM is installed, two PAM configuration files are installed in /etc/pam.d. Alternatively if /etc/pam.d is not used, the installation will append two configuration sections to the existing /etc/pam.conf file. You should ensure the files match your preferences. Modify them as required to suit your needs.

Contents

Installed Programs: fcron, fcrondyn, fcronsighup and fcrontab
Installed Libraries: None
Installed Directories: /usr/share/doc/fcron-2.9.5.1 and /var/spool/fcron

Short Descriptions

fcron

is the scheduling daemon.

fcrondyn

is a user tool intended to interact with a running fcron daemon.

fcronsighup

instructs fcron to reread the Fcron tables.

fcrontab

is a program used to install, edit, list and remove the tables used by fcron.

Last updated on 2005-03-20 20:20:06 -0700