crontab script running but not running

[drgreenway]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum, and fairly new to linux. Most of what I have learned has been through googling and trial and error. I have almost sorted my western digital NAS for the uses I need, but there is an ftp mirror problem that I can't fathom.

I have three working copies of three svn repositories on my WD NAS. The script below updates these working copies successfully, then the next command mirrors the working copies onto a local FTP server stored on a Buffalo Linkstation. Both things work well when run manually.

The problem is that the script runs at 4am every day via a crontab file, (I know this because the date and the 'FTP complete' string appear in the log file), but the actual updates and the mirror commands don't seem to run. The WD NAS has been put together by me from SSH access, and my PATH string is also below.

My lack of scripting experience is likely the cause here, so I could really do with a hand with this one. Googling this problem yields problems with getting crontab commands to run, I've yet to see this problem.

Regards,
Mike

# Start by logging the current date/time in the main log
date >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.main

#Run svn update for each repository and record the current revision number in the main log
cd /shares/internal/PUBLIC/VSOE
/opt/bin/svn update >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.main
cd /shares/internal/PUBLIC/VRPL
/opt/bin/svn update >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.main
cd /shares/internal/PUBLIC/QMS
/opt/bin/svn update  >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.main

#Run the FTP client and mirror current working copies to the FTP server (individual logs created)
/opt/bin/lftp -f /etc/svnftpupdate.ftp -u david,railways 192.168.2.5

#Log completion of FTP backup in the main log
echo FTP Complete >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.main
date >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.main

#Append cumulative FTP transaction logs for each repository
date >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.vsoe.cumulative
cat /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.vsoe >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.vsoe.cumulative
date >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.vrpl.cumulative
cat /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.vrpl >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.vrpl.cumulative
date >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.qms.cumulative
cat /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.qms >> /shares/internal/PUBLIC/logs/svnftpupdatelog.qms.cumulative

Path:

/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/local/bin

[Rubberman]

Please show us a copy of your crontab file.

[drgreenway]

Here it is, I had some problem getting it working to start with, when running /opt/etc/crontab I get permission denied. When running /opt/bin/crontab -l I get a crontab file with nothing in it. When viewing the file /etc/crontabs/root I have got:

# standard crontab format for busybox cron daemon.
# fields may be lists
# min    hour day month wd  command
#  *      *    *   *     *   dosomething

PATH=$PATH:/etc:/opt/bin
MAILTO=root

# save the date every day at midnight
0   0    *   *     *   date +%m%d%H%M%Y.%S > /var/lib/now
0   4    *   *     *   sh /etc/svnftpupdate

And as I say, the script /etc/svnftpupdate is running at 4am everyday, but the programs aren't running (it is possible that the ftp command is working and the svn updates only are the problem).

Thanks in advance!
Mike

[Rubberman]

Read the man page for crontab. The -u option might be relevant to you, as may be /etc/cron.allow and /etc/cron.deny. The page from CentOS 5.3 (RHEL 5.3) follows:

CRONTAB(1)                                                          CRONTAB(1)

NAME
       crontab - maintain crontab files for individual users (ISC Cron V4.1)

SYNOPSIS
       crontab [-u user] file
       crontab [-u user] [-l | -r | -e] [-i] [-s]

DESCRIPTION
       Crontab  is the program used to install, deinstall or list the tables used to
       drive the cron(8) daemon in ISC Cron.  Each user can have their own  crontab,
       and  though  these  are  files  in  /var/spool/ , they are not intended to be
       edited directly. For SELinux in mls mode can be even more crontabs - for each
       range. For more see selinux(8).

       If the cron.allow file exists, then you must be listed therein in order to be
       allowed to use this command.  If the cron.allow file does not exist  but  the
       cron.deny  file does exist, then you must not be listed in the cron.deny file
       in order to use this command.  If neither of these  files  exists,  only  the
       super user will be allowed to use this command.

OPTIONS
       -u     It  specifies the name of the user whose crontab is to be tweaked.  If
              this option is not given, crontab examines "your" crontab,  i.e.,  the
              crontab of the person executing the command.  Note that su(8) can con-
              fuse crontab and that if you are running inside of  su(8)  you  should
              always  use  the  -u option for safety’s sake.  The first form of this
              command is used to install a new crontab from some named file or stan-
              dard input if the pseudo-filename "-" is given.

       -l     The current crontab will be displayed on standard output.

       -r     The current crontab will be be removed.

       -e     This option is used to edit the current crontab using the editor spec-
              ified by the VISUAL or EDITOR environment variables.  After  you  exit
              from the editor, the modified crontab will be installed automatically.

       -i     This option modifies the -r option to prompt  the  user  for  a  ’y/Y’
              response before actually removing the crontab.

       -s     It  will  append  the  current  SELinux  security context string as an
              MLS_LEVEL setting to the crontab file  before  editing  /  replacement
              occurs - see the documentation of MLS_LEVEL in crontab(5).

SEE ALSO
       crontab(5), cron(8)

FILES
       /etc/cron.allow
       /etc/cron.deny

STANDARDS
       The  crontab  command  conforms to IEEE Std1003.2-1992 (‘‘POSIX’’).  This new
       command syntax differs from previous versions of Vixie Cron, as well as  from
       the classic SVR3 syntax.

DIAGNOSTICS
       A  fairly  informative usage message appears if you run it with a bad command
       line.

AUTHOR
       Paul Vixie <vixie@isc.org>

4th Berkeley Distribution       16 Januar 2007                      CRONTAB(1)

Note that the cron files are in /var/spool/.