.\"/* Copyright 1988,1990,1993 by Paul Vixie.\" * All rights reserved.\" *.\" * Distribute freely, except: don't remove my name from the source or.\" * documentation (don't take credit for my work), mark your changes (don't.\" * get me blamed for your possible bugs), don't alter or remove this.\" * notice.  May be sold if buildable source is provided to buyer.  No.\" * warrantee of any kind, express or implied, is included with this.\" * software; use at your own risk, responsibility for damages (if any) to.\" * anyone resulting from the use of this software rests entirely with the.\" * user..\" *.\" * Send bug reports, bug fixes, enhancements, requests, flames, etc., and.\" * I'll try to keep a version up to date.  I can be reached as follows:.\" * Paul Vixie          <paul@vix.com>          uunet!decwrl!vixie!paul.\" */.\" .\" $Id: cron.8,v 2.2 1993/12/28 08:34:43 vixie Exp $.\" .TH CRON 8 "20 December 1993".UC 4.SH NAMEcron \- daemon to execute scheduled commands (Vixie Cron).SH SYNOPSIScron.SH DESCRIPTION.I Cronshould be started from /etc/rc or /etc/rc.local.  It will return immediately,so you don't need to start it with '&'..PP.I Cronsearches /var/cron/tabs for crontab files which are named after accounts in/etc/passwd; crontabs found are loaded into memory..I Cronalso searches for /etc/crontab which is in a different format (see.IR crontab(5))..I Cronthen wakes up every minute, examining all stored crontabs, checking eachcommand to see if it should be run in the current minute.  When executingcommands, any output is mailed to the owner of the crontab (or to the usernamed in the MAILTO environment variable in the crontab, if such exists)..PPAdditionally,.I cronchecks each minute to see if its spool directory's modtime (or the modtimeon.IR /etc/crontab)has changed, and if it has,.I cronwill then examine the modtime on all crontabs and reload those which havechanged.  Thus.I cronneed not be restarted whenever a crontab file is modified.  Note that the.IR Crontab (1)command updates the modtime of the spool directory whenever it changes acrontab..SH "SEE ALSO"crontab(1), crontab(5).SH AUTHOR.nfPaul Vixie <paul@vix.com>