Re: [vox-tech] Cron Confusion

[Micah Cowan <micah@cowanbMAPSox.com>]

On Thu, Nov 30, 2000 at 02:30:44PM -0800, jdnewmil@dcn.davis.ca.us wrote:
> On Thu, 30 Nov 2000, Micah Cowan wrote:
> 
> > On Thu, Nov 30, 2000 at 12:52:05PM -0800, Robert G. Scofield wrote:
> > > jdnewmil@dcn.davis.ca.us wrote:
> 
> [...]
> 
> > > > Use "crontab -e" or you will mess up cron.  If you are root, this will
> > > > have the effect of editing /etc/crontab.
> > > 
> > > Okay, here's another question.  If I log in as root and do crontab -l, I get
> > > the message that there is no crontab for root.  I do have an /etc/crontab file
> > > however.  When I execute crontab -e I do not end up in /etc/crontab.  Is it
> > > therefore okay if I edit /etc/crontab with vim?  I've got Red Hat 6.1.
> 
> > I've never done it any other way than by editing /etc/crontab byhand.  
> > Messing up cron isn't nearly as dangerous as messing up inittab.  If
> > something goes wrong, root will hear of it.
> 
> You are right, Micah.  I should have re-read the manpage myself first.
> crontab -e is for user crontabs, including
> /var/run/tabs/root.  /etc/crontab is managed without crontab.

If I'm right, it's hardly from an extensive wealth of knowledge myself!

I hardly ever need to mess with cron (except maybe to DEactivate some
things RedHat seems to think are useful) - and until now had never known
of the -e and -l switches for crontab, or even that a command existed for
manipulating it!  

Micah           <|:-(

                ^
                |
        Dunce cap donned!