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Cron Design: Introduction: Difference between revisions
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(New page: {{Nav Cron Design}} Portable Cron was integrated into Uniform Server 5-Nano although useful suffered from a number of limitations. A new design has addressed these issues and offers more f...) |
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{{Nav Cron Design}} | {{Nav Cron Design}} | ||
Portable Cron was integrated into Uniform Server 5-Nano | Portable Cron was integrated into Uniform Server 5-Nano. Although useful, it suffered from a number of limitations. A new design has addressed these issues and offers more flexibility. | ||
That said you may find it does not meet your particular requirements solution is to design new scripts or modify the existing ones. | That said, you may find it does not meet your particular requirements. The best solution is to design new scripts or modify the existing ones. | ||
The following provides a detailed description of the current implementation, which you can use as a basis for new designs or tweak the | The following provides a detailed description of the current implementation, which you can use as a basis for new designs or tweak the existing scripts. | ||
== Background == | == Background == | ||
Before looking at configuration | Before looking at configuration, this is quick overview what portable Cron is and what it is not. | ||
=== Cron === | === Cron === | ||
Cron originated from a Unix environment | Cron originated from a Unix environment. It is a job scheduler that allows scripts to be run automatically at a certain time or date. | ||
Cron (chronograph) has become a more general term referring to a periodic tick. | Cron (chronograph) has become a more general term referring to a periodic tick. | ||
=== Portable Cron === | === Portable Cron === | ||
Why portable Cron? | Why portable Cron? For a permanent installation of UniServer running as a service, you can set up Windows to schedule a task similar to Unix Cron. Check out [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308569 How To Schedule Tasks in Windows XP] for details | ||
This is not practical when running UniServer from a USB memory stick which implies portability you need to reconfigure each new machine. UniServer 5 | This is not practical when running UniServer from a USB memory stick, which implies portability. It means you need to reconfigure each new machine. UniServer 5-Nano resolves this with a small script scheduler referred to as portable Cron. | ||
It’s fully integrated into UniServers’s control architecture allowing it to be run from either batch files or UniTray. | It’s fully integrated into UniServers’s control architecture, allowing it to be run from either batch files or UniTray. | ||
== Configuration == | == Configuration == | ||
To understand the design it’s worth first looking at configuration. Knowing how to configure Cron also serves as a specification. | To understand the design, it’s worth first looking at configuration. Knowing how to configure Cron also serves as a specification. | ||
To run each individual script a number of parameters are set in a configuration file '''cron.ini''' This file has a standard format making it very easy to | To run each individual script, a number of parameters are set in a configuration file: '''cron.ini'''. This file has a standard format making it very easy to set up and use. | ||
Each script to be run is defined in a self-contained block. Each block starts with a unique header | Each script to be run is defined in a self-contained block. Each block starts with a unique header. Here's an example: | ||
<pre> | <pre> | ||
[moodle] | [moodle] | ||
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ref = | ref = | ||
</pre> | </pre> | ||
=== Explanation === | === Explanation === | ||
{| | {| | ||
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|'''ref''' ||- A tracker set by Cron script effectively time to next run. Deleting this value allows a new start time to be set (covered later) | |'''ref''' ||- A tracker set by Cron script effectively time to next run. Deleting this value allows a new start time to be set (covered later) | ||
|} | |} | ||
=== Detail === | === Detail === | ||
{| | {| | ||
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'''''Note 1'':''' Cron automatically updates ref with the initial start time set and<br /> | '''''Note 1'':''' Cron automatically updates ref with the initial start time set and<br /> | ||
period. Every time a script is run the value is updated with a new Cron reference<br /> | period. Every time a script is run, the value is updated with a new Cron reference.<br /> | ||
This defines when the next run is to start. | |||
'''''Note 2'':''' To specify a new start time first set a new value for start and<br /> | '''''Note 2'':''' To specify a new start time first set a new value for start and<br /> | ||
delete the ref number (if there is one), save the file. The script will run at the<br /> | delete the ref number (if there is one), then save the file. The script will run at the<br /> | ||
date and time set and thereafter at a period you defined | date and time set and thereafter at a period you defined. | ||
|} | |} | ||
== General notes == | == General notes == | ||
Configuration file location: UniServer\unicon\main\'''cron.ini''' | Configuration file location: UniServer\unicon\main\'''cron.ini''' | ||
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* <nowiki>http:</nowiki>//localhost:81/drupal/cron.php | * <nowiki>http:</nowiki>//localhost:81/drupal/cron.php | ||
== How to run portable Cron == | == How to run portable Cron == | ||
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* To stop Cron: Double click on Stop_Cron.bat | * To stop Cron: Double click on Stop_Cron.bat | ||
=== Automatic === | === Automatic === | ||
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"%PHP%\php.exe"; Parameters: " -n %ServerConMain%\stop_servers.php 7";ShowCmd: hidden; Glyph: 11 | "%PHP%\php.exe"; Parameters: " -n %ServerConMain%\stop_servers.php 7";ShowCmd: hidden; Glyph: 11 | ||
</pre> | </pre> | ||
== Logging == | == Logging == | ||