Cygwin - How to run a crontab

Install cron (Vixie's Cron) first!!! From Cygwin setup.exe!!!

---

From:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/707184/how-do-you-run-a-crontab-in-cygwin-on-windows

You have two options:

1. Install cron as a windows service, using cygrunsrv:

cygrunsrv -I cron -p /usr/sbin/cron -a -D net start cron

2. The 'non .exe' files are probably bash scripts, so you can run them via the windows scheduler by invoking bash to run the script, e.g.:

C:\cygwin\bin\bash.exe -l -c "./full-path/to/script.sh"

---

Hat tip http://linux.subogero.com/894/cron-on-cygwin/

Start the cygwin-setup and add the “cron” package from the “Admin” category.

We’ll run cron as a service by user SYSTEM. Poor SYSTEM therefore needs a home directory and a shell. The “/etc/passwd” file will define them.

$ mkdir /root $ chown SYSTEM:root /root $ mcedit /etc/passwd SYSTEM:*:......:/root:/bin/bash

The start the service:

$ cron-config Do you want to remove or reinstall it (yes/no) yes Do you want to install the cron daemon as a service? (yes/no) yes Enter the value of CYGWIN for the daemon: [ ] ntsec Do you want the cron daemon to run as yourself? (yes/no) no Do you want to start the cron daemon as a service now? (yes/no) yes

Local users can now define their scheduled tasks like this (crontab will start your favourite editor):

$ crontab -e # edit your user specific cron-table HOME=/home/foo PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:$PATH # testing * * * * * touch ~/cron @reboot ~/foo.sh 45 11 * * * ~/lunch_message_to_mates.sh

Domain users: it does not work. Poor cron is unable to run scheduled tasks on behalf of domain users on the machine. But there is another way: cron also runs stuff found in the system level cron table in “/etc/crontab”. So insert your suff there, so that SYSTEM does it on its own behalf:

$ touch /etc/crontab $ chown SYSTEM /etc/crontab $ mcedit /etc/crontab HOME=/root PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:$PATH * * * * * SYSTEM touch ~/cron @reboot SYSTEM rm -f /tmp/.ssh*

Finally a few words about crontab entries. They are either environment settings or scheduled commands. As seen above, on Cygwin it’s best to create a usable PATH. Home dir and shell are normally taken from “/etc/passwd”.

As to the columns of scheduled commands see the manual page.

If certain crontab entries do not run, the best diagnostic tool is this:

$ cronevents

---

Applied the instructions from this answer and it worked Just to point out a more copy paste like answer (because cygwin installation procedure is kind of anti-copy-paste wise implemented).
Click WinLogo button , type cmd.exe , right click it , choose "Start As Administrator". In cmd prompt:

cd cygwin installer: set package_name=cygrunsrv cron setup-x86_64.exe -n -q -s http://cygwin.mirror.constant.com -P %package_name%

Ensure the installer does not throw any errors in the prompt ... If it has - you probably have some cygwin binaries running or you are not an Windows admin, or some freaky bug ...

Now in cmd promt:

C:\cygwin64\bin\cygrunsrv.exe -I cron -p /usr/sbin/cron -a -D

or whatever full file path you might have to the cygrunsrv.exe and start the cron as windows service in the cmd prompt

net start cron

Now in bash terminal run:

crontab -e

set up you cron entry an example bellow:

#sync my gdrive each 10th minute */10 * * * * /home/Yordan/sync_gdrive.sh # * * * * * command to be executed # - - - - - # | | | | | # | | | | +- - - - day of week (0 - 6) (Sunday=0) # | | | +- - - - - month (1 - 12) # | | +- - - - - - day of month (1 - 31) # | +- - - - - - - hour (0 - 23) # +--------------- minute