System Admin: Adding a cron entry

Adding a cron entry

All email is sent using a cron script on Unix systems (including OS X) and needs to be added to the cron tables. An example is given in the INSTALL file, but the mechanics are not.

The PHP switch on this page was incorrect. It should be "/usr/bin/php -f file"

Please check your crontab entries!!

   * * * * * cd /path-to-eventum/misc; /usr/bin/php -f process_mail_queue.php

If you already have cron scripts running you don't need this - just add another entry. If you do not, then do the following:

1. open a command line window and become root (using the su command)
2. # cd /path-to-eventum/
3. create a file called email.cron in the eventum directory (under the web server)
4. copy the line above into that file
5. edit the path-to-eventum AND path to php if needed
6. save the file
7. # crontab email.cron
8. # crontab -l

you should see your crontab entry listed (and only that one). Email should now be sent.

In f.ex. Debian GNU/Linux when runing PHP5, /usr/bin/php is a (soft) link to /etc/alternatives/php which in turn is a link to /usr/bin/php5.

 $ l /usr/bin/|grep php
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 2006-02-19 13:01 php -> /etc/alternatives/php*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 5,4M 2006-05-04 10:52 php5*
 $ file /etc/alternatives/php
/etc/alternatives/php: symbolic link to `/usr/bin/php5'

CLI (Command Line Interface) PHP have it's own php.ini