New GeekGuide: Beyond Cron

How to Know When You've Outgrown Cron Scheduling--and What to Do Next

If you've spent any time around UNIX, you've no doubt learned to use and appreciate cron, the ubiquitous job scheduler that comes with almost every version of UNIX that exists. Cron is simple and easy to use, and most important, it just works. It sure beats having to remember to run your backups by hand, for example.

But cron does have its limits. Today's enterprises are larger, more interdependent, and more interconnected than ever before, and cron just hasn't kept up. These days, virtual servers can spring into existence on demand. There are accounting jobs that have to run after billing jobs have completed, but before the backups run. And, there are enterprises that connect Web servers, databases, and file servers. These enterprises may be in one server room, or they may span several data centers.

Register now to download your complimentary copy of Linux Journal's 25 page Beyond Cron GeekGuide.

Carlie Fairchild is Linux Journal’s Publisher and guiding spirit. She’s been actively engaged in the Linux community for two decades and is responsible for setting the magazine’s overall direction. Carlie leads a motley team of geeks and journalists to ensure that Linux Journal stays true to its founding ideologies of personal freedom and open-source technical innovation.

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