[Nolug] crontabs vs /etc/cron.[daily,hourly,*] vs. /etc/cron.d/

So, we have an internal debate at Puryear IT about how to best setup
cronjobs. First, let's assume Linux here. Every UNIX flavor has some
unique trick it likes to use, but Linux is a good example of several
ways to do cronjobs.

So, with most Linux installs, you have these options:

1. normal use of crontabs
2. creating a crontab-like entry in a file in /etc/cron.d/
3. creating symlinks to your scripts in /etc/cron.hourly/,
/etc/cron.daily/, etc. (I'll just say /etc/cron.daily to be short.)
4. /etc/crontab for the root user being able to run cron jobs as any
user, unlike /etc/cron.d/ and /etc/cron.daily/.

The question here isn't one of technical correctness (they are all
correct), but one of consistency both internally and, potentially, with
other people messing with cronjobs on the same box.

The debate started when I logged into a server and didn't see our jobs
in root's crontab or as symlink under /etc/cron.daily/. They were in
/etc/cron.d/. Fine. Except I never do that. I usually use a user's
crontab or /etc/cron.daily/. So, immediately, we have a internal
consistency issue, which could, conceivably, cause me to create a
duplicate cronjob. (Let's ignore documentation and change management.)

The problem I have with /etc/cron.d/ is that most people DON'T USE IT.
Sure, system scripts that come with the distro often do, but, really,
how many sysadmins create their cronjobs there? Not many in my
experience. Yet, there is a certain cleanness to /etc/cron.d/. :)

/etc/crontab has the unique benefit of letting centralize your cronjobs,
but then you have a single file that everyone has to muck with. Yuck.
Oh, and trouble..

So, what are your thoughts? How do you handle this?

-- 
Puryear Information Technology, LLC
Baton Rouge, LA * 225-706-8414
http://www.puryear-it.com
Author, "Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers"
  http://www.puryear-it.com/pubs/linux-unix-best-practices
Identity Management, LDAP, and Linux Integration
___________________
Nolug mailing list
nolug@nolug.org