Q: running background maintenance tasks
The document http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107388 describes the maintenance tasks normally performed between 3:15 am and 5:30 am. If the computer is not left on at night or if it is put to sleep by the energy saver, then these tasks can't occur. The tasks can be done manually for 10.2 or later by using the terminal to enter:
sudo periodic daily [or weekly, or monthly]
Now, suppose one puts the computer to sleep every night so these tasks can't run automatically, and suppose one doesn't perform them manually either. After a month has gone by, the machine is left on all night and sleep mode is deactivated in the energy saver preference pane. Presumably background maintenance tasks will now be performed by OS X between 3:15 am and 5:30 am. My question is this: will the maintenance performed include all three categories (daily, weekly, monthly)? Or just the daily (or possibly the monthly)? Hopefully all three categories would be performed just as if one had entered the terminal and typed:
sudo periodic daily
sudo periodic weekly
sudo periodic monthly
I guess another way to put the question is: Do the monthly maintenance tasks automatically include the weekly and daily tasks as well (if they need to be done), or are they an entirely unique set?
TIA,
Drake Bradley
(from a very wet Whidbey Island)
sudo periodic daily [or weekly, or monthly]
Now, suppose one puts the computer to sleep every night so these tasks can't run automatically, and suppose one doesn't perform them manually either. After a month has gone by, the machine is left on all night and sleep mode is deactivated in the energy saver preference pane. Presumably background maintenance tasks will now be performed by OS X between 3:15 am and 5:30 am. My question is this: will the maintenance performed include all three categories (daily, weekly, monthly)? Or just the daily (or possibly the monthly)? Hopefully all three categories would be performed just as if one had entered the terminal and typed:
sudo periodic daily
sudo periodic weekly
sudo periodic monthly
I guess another way to put the question is: Do the monthly maintenance tasks automatically include the weekly and daily tasks as well (if they need to be done), or are they an entirely unique set?
TIA,
Drake Bradley
(from a very wet Whidbey Island)
iMac PowerPC G4, Mac OS X (10.2.x)
Posted on Feb 2, 2006 4:44 PM
by Mark Jalbert,Solvedanswer
Drake,
I think your idea is reasonable. The only drawback is your log files and archive log files will be larger than if you ran the scripts as intended and the /tmp directory will fill with a greater number of junk files. It's not a big deal if these "maintenance task" don't run for months.
My computers run 24/7 and the scripts run as intended. On notebooks I usually install anacron as nifflerX has suggested.
I think your idea is reasonable. The only drawback is your log files and archive log files will be larger than if you ran the scripts as intended and the /tmp directory will fill with a greater number of junk files. It's not a big deal if these "maintenance task" don't run for months.
My computers run 24/7 and the scripts run as intended. On notebooks I usually install anacron as nifflerX has suggested.
Posted on Feb 3, 2006 2:42 PM