Run /etc/cron.daily from specific user

Multi tool use
Do I properly understand that it is not possible to run /etc/cron.daily/my from arbitrary user, it will be run only from root according to /etc/crontab?
Can I drop root privilege to specific user in my cron scrip instead?
It is better to place cron job into /etc/cron.d? Like:
$ cat /etc/cron.d/my
5 0 * * * user test -x /usr/bin/my && /usr/bin/my -cfg /etc/my.cfg
cron anacron
add a comment |
Do I properly understand that it is not possible to run /etc/cron.daily/my from arbitrary user, it will be run only from root according to /etc/crontab?
Can I drop root privilege to specific user in my cron scrip instead?
It is better to place cron job into /etc/cron.d? Like:
$ cat /etc/cron.d/my
5 0 * * * user test -x /usr/bin/my && /usr/bin/my -cfg /etc/my.cfg
cron anacron
add a comment |
Do I properly understand that it is not possible to run /etc/cron.daily/my from arbitrary user, it will be run only from root according to /etc/crontab?
Can I drop root privilege to specific user in my cron scrip instead?
It is better to place cron job into /etc/cron.d? Like:
$ cat /etc/cron.d/my
5 0 * * * user test -x /usr/bin/my && /usr/bin/my -cfg /etc/my.cfg
cron anacron
Do I properly understand that it is not possible to run /etc/cron.daily/my from arbitrary user, it will be run only from root according to /etc/crontab?
Can I drop root privilege to specific user in my cron scrip instead?
It is better to place cron job into /etc/cron.d? Like:
$ cat /etc/cron.d/my
5 0 * * * user test -x /usr/bin/my && /usr/bin/my -cfg /etc/my.cfg
cron anacron
cron anacron
asked Dec 30 '18 at 8:12
gavenkoagavenkoa
637814
637814
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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You are right, the jobs in /etc/cron.daily (and weekly/monthly, etc.) are always
executed as user root but you can simply swith the user from within the script
and call that very script again as that other user, including all supplied
arguments (although there won't be any in a cron.daily job):
File /etc/cron.daily/my:
#!/bin/sh
# If started as root, then re-start as user "gavenkoa":
if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
exec sudo -H -u gavenkoa $0 "$@"
echo "This is never reached.";
fi
echo "This runs as user $(id -un)";
# prints "gavenkoa"
exit 0;
When the script is started as user root it will detect so and
re-execute itself via sudo -H -u gavenkoa, that is: as
user gavenkoa. This requires no special entries in /etc/sudoers
because root is always allowed to switch to any user.
The exec replaces the current process with the new sudo … call
and never returns. That's why you don't need an else clause.
As I understandsudoisn't POSIX utils. Issuavailable in all UNIXes?
– gavenkoa
Dec 30 '18 at 13:32
1
@gavenkoa We are talking about Ubuntu, aren't we? Theresudois always installed. But if you prefersuinstead, you can of course replace thesudocall withsubut be aware that it's more complicated to pass the arguments"$@"tosu, see Pass arguments to a command run by another user over on U&L.
– PerlDuck
Dec 30 '18 at 14:02
add a comment |
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
You are right, the jobs in /etc/cron.daily (and weekly/monthly, etc.) are always
executed as user root but you can simply swith the user from within the script
and call that very script again as that other user, including all supplied
arguments (although there won't be any in a cron.daily job):
File /etc/cron.daily/my:
#!/bin/sh
# If started as root, then re-start as user "gavenkoa":
if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
exec sudo -H -u gavenkoa $0 "$@"
echo "This is never reached.";
fi
echo "This runs as user $(id -un)";
# prints "gavenkoa"
exit 0;
When the script is started as user root it will detect so and
re-execute itself via sudo -H -u gavenkoa, that is: as
user gavenkoa. This requires no special entries in /etc/sudoers
because root is always allowed to switch to any user.
The exec replaces the current process with the new sudo … call
and never returns. That's why you don't need an else clause.
As I understandsudoisn't POSIX utils. Issuavailable in all UNIXes?
– gavenkoa
Dec 30 '18 at 13:32
1
@gavenkoa We are talking about Ubuntu, aren't we? Theresudois always installed. But if you prefersuinstead, you can of course replace thesudocall withsubut be aware that it's more complicated to pass the arguments"$@"tosu, see Pass arguments to a command run by another user over on U&L.
– PerlDuck
Dec 30 '18 at 14:02
add a comment |
You are right, the jobs in /etc/cron.daily (and weekly/monthly, etc.) are always
executed as user root but you can simply swith the user from within the script
and call that very script again as that other user, including all supplied
arguments (although there won't be any in a cron.daily job):
File /etc/cron.daily/my:
#!/bin/sh
# If started as root, then re-start as user "gavenkoa":
if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
exec sudo -H -u gavenkoa $0 "$@"
echo "This is never reached.";
fi
echo "This runs as user $(id -un)";
# prints "gavenkoa"
exit 0;
When the script is started as user root it will detect so and
re-execute itself via sudo -H -u gavenkoa, that is: as
user gavenkoa. This requires no special entries in /etc/sudoers
because root is always allowed to switch to any user.
The exec replaces the current process with the new sudo … call
and never returns. That's why you don't need an else clause.
As I understandsudoisn't POSIX utils. Issuavailable in all UNIXes?
– gavenkoa
Dec 30 '18 at 13:32
1
@gavenkoa We are talking about Ubuntu, aren't we? Theresudois always installed. But if you prefersuinstead, you can of course replace thesudocall withsubut be aware that it's more complicated to pass the arguments"$@"tosu, see Pass arguments to a command run by another user over on U&L.
– PerlDuck
Dec 30 '18 at 14:02
add a comment |
You are right, the jobs in /etc/cron.daily (and weekly/monthly, etc.) are always
executed as user root but you can simply swith the user from within the script
and call that very script again as that other user, including all supplied
arguments (although there won't be any in a cron.daily job):
File /etc/cron.daily/my:
#!/bin/sh
# If started as root, then re-start as user "gavenkoa":
if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
exec sudo -H -u gavenkoa $0 "$@"
echo "This is never reached.";
fi
echo "This runs as user $(id -un)";
# prints "gavenkoa"
exit 0;
When the script is started as user root it will detect so and
re-execute itself via sudo -H -u gavenkoa, that is: as
user gavenkoa. This requires no special entries in /etc/sudoers
because root is always allowed to switch to any user.
The exec replaces the current process with the new sudo … call
and never returns. That's why you don't need an else clause.
You are right, the jobs in /etc/cron.daily (and weekly/monthly, etc.) are always
executed as user root but you can simply swith the user from within the script
and call that very script again as that other user, including all supplied
arguments (although there won't be any in a cron.daily job):
File /etc/cron.daily/my:
#!/bin/sh
# If started as root, then re-start as user "gavenkoa":
if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
exec sudo -H -u gavenkoa $0 "$@"
echo "This is never reached.";
fi
echo "This runs as user $(id -un)";
# prints "gavenkoa"
exit 0;
When the script is started as user root it will detect so and
re-execute itself via sudo -H -u gavenkoa, that is: as
user gavenkoa. This requires no special entries in /etc/sudoers
because root is always allowed to switch to any user.
The exec replaces the current process with the new sudo … call
and never returns. That's why you don't need an else clause.
edited Dec 30 '18 at 11:59
answered Dec 30 '18 at 11:48
PerlDuckPerlDuck
5,63811332
5,63811332
As I understandsudoisn't POSIX utils. Issuavailable in all UNIXes?
– gavenkoa
Dec 30 '18 at 13:32
1
@gavenkoa We are talking about Ubuntu, aren't we? Theresudois always installed. But if you prefersuinstead, you can of course replace thesudocall withsubut be aware that it's more complicated to pass the arguments"$@"tosu, see Pass arguments to a command run by another user over on U&L.
– PerlDuck
Dec 30 '18 at 14:02
add a comment |
As I understandsudoisn't POSIX utils. Issuavailable in all UNIXes?
– gavenkoa
Dec 30 '18 at 13:32
1
@gavenkoa We are talking about Ubuntu, aren't we? Theresudois always installed. But if you prefersuinstead, you can of course replace thesudocall withsubut be aware that it's more complicated to pass the arguments"$@"tosu, see Pass arguments to a command run by another user over on U&L.
– PerlDuck
Dec 30 '18 at 14:02
As I understand
sudo isn't POSIX utils. Is su available in all UNIXes?– gavenkoa
Dec 30 '18 at 13:32
As I understand
sudo isn't POSIX utils. Is su available in all UNIXes?– gavenkoa
Dec 30 '18 at 13:32
1
1
@gavenkoa We are talking about Ubuntu, aren't we? There
sudo is always installed. But if you prefer su instead, you can of course replace the sudo call with su but be aware that it's more complicated to pass the arguments "$@" to su, see Pass arguments to a command run by another user over on U&L.– PerlDuck
Dec 30 '18 at 14:02
@gavenkoa We are talking about Ubuntu, aren't we? There
sudo is always installed. But if you prefer su instead, you can of course replace the sudo call with su but be aware that it's more complicated to pass the arguments "$@" to su, see Pass arguments to a command run by another user over on U&L.– PerlDuck
Dec 30 '18 at 14:02
add a comment |
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