How to use a systemd timer instead of cron to automate a git pull

[black3dynamite]

I wonder how well systemd would work with nextcloud background jobs instead of cron?

[JaredBusch]

@black3dynamite said in How to use a systemd timer instead of cron to automate a git pull:

I wonder how well systemd would work with nextcloud background jobs instead of cron?

Should work fine. I’ll have to try that next time I mess with one.

[travisdh1]

I'd think systemd timers will be the proper way to do scheduled tasks in the future. Seems a lot more flexible than cron at first glance.

[JaredBusch]

One of the nice things is you can look at your timers easily.

And the results are viewable in the systemd logs

[root@bpbx ~]# journalctl -u gitpull.service
Aug 20 08:00:03 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: Started update /tftpboot with git pull.
Aug 20 08:00:03 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: Starting update /tftpboot with git pull...
Aug 20 08:00:11 bpbx.domain.com git[24804]: Already up-to-date.
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: Started update /tftpboot with git pull.
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: Starting update /tftpboot with git pull...
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com git[982]: ssh_exchange_identification: Connection closed by remote host
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: gitpull.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com git[982]: fatal: Could not read from remote repository.
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com git[982]: Please make sure you have the correct access rights
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com git[982]: and the repository exists.
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: Unit gitpull.service entered failed state.
Aug 20 09:00:03 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: gitpull.service failed.
Aug 20 10:00:01 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: Started update /tftpboot with git pull.
Aug 20 10:00:01 bpbx.domain.com systemd[1]: Starting update /tftpboot with git pull...
Aug 20 10:00:11 bpbx.domain.com git[9145]: Already up-to-date.

Looks like it failed for some reason at 9am, but ran fine at 8 and 10.

[black3dynamite]

@jaredbusch Also if you have cockpit installed, under services, you can easily create and manage timers too.

[JaredBusch]

@black3dynamite said in How to use a systemd timer instead of cron to automate a git pull:

@jaredbusch Also if you have cockpit installed, under services, you can easily create and manage timers too.

These specific examples are FreePBX installs. not going to mess a lot with the install.
Though I did have to install git from yum.

[jmoore]

@jaredbusch Very interesting thankyou. I like this way of doing things

[JaredBusch]

Oh look I just found this posted here already /sigh..

So many questions I could have not asked of @stacksofplates, had I recalled this thread.
https://mangolassi.it/topic/13455/systemd-timers-instead-of-cron

[JaredBusch]

And looks like I'm going to have to make my git pull into a scrupt and make it smarter because this is not a great success rate IMO.

[stacksofplates]

@jaredbusch said in How to use a systemd timer instead of cron to automate a git pull:

Oh look I just found this posted here already /sigh..

So many questions I could have not asked of @stacksofplates, had I recalled this thread.
https://mangolassi.it/topic/13455/systemd-timers-instead-of-cron

I honestly forgot I posted that.