How to run a command at boot, and then at every 5 minutes?

[Psyduck]

Hello. I just started using the RPi2. I have a simple question.
How do I run this command at bootup (I"d preffer in the login thing section aka. wall of text).
/opt/vc/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp
Measures the temperature. It would open some new options.
Thanks.

[DougieLawson]

What's the point? That temperature reading doesn't really give you anything useful, it's about as much use as a bogomip.

But if you insist add a line to a crontab.

Code: Select all

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp >> /home/pi/temp_log

[DaveDriesen]

The crontab thing.

In addition, you can use /etc/rc.local to run stuff at startup.

[DougieLawson]

In addition, you can use /etc/rc.local to run stuff at startup.

That's a one-shot execution, it won't run every five minutes from rc.local (without some scripting).

[DaveDriesen]

Hence my backing towards your crontab post

lolderp

[Senor Larry]

But when I add it it says permission denied. I know I have to be a root user but I dont know all of the fancy terminal stuff.
Thanks to all of the kind replies.

[chris30o0]

Where exactly did you put that line?
Did you do "crontab -e", "sudo crontab -e" or something different?

[Massi]

But if you insist add a line to a crontab.

Code: Select all

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp >> /home/pi/temp_log

to be pedantic, this is not answering the OP question

you should also have a @reboot entry to "run at boot and then at every 5 minutes". This is not giving a fixed 5 minutes interval between the first two execution

I just wanted to contradict Dougie

[RaTTuS]

log into the user pi
then type
crontab -e
add
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp >> /tmp/temp_log
save and exit
and it will do it every 5 mins from then onwards [including after a reboot]
you do not have to be root to do this
if your /tmp is a ramdisk [90% sure that it will be] then you will not cause excessive ware on your SDcard [though 1 extra write ever 5 mins is not excessive]

[Joe Schmoe]

Or, for that matter:

$ echo '*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp >> /tmp/temp_log' | crontab

But, of course, as always, crontab is the wrong tool for this sort of thing.

And running every 5 minutes (in crontab), although not as outright silly as the usual thing we hear ("I want to run this every minute"), is still probably not a good idea. For one thing, it fills up the system logs with stuff that you may have to go and read at some point...

The "login method" is so much better.

[DougieLawson]

to be pedantic, this is not answering the OP question

Try it! It will take the patient's temperature every five minutes from the point when /etc/init.d/cron (in disguise as /etc/rc2.d/S16cron start) runs during boot up.

[Massi]

Try it! It will take the patient's temperature every five minutes from the point when /etc/init.d/cron (in disguise as /etc/rc2.d/S16cron start) runs during boot up.

isn't it doing the /5 on absolute time? it's with reference to start time of cron?

Damn, i need a new try to contradict you

[ame]

Or, for that matter:

$ echo '*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp >> /tmp/temp_log' | crontab

But, of course, as always, crontab is the wrong tool for this sort of thing.

And running every 5 minutes (in crontab), although not as outright silly as the usual thing we hear ("I want to run this every minute"), is still probably not a good idea. For one thing, it fills up the system logs with stuff that you may have to go and read at some point...

The "login method" is so much better.

For the case where "I want to do 'x' every 'regular time period'" cron is precisely the correct tool. Rolling your own solution would be dumb since you'd have to debug it, and cron has been around for a long time.

Just because you have no idea how to use it doesn't make it a poor choice.

[DougieLawson]

isn't it doing the /5 on absolute time? it's with reference to start time of cron?

Damn, i need a new try to contradict you

It will run on hh:05, hh:10, hh:15, hh:20, hh:25, hh:30, hh:35, hh:40, hh:45, hh:50, hh:55 and hh:00 each hour. The only odd event may be at 23:59:60 UTC on 30th June 2015.

Does it matter since the task the original poster is trying to do is 100% pointless?

[Joe Schmoe]

Does it matter since the task the original poster is trying to do is 100% pointless?

+1. Great line. Pretty much says it all.

[Joe Schmoe]

Just because you have no idea how to use it doesn't make it a poor choice.

Actually, it very much does. So, you (non-rhetorical "you") are wrong again.

If someone (i.e., rhetorical "you") has no idea how to use something (a tool), then that tool is indeed a very poor choice for him to use.

Not that this has anything to do, per se, with this thread or with the OP.