Elena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂

A very #MySoCalledSudoLife day.​ This morning I:

  • Created my first cron job (I will look into systemd timers this weekend, just in case)

  • I bought a Heltec v3 kit - so I can try off-grid mesh communication when I'm at my parents' in Italy later this month

    • Thanks for all your help and advice with cron jobs! I really appreciate 🙏

    Apr 3 at 1:13pmWeb
    Show threadElena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂Apr 3

    I just learned a couple of minutes ago that "CRON jobs in general run in UTC time" - so 9pm for my cron job means 11pm Paris time ​

    I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning if it worked (I'm too tired now to tweak it) 🥲

    Good night Fedi friends!

    Show threadJan Dytrych🇨🇿🇺🇦Apr 3
    @elena good night Elena! 🌆
    Show threadGerardo LisboaApr 3

    @elena

    In most cases, cron follows the system's time zone.

    More info here:
    https://cronjob.live/docs/cron-timezones by recurohq
    https://crontab.io/timezone-converter by johnsorrentino

    CRON_TZ https://www.man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/crontab.5.html

    #cron #unix #timezone

    Cron Timezones - Complete Guide to Timezone Handling | Cronjob.live

    Master cron timezone handling, DST issues, and best practices. Learn how to handle timezone complexity in cron job scheduling.

    Cronjob.live
    Show threadElena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂Apr 3
    @gvlx thank you! It’s installed on a VPS hosted in Lithuania… it hasn’t run yet so I’m guessing that it either doesn’t work (my code) or it’s on UTC time. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow morning 😅
    Show threadGerardo LisboaApr 3
    @elena Check the docs, you can force the timezone per line
    Show threadElena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂Apr 4
    @gvlx it worked at 11pm CET (9pm UTC time). So I just tweaked the code, subtracting 2 hours. Very exciting. The next scheduled run will be at 9am my time on Monday...
    Show thread𝙹𝚘𝚎𝚕 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚝 ♑ 🤪Apr 3

    @elena it should depend and run depending on /etc/locatime. So if the Cloud is above UTC+4 and you want to run stuff related to UTC-2, you’ll have to do the Maths 😆

    In some case, it may be possible to set some sort of TZ variables. But man page is required there.

    Show threadElena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂Apr 4
    @joel it was UTC time indeed... I just checked this morning and the cron job worked... but at 11pm (instead of 9pm). I just tweaked the file subtracting 2 hours 😅​
    Show threadGrumpy Old Techie 🕊️Apr 5
    @elena @joel It is important to read ‘man 5 crontab’. Linux distros often use different implementations of cron with extra functionality to the original Vixie cron. Mac and BSD are closer to the simpler original from the 1980s. The nice part about unix like systems is that you have choice and you can install the cron you want e.g. anacron for systems that are not always on (laptops) so your cron jobs will run when the system is switched on.
    Show threadElena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂Apr 5
    @grumpyoldtechie thank you for the helpful insights 🙏
    Show threadRaven667Apr 4

    @elena cron will respect the system time zone, but its common for servers to be set up in UTC time at bigger companies so all the timestamps in logs are consistent across all servers in all timezones, otherwise its difficult to compare logs across regions.

    Good luck and welcome to the club :-)

    Show threadElena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂Apr 4
    @raven667 thank you! I just checked this morning and it worked... cron jobs feel like magic. sooo cool!
    Show threadJP MensApr 4

    @elena what @raven667 said, and a small note that if it's important to you that a cron job on a UTC configured system runs at a particular CET/CEST time, you might have to alter the crontab definition at the next DST change.

    Of course you could set up a cron job to notify you ... 🙂

    Show threadVolker ButtersteinApr 4
    @jpmens
    systemd timers can do jobs at any timezone. If that is important consider to use a timer and not crontab.
    @elena @raven667
    Show threadkitApr 5
    @elena
    It makes a difference for daylight saving. It's easier to change the clock only for display time, and leave the true time alone, than to clean up yet again, after having forgotten why you should never run cron jobs between 1a.m. an 3a.m.
    Show threadՀայկ ՄկրտչյանApr 5
    @elena @Em0nM4stodon LOL 😅😅
    Show threadJan Dytrych🇨🇿🇺🇦Apr 3
    @elena happy @meshtastic user here! Heltec v3 is power hungry, I would recommend something NRF52 based. Like this guy: https://www.seeedstudio.com/SenseCAP-Card-Tracker-T1000-E-for-Meshtastic-p-5913.html?warehouse_id=11 or this guy: https://www.seeedstudio.com/Wio-Tracker-L1-Pro-p-6454.html Happy #Meshing Elena! oh and Happy Easter!
    SenseCAP Card Tracker T1000-E for Meshtastic

    The SenseCAP T1000-E is a compact Meshtastic device designed for off-grid communication and location sharing. About the size of a credit card, it can be easily carried or attached to gear for outdoor use. Powered by Semtech’s LR1110 LoRa transceiver (863–928 MHz), Nordic’s nRF52840 processor, and the Mediatek AG3335 GNSS module, it enables reliable long-range LoRa communication and location updates within Meshtastic networks.

    Show threadJan Dytrych🇨🇿🇺🇦Apr 3
    @elena @meshtastic oh and do you know there is a map for @meshtastic devices? https://meshmap.net/ Not all of them are visible to public, but it can give you nice overview where nodes are!
    MeshMap - Meshtastic Node Map

    A nearly live map of Meshtastic nodes seen by the official Meshtastic MQTT server

    Show threadElena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂Apr 3
    @jan thanks! Happy Easter to you as well 🐰
    Show threadJiří EischmannApr 3
    @jan @elena @meshtastic Both are good suggestions, but I wouldn't dismiss Heltec completely. I have a Heltec v4, yes, it lasts one day, but it has a 4x transmission power of other companions. It's my buddy on hiking trips because in the countryside it's good to have enough power to be heard.
    Show threadJan Dytrych🇨🇿🇺🇦Apr 3
    @sesivany @elena @meshtastic I don"t have any experience with V4. But keen to buy 1W Rak Wireless one!
    Show threadVigdisApr 3
    @elena the heltec kit looks cool!
    Show threadAdamApr 3

    @elena Very cool.

    +1 on the systemd timer recommendation.

    Also, you might want to check out MeshMonitor for interacting with the V3, if it's going to remain somewhat stationary. It's a self-hosted web proxy they helps take some load off the V3 itself (if you have multiple connections) and offers a number of extra features.

    MeshMonitor

    Self-hosted web dashboard for Meshtastic networks. Real-time maps, messaging, telemetry, automation, and alerts. Runs on Docker, desktop, or Kubernetes.

    Show threadJörgi (chaos.social)Apr 3
    @elena
    Ah, off-grid communication is also something I want to look into it....
    Show threadJörgi (chaos.social)Apr 3
    @elena
    Looking forward for your writing about it, if you do
    Show threadElena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂Apr 4
    @joergi of course I will! I'll document everything. And thank you 😊​
    Show threadAlbertoneApr 4
    @elena
    I'm looking forward to your impressions on the Heltec v3!