In this lab, we learned how to set task automation using scripts and crontab. We created a script that would, at a set time, create a backup of a user’s home directory, then zip it and send it to the /var/backups directory. We learned how to interface with the crontab and set up schedules for these scripts to run at specified intervals.

A difficulty I had with this was trying to get crontab to run every minute. For whatever reason, I just couldn’t understand what the task implied we were supposed to do, or how to do it properly.