Configure scheduled tasks

NOTE: We are in the process of modifying the file structure and configuration for many Bitnami stacks. On account of these changes, the file paths stated in this guide may change depending on whether your Bitnami stack uses native Linux system packages (Approach A), or if it is a self-contained installation (Approach B). To identify your Bitnami installation type and what approach to follow, run the command below:

 $ test ! -f "installdir/common/bin/openssl" && echo "Approach A: Using system packages." || echo "Approach B: Self-contained installation."

The output of the command indicates which approach (A or B) is used by the installation, and will allow you to identify the paths, configuration and commands to use in this guide. Refer to the FAQ for more information on these changes.

Moodle requires a cron task that must be run regularly. The administrator can do this from the admin panel’s “Site Administration -> Notifications” menu. To run this task in the background, create a cron job. To edit the crontab, follow these steps depending on your installation type:

Approach A: Bitnami installations using system packages

Cron tasks are already installed and enabled by default. To update the existing cron entry or add a new one, follow these steps:

• Open and edit the /etc/cron.d/moodle cron file for Moodle.

• Add the following line:

  */1 * * * * sudo su daemon -s /bin/sh -c "installdir/php/bin/php installdir/apps/moodle/htdocs/admin/cli/cron.php > /dev/null"
  

• Save and exit.

Once configured, this cron entry will run the script every minute.

Approach B: Self-contained Bitnami installations

• Run the following command to edit the cron entry:

  $ sudo crontab -e
  

• Add the following line:

  */1 * * * * sudo su daemon -s /bin/sh -c "installdir/php/bin/php installdir/apps/moodle/htdocs/admin/cli/cron.php > /dev/null"
  

• Save and exit.

Once configured, this cron entry will run the script every minute.