stdout and stderr of script doesn't get redirected when executed by cron

Question

./script &>> log.txt

I get a nice logfile, but if I have the same command executed by cron, lets say the crontab looks like this:

* * * * * '/home/user/script &>> /home/user/log.txt'

the log.txt will just be empty, I tried " and ' and ` and no ticks to enclose the command, any idea why the streams won't get written into the file?

Answer 1

Chances are that the shell that cron uses doesn't support the shorthand redirection operator &>> that Bash supports.

You should use the portable form which is supported in the Bourne shell and others:

* * * * * /home/user/script >> /home/user/log.txt 2>&1

That says "append the standard output (file descriptor 1) to the file and send standard error (file descriptor 2) to the same place".

And you don't need any quotes.

Answer 2

1. Don't include any quotes for the command in the crontab.

2. Consider running an environment setting script that does its own redirection, instead of relying on cron to do it.

In my experience, the less there is in the crontab file, the better. My crontab files consist of the time controls plus a simple absolute command name (ksh) and the command it is to run:

#   @(#)$Id: crontab,v 4.2 2007/09/17 02:41:00 jleffler Exp $
#   Crontab file for Home Directory for Jonathan Leffler (JL)
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#Min     Hour    Day     Month   Weekday Command
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0        *       *       *       *       /usr/bin/ksh /work1/jleffler/bin/Cron/hourly
1        1       *       *       *       /usr/bin/ksh /work1/jleffler/bin/Cron/daily
23       1       *       *       1-5     /usr/bin/ksh /work1/jleffler/bin/Cron/weekday
2        3       *       *       0       /usr/bin/ksh /work1/jleffler/bin/Cron/weekly
21       3       1       *       *       /usr/bin/ksh /work1/jleffler/bin/Cron/monthly