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cron-apt schedules apt-get operations; it does not automatically install upgrades by default. A standard installation refreshes package indexes and downloads available packages, leaving installation as an explicit policy decision. Configure global variables in /etc/cron-apt/config, control operations with ordered files in /etc/cron-apt/action.d/, verify the cron daemon, and test the resulting job before enabling any installation action.
What cron-apt does—and what it does not do
cron-apt is a Debian package that runs apt-get operations from a scheduled cron job. Debian stable lists version 0.13.0.1. The package recommends a cron daemon or compatible scheduler, so cron-apt is an automation layer rather than a complete scheduling system of its own.
Its default policy is deliberately conservative: it updates package lists and downloads new packages without installing them. Downloading and installing are separate stages. A machine can therefore have current package metadata and cached update files while continuing to run its existing package versions.
Installation or upgrading is possible, because cron-apt can be instructed to run operations available through apt-get or aptitude. Those operations are not implied by the default. You add them through action files and accept responsibility for repository trust, dependency changes, service restarts, reboots and recovery.
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That distinction matters on servers. Debian warns that cron-apt may be a security risk if it is configured to do more than necessary, and says automatic upgrading of all packages is not recommended unless you fully control the package repository. Start with list refresh and download-only behavior; expand the policy only after a controlled test.
Before you configure it: prerequisites and safety checks
Use a supported package source
Install cron-apt from the target Debian or Ubuntu system’s configured package repositories. Confirm that the repositories, signing keys, priorities and pins are the ones you intend the automated job to use. A download-only job still trusts repository metadata and can fill local storage with packages from an incorrectly configured source.
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cron-apt requires cron or a compatible cron daemon. Check which scheduler your distribution uses, whether its service is enabled, and where the cron-apt package installed its schedule. Do not assume that a package installation created a working schedule if the daemon is disabled, replaced by another scheduler, or restricted by local policy.
Check for other update mechanisms
Many Debian and Ubuntu installations also have distribution-managed apt timers or unattended-update services. Inspect those units and any existing cron jobs before adding installation actions. Two mechanisms acting on the same package database can create overlapping downloads, lock conflicts, unexpected reboots or contradictory upgrade policies.
- List active cron entries and package-specific jobs under the system cron directories.
- Inspect systemd timers related to apt and unattended updates when systemd is in use.
- Choose one clearly documented owner for automatic installation; leave other mechanisms download-only or disabled according to your operating policy.
Plan observability and recovery
Decide where logs will be retained, who receives failure mail, how much package-cache space is available and how you will restore a service if an upgrade changes behavior. Debian documents cron-apt support for error mail and for logging to syslog or a separate file. Configure at least one notification path before relying on unattended execution.
Install cron-apt and locate its installed files
- Refresh the package index using your distribution’s normal package-management procedure.
- Install the package with the system package manager, for example
sudo apt-get install cron-apt. Use the package name supplied by your distribution if it differs. - Verify that the package is installed and identify its executable, documentation and schedule. Commands such as
dpkg -L cron-apt,command -v cron-aptandman cron-aptshow the paths provided by the local package. - Confirm the installed version. Debian stable’s package metadata identifies version 0.13.0.1; Ubuntu or another Debian derivative may carry a different revision.
- Check that cron or the compatible daemon is enabled and running before changing action policy.
Do not copy a configuration from another release without checking the example and man page shipped with your installation. File names and defaults can vary between package revisions even when the overall model is the same.
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Understand cron-apt’s configuration surface
Two locations control the normal setup. The global file defines variables; the action directory defines the apt-get argument sets that cron-apt executes.
| Location | Role | How cron-apt uses it |
|---|---|---|
/etc/cron-apt/config |
Global variables and behavior settings | Values here apply to the cron-apt run as a whole. |
/etc/cron-apt/action.d/ |
Action rules | Each file supplies apt-get arguments, one line at a time; files are processed in filename order. |
/usr/share/doc/cron-apt/examples/config |
Installed example configuration | Use it as a reference and copy only the settings you actually need into /etc/cron-apt/config. |
Action-file ordering is significant. A package-list refresh must precede operations that depend on current metadata. A download action should be separated from an installation action so you can inspect the result and apply a different approval policy. Numeric prefixes are commonly used to make ordering obvious; preserve the names supplied by your package unless you have verified how the installed scheduler selects them.
Build a conservative download-only configuration
1. Read the packaged example
Open /usr/share/doc/cron-apt/examples/config and compare it with the currently installed /etc/cron-apt/config. Copy only required variables, retaining the package’s comments where they explain defaults. Avoid replacing the whole file with a sample from a different release.
2. Inspect existing action files
List /etc/cron-apt/action.d/ and open every enabled file in lexical order. Determine which files refresh indexes, download packages, clean caches, install packages or perform other apt-get operations. Treat any pre-existing installation action as an explicit change to your security policy.
3. Keep refresh and download separate
Ensure that one action performs the package-list refresh and a later action performs download-only work. The exact argument lines are supplied by the installed package’s examples and apt-get documentation; do not mix several unrelated operations into a single file when you need to audit or disable them independently.
Because cron-apt passes action-file lines as apt-get arguments, a malformed line can change the command’s meaning. Review whitespace, option spelling, command order and whether an option requires a value. Test every new file manually before leaving it enabled.
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4. Set logging and mail deliberately
Use the variables documented in the installed example to select syslog or a dedicated log file and to enable error mail. Make sure the mail transport and log rotation already work on the host. A configured recipient that cannot receive mail, or a log file on a full filesystem, gives a false sense of monitoring.
5. Check storage and locks
Downloaded packages consume space in the apt cache. Set a retention and cleanup policy that matches your rollback needs, and monitor free space. Ensure no other apt or dpkg process is normally running at the scheduled time; lock contention should be treated as a failed run, not silently ignored.
Decide whether cron-apt should install updates
Download-only: the safer baseline
With list refresh and download actions only, cron-apt prepares packages without changing installed software. Administrators can inspect pending updates, schedule a maintenance window and apply them through a separately controlled process. This is the recommended starting point for production servers and for any host whose repository governance is still being validated.
Explicit installation or upgrade actions
To install updates, add a separate action file containing the apt-get operation you have approved. Use the installed example and apt-get man page to select the operation and noninteractive options appropriate to your environment. Keep installation after refresh and download files, and give it a filename that makes its risk obvious.
Before enabling such a file, test dependency resolution with the same repositories, architecture, pins and holds used by the scheduled job. Review packages that would be removed, services that would restart, configuration-file prompts, kernel changes and whether a reboot is required. Define a rollback path: backups, package-cache retention, console access and a documented way to disable the action file.
Do not equate a successful apt-get exit status with a healthy application. Package installation can complete while a daemon fails to start, a configuration migration changes behavior or a kernel update waits for reboot. Add post-run checks outside cron-apt when service availability matters.
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Repository governance is part of the upgrade policy
Automatic installation is only as controlled as every configured repository. Confirm ownership, signing-key management, pinning and change review for each source. If you do not fully control and trust the repository set, keep cron-apt at list-refresh and download-only scope.
Run a controlled manual test
Do not wait for the first scheduled run to discover a typo or disabled daemon. First identify the executable and invocation used by the installed cron entry, then run that invocation interactively with administrative privileges during a maintenance window. The exact command and schedule depend on the package revision and distribution, so verify them locally rather than copying a command from an unrelated system.
- Record the current action-file list and configuration, including file ownership and permissions.
- Confirm that no apt, apt-get or dpkg process is holding the package-management lock.
- Run cron-apt manually using the command shown by the installed schedule or man page.
- Watch the terminal output and inspect the configured log destination and syslog for each action.
- Verify that package lists refreshed and that downloads went to the expected cache.
- Confirm that no package was installed when your policy is download-only. Check package status and service restart timestamps.
- If an installation action is enabled, review the transaction before allowing it on additional hosts; test first on a disposable or representative machine.
- Restore or disable any experimental action file, then repeat the run to confirm that the intended policy—not a stale file—was executed.
Capture the output of this first run in your operations record. It establishes the baseline for diagnosing later scheduler, repository or dependency failures.
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Confirm the schedule actually fires
Inspect the cron-apt package’s installed cron entry and the cron daemon’s service status. Check the timestamp of the next run according to that entry, then look for a corresponding log message. A file in /etc/cron-apt/action.d/ has no effect if cron never invokes cron-apt.
Confirm execution order
Use filenames that sort in the intended sequence and verify the order in logs. If a download action runs before the package-list refresh, it can operate on stale metadata. If an installation action runs before downloads complete, the result may differ from the policy you intended.
Confirm the effective configuration
When troubleshooting, inspect the files as root, including symbolic links, permissions and local overrides. Compare the effective files with the example shipped in /usr/share/doc/cron-apt/examples/config; do not infer behavior from an old tutorial or another distribution’s package.
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Troubleshoot common failures
No run appears in logs
- Check that cron or the compatible daemon is installed, enabled and running.
- Verify the package’s cron entry exists and has not been disabled by local policy.
- Confirm the host’s clock and timezone; a schedule can appear missing when it is simply offset.
- Run the verified command manually to separate scheduler problems from apt or configuration problems.
The run fails with an apt or dpkg lock
Find the competing apt, apt-get, dpkg or unattended-update process and inspect its schedule. Do not delete lock files while a package operation is active. Reschedule one job, disable duplicate installation automation or make the policies explicitly complementary, then retry after the lock holder exits.
Package lists refresh but nothing downloads
Inspect the action files in order and verify that a download action is present and enabled. Check repository reachability, signing errors, proxy settings, architecture filters, held packages and available disk space. A successful refresh alone does not imply that package files were requested.
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Audit every file in /etc/cron-apt/action.d/, including files added by local administrators or configuration management. Remove or disable installation and upgrade actions, then run a manual test and verify that only list and download operations occur. Also inspect separate apt timers or unattended-update services.
Mail or logs are missing
Check the logging and mail variables against the installed example, then test the host’s syslog, log-file permissions, rotation and mail transport independently. Ensure the cron environment has the paths and credentials required by your notification setup.
An upgrade completes but a service is unhealthy
Review apt and service-manager logs, package maintainer-script output and reboot requirements. Disable further installation runs, restore the service using your documented recovery procedure and investigate the package transaction before re-enabling automation.
cron-apt compared with a distribution apt timer
The right mechanism depends on the control and scheduling model you need. cron-apt uses ordered files and cron; a distribution-provided mechanism may use systemd or an apt timer and may carry its own defaults. Compare them on the dimensions below before running both.
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| Decision axis | cron-apt | What to verify in another mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| Action scope | Default list refresh and download; installation or upgrade must be added explicitly. | Whether it downloads only or installs automatically, and how that policy is changed. |
| Control surface | Global variables in /etc/cron-apt/config plus ordered files in /etc/cron-apt/action.d/. |
Which unit, drop-in, configuration file or policy controls operations. |
| Scheduling | Cron or a compatible cron daemon. | Whether scheduling is handled by systemd, an apt timer or another daemon. |
| Observability | Error mail, syslog or a separate log file can be configured. | Where success, failure, lock contention and package output are recorded. |
| Repository governance | Administrator must control and trust every repository used by apt-get. | Confirm the same repository, pinning and signing-key assumptions. |
Choose one owner for automatic installation. Running cron-apt alongside a timer that makes independent upgrade decisions complicates auditing and recovery.
Operational checklist
- Record the cron-apt package version and the distribution release.
- Keep
/etc/cron-apt/configunder configuration management with permissions that prevent unauthorized edits. - Review every action file after package upgrades and configuration-management changes.
- Keep refresh/download actions separate from installation actions.
- Monitor cache capacity, log growth, mail delivery and repository-signature failures.
- Test a manual run after changing a file, repository, proxy, scheduler or package policy.
- Review pending packages before promoting installation automation to more hosts.
- Document service checks, reboot handling, backups and rollback steps.
- Reassess duplicate apt timers and unattended-update services after distribution upgrades.
Bottom line
Configure cron-apt as a staged pipeline: verify cron, copy only needed global settings from the installed example, inspect ordered action files, refresh lists, download packages, and observe the result. Add installation actions only when repository governance, dependency behavior, monitoring and recovery are under your control. That approach preserves cron-apt’s useful automation without turning a routine scheduled job into an unreviewed system-wide upgrade.
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