cshell and at jobs

[Geoff Wild]

Okay - I've been out of sysadmin for like 6 months, and got bit.

I have the following cshell script (SAP adm id's use csh by default - don't ask me why nor don't ask me to change it).

#!/bin/csh
startsap r3 >& /dev/null
set returncode=$status
switch ($returncode)
case '0':
echo "SAP started"
breaksw

default:
echo "SAP startup failed with returncode $returncode"
mailx -s "SAP shutdown failed on `uname -n`" gwild < $returncode
breaksw
endsw
exit 0

Running as the user is fine, but it fails as an at job:

Subject: at

sh[34]: /dev/null: Generated or received a file descriptor number that is not valid.
sh[36]: Syntax error at line 36 : `(' is not expected.


*************************************************
Cron: The previous message is the standard output
and standard error of one of your at commands.

I think I know partially why, as when the job is submitted it says:

at -f $HOME/zatjobtest.csh -t 200811030726
warning: commands will be executed using /usr/bin/sh

So why doesn't it spawn a csh?

Rgds...Geoff

[Michael Mike Reaser]

Because it just simply doesn't. :-(

From the at(1) man page:

DIAGNOSTICS

...

If your login shell is not the POSIX shell (/usr/bin/sh), at and batch produce a warning message as a reminder that at and batch jobs are executed using /usr/bin/sh.

[Geoff Wild]

Yes I know - but if I have #!/bin/csh in the script - why doesn't that load?

[Dennis Handly · Accepted solution]

>I have the following cshell script (SAP adm IDs use csh by default - don't ask me why nor don't ask me to change it).

You shouldn't be caught dead using the scummy C shell.

>So why doesn't it spawn a csh?

Because you need to invoke it as a script, not as a file:
at <name_of_scummy_cshell_script
EOF

[Geoff Wild]

Sure be nice if the man page actually said that and it would be nice if there was a -s parameter - for RUN THE FOLLOWING AS A SCRIPT!!!!

Thanks....Geoff