System

Periodic scripts

Mac OS X includes a tool used for executing maintenance scripts with different periods. The name of this tool is "periodic". The tool periodic runs scripts with three periods (daily,weekly and monthly). The periodic program is called by the daemon cron and runs executable files located in periodic's directories.

Default daily scripts:

  1. Removing old log files
  2. Removing scratch and junk files.
  3. Removing scratch fax files
  4. Backing up NetInfo data
  5. Checking subsystem status
    1. Disks
    2. Mail
    3. Network
  7. ruptime
  8. Rotating log files
  9. Removing old log files

Default weekly scripts:

  1. Rebuilding locate database
  2. Rebuilding whatis database
  3. Rotating log files

Default monthly script:

  1. Doing login accounting
  2. Rotating log files
  3. Rotating fax log files

How periodic is the periodic program?

The daily script is usually executed early in the mornings. Weekly maintenance is planned to Sunday mornings and the monthly script at the first day of a new month.

Online information