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# Scripts

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 launchd and runs executable files located in periodic's directories.

Default daily scripts:

1. Removing old temporary files
2. Cleaning out old system announcements
3. Removing scratch and junk files.
4. Removing scratch fax files
5. Checking subsystem status
6. 1. Disks
   2. Network
7. Gathering accounting statistics
8. If available running local daily.local script

Default weekly scripts:

1. Rebuilding whatis database
2. If available running local weekly.local script

Default monthly script:

1. Rotating fax log files
2. Doing login accounting
3. If available running local monthly.local script

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.