27.2.4. Configuring a Batch Job

The Batch application executes the defined one-time tasks when the system load average decreases below 0.8.

To define a Batch job, do the following:

On the command line, type the command batch.
In the displayed at> prompt, define the job commands:
- Type the command the job should execute and press Enter. Optionally, repeat the step to provide multiple commands.
- Enter a shell script at the prompt and press Enter after each line in the script.
  If a script is entered, the job uses the shell set in the user's SHELL environment, the user's login shell, or /bin/sh (whichever is found first).
Once finished, press Ctrl+D on an empty line to exit the prompt.

If the set of commands or the script tries to display information to standard output, the output is emailed to the user.

To view the list of pending jobs, use the atq command. See Section 27.2.5, “Viewing Pending Jobs” for more information.

You can also restrict the usage of the batch command. For more information, see Section 27.2.7, “Controlling Access to At and Batch” for details.