How bad is it if I don't use the cron service?

How bad is it if I don't use the cron service?

by Kim Gilmer -
Number of replies: 3

Hello,

I am a newbie to moodle. I have installed it on our web server and am experimenting with it to see how it works. I am using version 1.8.4+ (2007021541). Here’s my question:

What does the cron service do? I know that it sends out an email to people who have subscribed to forums. But is there a more exhaustive list? I don’t think our web hosting company wants to set up the cron job and I am wondering what stuff we’ll miss out on and whether it’s essential stuff.

Thanks in advance,

Kim

Average of ratings: -
In reply to Kim Gilmer

Re: How bad is it if I don't use the cron service?

by Anthony Borrow -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
Kim - It's a bit like not cleaning your bathroom or brushing your teeth. There are just certain things that should be done. Minimally, on a site that is not that active, I would run it daily. If the site is more active then I would say run cron hourly. Your host does not have to setup the cron service. You can set your own computer up to periodically run the /admin/cron.php file. What operating system are you using? You could set up a cron job on your own machine that would take care of it. Peace - Anthony
Average of ratings: -
In reply to Anthony Borrow

Re: How bad is it if I don't use the cron service?

by Marcus Green -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
With 8 people sharing the bathroom things can get a bit crufty quickly. On my quiet site I run the chron thing when I think of it which can mean gaps of several weeks. My main reason for running it at all is that it unenrolls people from courses and so I can see how active my userbase has been. There used to be several free web based chron services, or alternatively some very modestly priced web based chron services.
Average of ratings: -