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Configuring systemd Timers

With `systemd` comes the competitor to the traditional `cron` daemon, timers. For those already proficient in `cron`, timers may be just a curiosity or another cryptic time notation to learn, but for those who are just entering the world of Linux, `systemd` timers will be the norm. In this lab, we will list and decode timer information and view timers and their associated service unit files to see how they work together. We'll use `systemd-analyze` to investigate and tune up our time notations and see when our timers will run. We will then set up a simple timer/service pairing with a helper script that will write regular entries to the systemd journal, and then we'll make an update and view the results.

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Path Info

Level
Clock icon Intermediate
Duration
Clock icon 30m
Last updated
Clock icon Sep 01, 2025

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Table of Contents

  1. Challenge

    Query and View Timer Information

    1. View the active timers.
    2. View the timer unit file contents.
    3. View the associated service unit file contents.
    4. Analyze various timer notations.

  2. Challenge

    Create a Timer, Service and Script to Write Journal Entries

    1. List the active timers.
    2. Create a timer unit file.
    3. Create an associated service unit file.
    4. Create a script to be called by the service.
    5. Enable and start the timer.
    6. Troubleshoot any issues.
    7. Verify the expected results.
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