Systemd Timer Manager for Cockpit

A Cockpit plugin for managing systemd timers through a user-friendly web interface. This plugin allows system administrators to create, edit, delete, and monitor systemd timers without having to use the command line.

Features

• View all systemd timers in a clean, sortable table interface
• Create new timers with an easy-to-use form
• Edit existing timers to modify their schedule, command, or other properties
• Start, stop, and run timers and their associated services
• Delete timers that are no longer needed
• View logs for timer services directly in Cockpit's journal viewer
• Filter and search to quickly find specific timers
• Schedule validation to ensure your timer schedules are correctly formatted
• Schedule examples for common use cases

Installation

Prerequisites

• A Linux system with systemd
• Cockpit installed (version 122 or later)
• Administrative privileges

Manual Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/systemd-timer-manager.git

2. Create the plugin directory if it doesn't exist:

   sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/cockpit/systemd-timer-manager

3. Copy the plugin files:

   sudo cp -r systemd-timer-manager/* /usr/share/cockpit/systemd-timer-manager/

4. Restart Cockpit:

   sudo systemctl restart cockpit

5. Access Cockpit in your browser (usually at https://your-server-ip:9090) and look for "Timer Manager" in the menu.

RPM Package Installation (if available)

sudo dnf install cockpit-systemd-timer-manager

Usage

Viewing Timers

The main view displays all systemd timers on your system with the following information:

• Timer name
• Description
• Last run time
• Next scheduled run time
• Current status
• Action buttons

Creating a Timer

1. Click the "Create New Timer" button
2. Fill in the required fields:
   • Timer Name: A unique name for your timer (without .timer extension)
   • Description: What the timer does
   • Schedule: When the timer should run (see below for format)
   • Command: The command to execute
3. Optional fields:
   • Run as User: Username to run the command as
   • Persistent: Whether to run immediately if a scheduled time was missed during system downtime
   • Run on Boot: Whether to run once after system boot
   • Run on Unit Activation: Whether to run when the unit becomes active
4. Click "Save"

Timer Schedule Format

The schedule field accepts systemd calendar time specifications:

• daily - Run once a day at midnight
• weekly - Run once a week at midnight on Monday
• monthly - Run once a month at midnight on the first day
• yearly - Run once a year at midnight on January 1st
• *:0/15 - Run every 15 minutes
• Mon..Fri 09:00 - Run at 9 AM on weekdays
• Sat,Sun 10:00 - Run at 10 AM on weekends
• *-*-01 02:00 - Run at 2 AM on the first day of every month

You can validate your schedule format using the "Validate Schedule" button.

Managing Timers

For each timer, you can:

• Edit: Modify the timer's properties
• Start/Stop: Enable or disable the timer
• Run Now: Execute the timer's service immediately
• View Logs: See the output from previous runs
• Delete: Remove the timer from the system

Development

Project Structure

• index.html - Main HTML file
• css/ - CSS stylesheets
• js/ - JavaScript files:
  • main.js - Entry point and initialization
  • systemd-service.js - Backend service for interacting with systemd
  • ui-controller.js - UI controller handling user interactions
• manifest.json - Cockpit plugin manifest

Building from Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/systemd-timer-manager.git
   cd systemd-timer-manager

2. Make your changes to the source files

3. Test the plugin:

   mkdir -p ~/.local/share/cockpit/systemd-timer-manager
   cp -r * ~/.local/share/cockpit/systemd-timer-manager/

4. Restart Cockpit and test your changes

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• The Cockpit Project team for creating an excellent web-based server manager
• The systemd developers for their powerful timer functionality