Manually Scheduling a Server Task/Cron Job for GFI HelpDesk Download

Many GFI HelpDesk's functionality relies on a schedule of internal tasks that do things like fetch emails, perform system cleanups, execute ticket follow-ups, etc. However, this internal system does not run continuously. It is only triggered when the Staff control panel is accessed.

In a busy helpdesk, that is no problem. However, if your helpdesk activity is pretty light, then you might miss out on emails, follow-ups, or other time-sensitive activities.

To keep your GFI HelpDesk function at a peak level, you should create a scheduled task (Windows) or cron job (Linux/Unix) that loads the /cron/index.php every 10 minutes, to make sure everything keeps ticking along.

To make sure your GFI HelpDesk runs more-or-less continuously, schedule a task or cron job on the server you use to host GFI HelpDesk.

The specific process for creating a task/job on your server varies significantly, depending on the platform and configuration tool you use.

Below are the basics for Windows and Linux, followed by in-depth documentation links for a variety of standard configuration tools.

For Windows Servers:

• If you are using the command line, create a new task with the schtasks command:
• If you are using the Task Scheduler application, follow the prompts to build a task that fires every 10 minutes and uses wget to load the https://<YOURDOMAIN>.gfi.com/cron/index.php? page.
• You can read more about creating scheduled tasks in the Windows server documentation: Schedule a Task.

For Linux/Unix Servers:

• If you are using the command line, add a new line to your crontab file that reads:
*/10 * * * * wget -O /dev/null --no-check-certificate https://<YOURDOMAIN>.gfi.com/cron/index.php?/Parser/ParserMinute/POP3IMAP
NOTE:

Make sure you update the YOURDOMAIN in the GFI HelpDesk URLUniform Resource Locator is the address of a web page on the world wide web..

• You can read more about cron jobs in the Unbuntu community documentation: CronHowto.

Other Server Configuration Tools

Many server configuration dashboards let you create server tasks with a GUI tool. Below are the links to the documentation for a handful of common tools:

• cPanel Version 84 Docs - Cron Jobs
• Plesk Documentation and Help Portal