{% capture cap_cron %}
### Cron Permissions
When running a cron job, we recommend doing so as a dedicated Directory Connector user. Create a `bwdc` user if you haven't already, and add that user to the `etc/cron.allow` list. This will allow a non-Root user to set up and run cron jobs.
In order to continue, you will also need your Organization's [API Key]({{site.baseurl}}/article/public-api/#authentication) `client_id` and `client_secret`, which can be obtained by an Organization **Owner** from the Web Vault by navigating to Organization **Settings** → **My Organization**.
### Setup a Sync Script
In order avoid session timeouts, we recommend creating a shell script to run through cron. This script should securely read your `client_secret` to complete the login, and run a `bwdc sync` command that writes output to `bwdc.log`.
{% comment %}
```
#!/bin/bash
#In order to protect your credentials, this script requires a .p0 file containing the API Key client_secret in base64. Create a temp file with the clear text client_secret and process it using `base64 clearTextFile > .p0`. The .p0 file should be owned and locked down by a unique account (e.g. bwdc) that is only utilized to run this script and Directory Connector. Delete the temp file after creating the .p0 file.
#Additionally, be sure to replace the BW_CLIENTID="..." value with your API Key client_id.
file=.p0
export BW_CLIENTID="organization.jAEFNqJ5-yKqx2-sX3jt-p7Mcw-aLY9qfFXbR69"
export BW_CLIENTSECRET=$(cat $file | base64 -d)
bwdc login
bwdc sync >> bwdc.log
```
{% endcomment %}
### Setup the Cron Job
As the permitted `bwdc` user:
1. Edit the user's crontab file by entering `crontab -e` in the terminal, or as edit the crontab file as any user by entering `crontab -u -e`.
2. Add a line to the crontab that includes:
- A [scheduling expression](#cron-job-scheduling-expressions) that will determine the time/recurrence interval on which to execute the desired command (e.g. `0 0 * * 2` to run every Tuesday at midnight).
- The command to execute at the specified time/recurrence interval. In this case, execute the [previously created sync script](#setup-a-sync-script) (e.g. `bwdcSyncService.sh`):
For example, to run the sync script every Monday at 12:00:
```
# 0 12 * * 1 bwdcSyncService.sh
```
#### Cron Job Scheduling Expressions
Use the following reference when scheduling syncs via cron to ensure you're scheduling them for the desired time:
```
# ┌───────────── minute (0 - 59)
# │ ┌───────────── hour (0 - 23)
# │ │ ┌───────────── day of the month (1 - 31)
# │ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1 - 12)
# │ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of the week (0 - 6) (Sunday to Saturday;
# │ │ │ │ │ 7 is also Sunday on some systems)
# │ │ │ │ │
# │ │ │ │ │
# * * * * *
```
{% callout success %}
If you're not yet comfortable with cron job scheduling expressions, check out [https://crontab.guru/](https://crontab.guru/){:target="\_blank"} for help.
Please note, this is a third-party resource that is not operated or maintained by Bitwarden.
{% endcallout %}
{% endcapture %}
{{ cap_cron | markdownify }}
{% capture cap_ts %}
### Task Scheduler Permissions
When running a task, we recommend doing so as a dedicated Directory Connector user. Create a `bwdc` user if you haven't already.
In order to continue, you will also need your Organization's [API Key]({{site.baseurl}}/article/public-api/#authentication) `client_id` and `client_secret`, which can be obtained by an Organization **Owner** from the Web Vault by navigating to Organization **Settings** → **My Organization**.
### Setup a Sync Script
In order to avoid session timeouts, you'll need to create a script to run as the Task Scheduler Action. This script should securely read your `client_secret` to complete the login, and run a `bwdc sync` command that writes output to `bwdc.log`.
### Create a Task
As the dedicated `bwdc` user:
1. Open Task Scheduler and select **Create Task** from the Actions menu.
2. Configure the task with the following Security options:
- Set the task to use the created `bwdc` user.
- Set the task to **Run whether user is logged on or not**.
3. Select the **Triggers** tab and select the **New...** button to create a trigger that fits your directory sync needs.
{% callout success %}For example, you could create a Weekly Trigger that runs at 8:00 PM every Sunday or every week:
{% image directory-connector/taskscheduler-trigger.png %}{% endcallout %}
4. Select the **Actions** tab and select the **New...** button to create an Action that runs the [created sync script](#setup-a-sync-script).
5. Select **OK** to finish creating the scheduled task.
{% endcapture %}
{{ cap_ts | markdownify }}