batch

Execute commands interactively

$ batch

$ echo "./backup.sh" | batch

batch [OPTIONS]

batch executes commands when system load levels permit. Unlike at, batch queues jobs to run when the system load average drops below a threshold (typically 1.5), making it useful for running non-urgent tasks.

Commands are read from standard input. Press Ctrl+D to end input when entering commands interactively.

The atd daemon must be running for batch to work. Results are sent to the user's mail. The load average threshold can be configured when starting atd.

batch is part of the at package, providing job scheduling utilities for Unix systems.

at(1), atq(1), atrm(1)