diff --git a/lib/puppet/parser/functions/assert_empty_hash.rb b/lib/puppet/parser/functions/assert_empty_hash.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb90c2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/puppet/parser/functions/assert_empty_hash.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+module Puppet::Parser::Functions
+newfunction(:assert_empty_hash, :type => :rvalue, :doc => <<-EOS
+This function checks an input struct for undefined hashes in key => hash and assigns {}. This is only a helper function to make a hash.each work if one of the values is undefined
+EOS
+)do |args|
+   fail "Must receive one argument." if args.empty?
+   args.each do |arg|
+     h = Hash.new
+     arg.each_pair do |host, hash|
+       unless hash.is_a? Hash
+         hash = {}
+       end
+       h[host] = hash
+     end
+     return h
+   end
+ end
+end
diff --git a/lib/puppet/parser/functions/rand_from_array.rb b/lib/puppet/parser/functions/rand_from_array.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..416c463
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/puppet/parser/functions/rand_from_array.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+module Puppet::Parser::Functions
+newfunction(:rand_from_array, :type => :rvalue, :doc => <<-EOS
+This function takes either an int or an array as input and returns the int or a
+random element from the array
+EOS
+)do |args|
+  fail "Must receive two argument." if args.empty?
+#++ this works if the input is an array
+  #  return args.sample
+# +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+#  args.flatten!
+  params = []
+  params << args[0]
+  params.flatten!
+  arr = []
+  salt = args[1].sum % 60
+  rnd = Random.new(salt)
+#  rnd = Random.new()
+  params.each do |key|
+    if key.is_a?(String) and key =~ /\d\.\.\d/
+      k = key.split('..')
+      r = Range.new(k[0],k[1]).to_a
+      arr << r
+      arr.flatten!
+    elsif key.is_a?(String)
+      arr << key
+      arr.flatten!
+    elsif key.is_a?(Integer)
+      arr << key.to_s
+      arr.flatten!
+    end
+  end
+  last_i = arr.length - 1
+  return arr[rnd.rand(0..last_i)]
+
+end
+end
diff --git a/manifests/config.pp b/manifests/config.pp
index 79586b5..a9b8672 100644
--- a/manifests/config.pp
+++ b/manifests/config.pp
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ class rsnapshot::config (
     ensure => 'directory',
   }
 
-  #$foo = ['1', '2', '3', '20..21']
   #  $foo='*/5'
   #$qax = rand_from_array($foo)
   #notice("QAX is $qax ")
@@ -34,6 +33,7 @@ class rsnapshot::config (
     $snapshot_root          = pick($hash['snapshot_root'], $rsnapshot::params::config_snapshot_root)
     $backup_user            = pick($hash['backup_user'], $rsnapshot::params::config_backup_user)
     $default_backup_dirs    = pick($rsnapshot::default_backup, $rsnapshot::params::config_default_backup)
+    $backup_levels          = pick($hash['backup_levels'], $rsnapshot::params::config_backup_levels, 'weekly')
     $backup                 = $hash['backup']
     $backup_defaults        = pick($hash['backup_defaults'], $rsnapshot::params::config_backup_defaults)
     $cmd_cp                 = pick($hash['cmd_cp'], $rsnapshot::params::config_cmd_cp)
@@ -114,6 +114,37 @@ class rsnapshot::config (
     file { $config:
       content => template('rsnapshot/rsnapshot.erb')
     }
+
+
+    ########################### CRON ####################################################
+    #30 1 * * *     /usr/bin/rsnapshot -c /etc/rsnapshot/cmweb1.rsnapshot.conf daily 
+    #15 1 * * 0     /usr/bin/rsnapshot -c /etc/rsnapshot/cmweb1.rsnapshot.conf weekly 
+    #    00 1 1 * *     /usr/bin/rsnapshot -c /etc/rsnapshot/cmweb1.rsnapshot.conf monthly
+    $cronfile = "/tmp/rsnapshot.d/cron/${host}"
+    $cron     = pick_default($hash['cron'], $rsnapshot::params::cron, 'absent')
+
+    concat { "${cronfile}":
+      #      replace => false,
+    }
+
+    $backup_levels.each |String $level| {
+    # allow to globally override ranges, create random numbers for backup_levels daily, weekly, monthly
+      $c_min      = pick($cron['minute'],   $rsnapshot::params::cron['minute'],   '*')
+      $c_hour     = pick($cron['hour'],   $rsnapshot::params::cron['hour'],   '*')
+      $c_monthday = pick($cron['monthday'],   $rsnapshot::params::cron['monthday'],   '*')
+      $c_month    = pick($cron['month'],   $rsnapshot::params::cron['month'],   '*')
+      $c_weekday  = pick($cron['weekday'],   $rsnapshot::params::cron['weekday'],   '*')
+
+      $minute     = rand_from_array($c_min, "${host}.${level}")
+      $hour       = rand_from_array($c_hour, "${host}.${level}")
+      $monthday   = rand_from_array($c_monthday, "${host}.${level}")
+      $month      = rand_from_array($c_month, "${host}.${level}")
+      $weekday    = rand_from_array($c_weekday, "${host}.${level}")
+      concat::fragment { "${host}.${level}":
+        target  => "${cronfile}",
+        content => template('rsnapshot/cron.erb'),
+      }
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/manifests/cron.pp b/manifests/cron.pp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b2a868
--- /dev/null
+++ b/manifests/cron.pp
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# this class sets up cron
+# * todo
+# let the user specify a range of hours and randomize cron creation in this range use rand for #args and return arg[rand]
+
+class rsnapshot::cron {
+   
+}
diff --git a/manifests/params.pp b/manifests/params.pp
index 72e5507..f63bc41 100644
--- a/manifests/params.pp
+++ b/manifests/params.pp
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ class rsnapshot::params {
   $config_backup_user                   = 'root'
   $package_name                  = 'rsnapshot'
   $package_ensure                = 'present'
+  $config_backup_levels          = [ 'daily', 'weekly', ]
   $config_backup_defaults        = true
   $config_version                = '1.2'
   $config_cmd_cp                 = '/bin/cp'
@@ -60,5 +61,11 @@ class rsnapshot::params {
   }
   $config_backup_scripts         = {}
 
+  $cron                          = {
+    'minute'   => ['0..20'],
+    'hour'     => ['21..23','0..4','5'],
+    'monthday' => '*',
+    'month'    => '*',
+    'weekday'  => '*',
+  }
 }
-
diff --git a/templates/cron.erb b/templates/cron.erb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd764e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/cron.erb
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<%= @minute %> <%= @hour %> <%= @monthday %> <%= @weekday %>  root      /usr/bin/rsnapshot -c <%= @config %> <%= @level %>