Feature Request - Start time on Jobs

[Vitaliy S.]

Hello Barry,

You should be able to achieve that with PowerShell scripts and Windows Scheduler. Thanks.

[rw_ga]

Barry,

I saw a section on the backup job wizard that lets you specify when to allow the jobs to run. I don't recall where I saw that but I think it was on that last page where you specify when the job is to reoccur. I'm not able to check right now, but I think there was a button right out to the side that would allow you to disallow 6PM to 6AM. This would keep the job from running completely after 6pm.

Would that work?
RW

[rw_ga]

We use Veeam for Backup and Recovery. We use a combination of Symantec Backup Exec (transfer Veeam Backups to tape), Symantec System Recovery (backup the BE Media server which is also where Veeam B&R is installed), and the Veeam backup files for disaster recovery.

Backup and Recovery:
I'm using multiple jobs for the different server types in our environment. Most of our Veeam Backup Jobs use the reverse incremental option every 12hours with a weekly or monthly full. For the more critical servers, we setup the jobs to do a full daily and incrementals at 15min, 30min, or whatever. We used the incrementals for these servers because in our environment the reverse incrementals didn't seem to finish when you have such a small backup window (15min).

Disaster Recovery:
We use Backup Exec to transfer the Veeam files over to tape. To transfer the Veeam jobs that use the reverse incrementals, I setup a Full BE job targeting the Veeam folder. I edited the file selection list to exclude the 'vrb' files. (suggested in another post). For the Veeam jobs that used the Daily Full and Incrementals, I setup an Incremental BE job that uses the archive bit option. Then I setup Symantec System Recovery to backup this server that holds all the backup applications and configurations.

I setup 2 post posershell scripts, 1 for the Veeam job (PostVeemJob1.ps1) and 1 for the BE job (PostBEJob1.ps1). I had called tech support for help on this, I was wondering when the full backup job ran. Thanks for the jump start on this! They told me it runs at Midnight. I guess this could hurt a few IT shops if they have too many independent jobs setup to backup individual servers on the same lun, but we don't have the option to change this. Maybe a reason this request could be useful??? Anyway, I played around with the idea to run a script every cycle after the Veeam job completed to check the time, kick off the BE job, and disable the Veeam job. Then I'd have the BE job re-enable the Veeam job after it completes. The only thing concerning me was what if I missed that full backup at MIDNIGHT. Well it appears that if you have a Veeam Backup Job disabled at MIDNIGHT it will run the full backup as soon as it is re-enabled. What a relief. Now if my BE JOBS get backed up in the job queue, then I won't miss the full!!!

PostVeeamJob1.ps1

Code: Select all

#This script is intended to allow a Backup Exec Job to run at a time that will backup/transfer just one set of a daily full and it's incrementals.

#Load the Veeam PowerShell Snap In if it isn't already.
if((Get-PSSnapin -Name VeeamPSSnapIn -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -eq $null){
    Add-PSSnapin "VeeamPSSnapIn"
}

#Defined Static Variables.  You will need to use the correct Job names for 'VeeamBackupJobName' and '-jBackupExecJobName'. Don't leave out the '-j' prefix on the BE job.
$job = Get-VBRJob | where {$_.name -eq "VeeamBackupJobName"}
$BEJob = "-jBackupExecJobName"
$BEPath = "C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec"
$BEBackupCmd = "-o01"
$BEStatusCmd = "-o15"

#Current Time.
$CurrentHour = (Get-Date).Hour
$CurrentMinute = (Get-Date).Minute

#Since this job is run every 15 minutes, I have the script check to see if it is 11PM or later.
If ($CurrentHour -ge 23) {
    If ($CurrentMinute -ge 00) {

	#Manually Launch the Backup Exec Incremental Job.
	& "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BEBackupCmd $BEJob

    #Make Sure the BE Job gets scheduled.
	Do{
	     #Get the Status of the Backup Exec Job.
	     $BEStatus = & "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BEStatusCmd $BEJob
	     $BEStatusCode = $BEStatus[1].split(":")[1].trim(" ")

	     #Put the Script to Sleep for 30 Seconds.
	     Start-Sleep -s 30
	}

    #I need to revisit this next line of code to make sure it should be the 'Until -ne' and not a 'While -eq', but I believe its working.
    Until ($BEStatusCode -ne 18 -or $BEStatusCode -ne 16)

	#Disable Veeam Backup Job.
	$job.DisableScheduler()

    }
}

PostBEJob1.ps1

Code: Select all

#This script is intended to Enable a Veeam Job after the BE job.

#Load the Veeam PowerShell Snap In if it isn't already.
if((Get-PSSnapin -Name VeeamPSSnapIn -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -eq $null){
    Add-PSSnapin "VeeamPSSnapIn"
}

#Defined Static Variables. You will need to use the correct 'VeeamBackupJobName'.
$JobName = "VeeamBackupJobName"
$job = Get-VBRJob | where {$_.name -eq $JobName}

#Enable Veeam Job.
$job.EnableScheduler()

#Make Sure the Veeam Job Gets Enabled.
$ScheduleStatus = $job.Info.IsScheduleEnabled
if($ScheduleStatus -ne "True"){
    Do{
        #Enable Veeam Job.
        $job.EnableScheduler()
     
        #Get the Status of the Veeam Job.
        $ScheduleStatus = $job.Info.IsScheduleEnabled
        
        #Put the Script to Sleep for 30 Seconds.
        Start-Sleep -s 30
    }
  
    #See if the Veeam Job is Enabled.
    Until ($ScheduleStatus -eq "True")
}

If anyone sees something that I should take into consideration, PLEASE let me know.

Thanks,
RW

[rw_ga]

I forgot a line or two in the Do loop. Maybe even more. This is a work in progress. New Script (code edited on the fly) for PostVeeamJob1.ps1

Code: Select all

#This script is intended to allow a Backup Exec Job to run at a time that will backup/transfer just one set of a daily full and it's incrementals.

#Load the Veeam PowerShell Snap In if it isn't already.
if((Get-PSSnapin -Name VeeamPSSnapIn -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -eq $null){
    Add-PSSnapin "VeeamPSSnapIn"
}

#Defined Static Variables.  You will need to use the correct Job names for 'VeeamBackupJobName' and '-jBackupExecJobName'. Don't leave out the '-j' prefix on the BE job.
$job = Get-VBRJob | where {$_.name -eq "VeeamBackupJobName"}
$BEJob = "-jBackupExecJobName"
$BEPath = "C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec"
$BEBackupCmd = "-o01"
$BEStatusCmd = "-o15"

#Current Time.
$CurrentHour = (Get-Date).Hour
$CurrentMinute = (Get-Date).Minute

#Since this job is run every 15 minutes, I have the script check to see if it is 11PM or later.
If ($CurrentHour -ge 23) {
    If ($CurrentMinute -ge 00) {

	#Manually Launch the Backup Exec Incremental Job.
	& "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BECmd $BEJob

    #Make Sure the BE Job gets scheduled.
	Do{
	    #Get the Status of the Backup Exec Job.
	    $BEStatus = & "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BEStatusCmd $BEJob
	    $BEStatusCode = $BEStatus[1].split(":")[1].trim(" ")

            Switch ($BEStatusCode){
                18 {}
                16 {}
                Default {
                    #Manually Launch the Backup Exec Incremental Job.
                    & "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BECmd $BEJob
	    
                    #Get the Status of the Backup Exec Job.
	               $BEStatus = & "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BEStatusCmd $BEJob
	               $BEStatusCode = $BEStatus[1].split(":")[1].trim(" ")

	               #Put the Script to Sleep for 30 Seconds.
	               Start-Sleep -s 30
                }
            }  
    }
    #See if the Backup Exec Job is Scheduled or Running.
    Until ($BEStatusCode -ne 18 -or $BEStatusCode -ne 16)
    }
}
	#Disable Veeam Backup Job.
	$job.DisableScheduler()

RW

[BarryCoombs]

Hello Barry,

You should be able to achieve that with PowerShell scripts and Windows Scheduler. Thanks.

Is that really the only way, we stopped using vranger back in the day to avoid windows scheduler and scripted backups. Is this going to be corrected in v6

[Vitaliy S.]

Barry, have you considered using the scheduling control to disallow hours where you do not want your jobs to run?

[BarryCoombs]

I need the backup to run at every hour on the dot between 6am and 6pm. I am backing up a SQL server so there is a requirement that they are backed up on the hour. I don't believe scheduling control will help me with this?

[Vitaliy S.]

True, scheduling control will not trigger the job at 6 am. Thanks for your feedback anyway.

[ThomasMc]

I need the backup to run at every hour on the dot between 6am and 6pm. I am backing up a SQL server so there is a requirement that they are backed up on the hour. I don't believe scheduling control will help me with this?

You could use something like SQLBackupAndFTP, very cheap and would do a job.

[rw_ga]

I forgot a line or two in the Do loop. Maybe even more. This is a work in progress. New Script (code edited on the fly) for PostVeeamJob1.ps1

Code: Select all

#This script is intended to allow a Backup Exec Job to run at a time that will backup/transfer just one set of a daily full and it's incrementals.

#Load the Veeam PowerShell Snap In if it isn't already.
if((Get-PSSnapin -Name VeeamPSSnapIn -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -eq $null){
    Add-PSSnapin "VeeamPSSnapIn"
}

#Defined Static Variables.  You will need to use the correct Job names for 'VeeamBackupJobName' and '-jBackupExecJobName'. Don't leave out the '-j' prefix on the BE job.
$job = Get-VBRJob | where {$_.name -eq "VeeamBackupJobName"}
$BEJob = "-jBackupExecJobName"
$BEPath = "C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec"
$BEBackupCmd = "-o01"
$BEStatusCmd = "-o15"

#Current Time.
$CurrentHour = (Get-Date).Hour
$CurrentMinute = (Get-Date).Minute

#Since this job is run every 15 minutes, I have the script check to see if it is 11PM or later.
If ($CurrentHour -ge 23) {
    If ($CurrentMinute -ge 00) {

	#Manually Launch the Backup Exec Incremental Job.
	& "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BECmd $BEJob

    #Make Sure the BE Job gets scheduled.
	Do{
	    #Get the Status of the Backup Exec Job.
	    $BEStatus = & "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BEStatusCmd $BEJob
	    $BEStatusCode = $BEStatus[1].split(":")[1].trim(" ")

            Switch ($BEStatusCode){
                18 {}
                16 {}
                Default {
                    #Manually Launch the Backup Exec Incremental Job.
                    & "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BECmd $BEJob
	    
                    #Get the Status of the Backup Exec Job.
	               $BEStatus = & "$BEPath\bemcmd.exe" $BEStatusCmd $BEJob
	               $BEStatusCode = $BEStatus[1].split(":")[1].trim(" ")

	               #Put the Script to Sleep for 30 Seconds.
	               Start-Sleep -s 30
                }
            }  
    }
    #See if the Backup Exec Job is Scheduled or Running.
    Until ($BEStatusCode -ne 18 -or $BEStatusCode -ne 16)
    }
}
	#Disable Veeam Backup Job.
	$job.DisableScheduler()

RW

This needs some mods, I ran into a problem with the way I was checking the time, The only way I know how to try and fix this is to change the two variables into one like so:

#Current Time.
$CurrentTime = Get-Date -format HHmm

#See if it is 11PM or later.
If ($CurrentTime -ge 2300) {

Also, I put a closing bracket } in the wrong place at the bottom of the script. The disable part should be moved up like so:

}
#See if the Backup Exec Job is Scheduled or Running.
Until ($BEStatusCode -ne 18 -or $BEStatusCode -ne 16)

#Disable Veeam Backup Job.
$job.DisableScheduler()
}

Any Powershell Gurus out there that can review these scripts and give them a proper examination.

Thanks,
RW

[rw_ga]

I need the backup to run at every hour on the dot between 6am and 6pm. I am backing up a SQL server so there is a requirement that they are backed up on the hour. I don't believe scheduling control will help me with this?

Barry,

Just out of curiosity, why on the hour every hour and only between 6am to 6pm? Policy???

If you use "1 hr periodically" on the scheduling page, you would get backups every hour, maybe not on the hour, but every hour.

Our SQL servers are backed up every 15min 24/7 with the exception that we don't back them up while the Backup Exec Job is transferring the files over to tape (only an hour or so).

Vitaliy, If Barry used the every hour option with hours disallowed for 6pm to 6am, wouldn't the job kick off at 6am and then run every hour afterward?

RW

[lvh]

[merged]

Hi

Is there no way to change the schedule for replication running every hour so that several jobs don't run at exact the same time. I have three rep. job made that by itself ends up running at at same time every hour causing one of them to fail. Shortly after it's retried and runs without any problems.
Yesterday I tried to recreate the job so execution time was different, but this morning it failed again because it has moved start time to the same as the other jobs again !!

I can't find anywhere to set schedule ..

Thanks in advance
Lars Hoyer

[tsightler]

This would be a nice enhancement, i.e., being able to set a specific replication time for hourly replication, rather than using the current "rolling" schedule or having to drop to scheduling via Windows scheduler (which is frowned on in our environment). Also, the ability to limit the number of simultaneously running jobs would be nice as well so that if you had 5-6 jobs that would overlap, they would only run 2 at a time (or whatever number the administrator selects). Right now we have to attempt to manually schedule our jobs so that they don't overlap but this is very difficult to predict when you're also trying to optimize the backup window to the shortest period of time.

[Gostev]

We are making some architecture improvements in the next release to address that. Simultaneous parallel jobs overlap will be handled in an automated fashion, which we hope should be more robust and manageable approach than coordinating run times manually between dozens of jobs to make sure there is no overlap (or that such overlap has controlled concurrency). Besides, one can never predict how long specific job will run on specific day, so manual scheduling approach simply won't work anyway, because jobs will still be overlapping sometimes depending on environmental conditions. Instead, the v6 engine will adjust to actual conditions by itself, automatically. Thanks!

[ns00h]

How long before these improvements are released?

Currently running 5.0.2.230 and using "Periodically every" with jobs that start at 6am. Now all these jobs run in parallel every hour. So this would be most welcome.

Thanks
Nathan

[foggy]

Nathan, improvements Anton is speaking about will be introduced in the upcoming v6 release which is planned for Q4 2011. Thanks.

[dinger76]

[merged]

Hi,

I've got a backup job that is scheduled to run every 6 hours, unfortunately I cannot see anywhere where I can go through and adjust the time to say what time I wish it to start. The only way I can see at the moment is to manually start the job at the desired time and then after that it will kick in with backing up again 6 hours later.

If there is a way to set the specific time on a job which is scheduled every 6 hours?

Cheers

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Chris, there is no option to do that within the UI, but could you please tell me what is the reason behind this request? Thanks!

[dinger76]

Hi,

Yes, we have a team that request that the backups are performed every 6 hours starting at midday, 6pm, midnight and 6am.

Currently the job I have configured is using the time that I finished creating the job instead of these times. I'd just like to be able to choose a start time for the job and then have it run every 6 hours after that. I'm happy to make changes to the database etc., if need be... the database is centrally located on a separate SQL Server.

Cheers

[Vitaliy S.]

Thanks for clarifying it! In order to achieve what you want you need to launch your job with a PowerShell script using Windows Task Scheduler. Please check out how to do that at our PowerShell sub-forums. Thanks!

[ThomasMc]

You can manipulate the last run date and time to get it in sync(can't use next run because it looks at the last run/created time and adds 6hrs to it even after updating it)

Code: Select all

#### Note this is for Veeam v6 ####
asnp "VeeamPSSnapIn" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

$job = Get-VBRJob -Name "Test Job"
$schl = $job | Get-VBRJobScheduleOptions
$schl.LatestRun = "$(Get-Date -f MM/dd/yyyy) 06:00:00"

Set-VBRJobScheduleOptions -Job $job -Options $schl

you can save this as a ps1 file and just run it before 12pm and your job will start bang on the money

[tsightler]

Thomas, how did I not know that was coming? But wouldn't the job "crawl" as each job starts 6 hours after the last one finished. I always just used a "post-job" script that would set the next scheduled run time.

[ThomasMc]

Good shout Tom, I'll need to look at the pre and post job commands more as that is a grey area to me at the moment, for some reason I thought those got run on the VM you where backing up but thinking about it, that wouldn't make sense(name should have given it away lol) and might be confusing it with some other awesome feature in Veeam

[tsightler]

Well, there are "pre-freeze" and "post-thaw" scripts that can be run in the VM when using VMware tools quiesce, however, there is also a "post-job" script that is run at the end of the job on the Veeam server. Had a customer that wanted to kick off replication jobs every hour, but at very specific intervals. By default you can set a job to start at 12:05PM, and run at one hour intervals, but this job will slowly crawl, with the "next run" being one hour after the previous run ends.

We could have simply scheduled the job with Windows Task Manager, but that gave the disadvantage of having the schedule within Veeam displaying "<Not Scheduled>" and having to know to look elsewhere, which was not ideal. So we wrote a very simple script that would run as a "post-job" script which would simply modify the jobs schedule to run the next hour at the specified interval. I didn't keep the script (probably should have) but it was pretty straightforward.

[ThomasMc]

Excellent info Tom, thanks for that.

[ssimakov]

Chris, "Schedule" button may help you to do what you want. It is designed to define time periods when backup job is allowed to start so in your case you can schedule the job to run every 6 hours with 12am-1am, 6am-7am, 12pm-1pm and 6pm-7pm as permitted start intervals.

[tsightler]

That's an excellent point, for this particular use case that would probably work.

[incognito]

[merged]

I can't see how to make replication due what I need in the GUI. Right now I have it running every 4 hours but I need it to run only at specific times, 3 times a day.

Anyone got ideas for me?

[dellock6]

Not with the GUI, but you can set the job without a schedule and then run it via Powershell, scheduling the script at the desired time.

[lobo519]

[merged]

I would like to see the periodic schedule type also include the ability to run at particualar times throughout the day. Similar to a the Shadow copy schedule.

Example. Replicate at 6:00AM, 10:00AM, 2:00PM, 6:00PM on Monday-Friday

I am currently using an every 4 hours schedule but its annoying if you modifiy the job it resets the Next Run time.