how to randomize rep jobs beyond an hour?

[pesos]

Hi, we have a number of file server replication jobs. We want these to replicate every 4 hours. The problem is the randomizing option in the scheduler only allows you to randomize it within one hour... i.e. we have 4 jobs and they are all set to run every 4 hours - then in the randomizer i can use it to get them scheduled for 8pm, 815pm, 830pm, 845pm... but I would prefer to have them offset more... so it would be more like 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm to mazimize separation and minimize overlap. How can we accomplish this? Thanks!

[Brad.Barker]

Hey John! You are able to do this by controlling the "Periodic" schedule option you've been using, but by tweaking things just a little bit. In the Periodic scheduling pop-up, you'll have 'blocks' of times that the job will run. You and block out specific hours that the job won't start, and by doing so, you'll create a offset schedule. So for job one, you would uncheck all times, and then enable it just the 1 hour block that you want it to start. Note that this does not limit the jobs to only being able to run during that 1 hour time frame. This just limits the specific hours of the day that the job can start.

This link is for backup jobs, but the same concept is relevant for the replication jobs: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbr/u ... tml?ver=13

Please let us know if you have any other questions!

[pesos]

Perfect, thank you Brad. I misunderstood and thought that the blocks of times were blocks that the job would not run at all - not that it just would not start. Will try this.

[pesos]

Hi Brad, unfortunately this doesn't appear to be working as you indicate. I went ahead and adjusted one of the jobs to only have the 5pm hour shaded as enabled and the other 23 hours disabled. This did set the job in question to next run at 5:15pm, as desired. So I let it run, and it completed, and unfortunately it is now saying the next schedule run is tomorrow at 5:15pm... so the shaded/enabled timeframes *do* appear to control not just the start time but whether or not a job can actually run. So I went ahead and shaded in the 9pm hour as well and the next scheduled run is now showing 9:15pm. So I guess I will have to go through each job and manually shade in each hour 4 hours apart in order to force them to stagger as desired. So doable, but kind of a PITA...

[pesos]

p.s. in looking closer at the URL you linked to, the graphic at the bottom does seem to indicate that the behavior I'm seeing is by design, and that disabled really does mean "fully disabled/won't run" and not just "won't start"

[Brad.Barker]

I did link the terminate job window that can terminate job and block running. That options is the check box at the bottom of the scheduling section and blocks backups during the time frame. Uncheck that.

The periodic schedule option would have the "schedule" button that you would have configure the 15 minute offset. Here you can deselect the hours you don't want it to run. This should just be the control on when it can and cannot start.

[pesos]

Thanks Brad - I have never had the "terminate job window" checked... I was only referring to the window that comes up when clicking "schedule" and it has the effects I noted... as mentioned if I set the 5pm hour to Permitted and all other hours to Denied, the job only schedules to run each day at 5:15pm (as I have a 15 minute offset configured). In order to get the desired effect (to run every 4 hours) I had to shade in Permitted for the 9pm hour, 1am hour, 5am hour, 9am hour, and 1pm hour as well.

For example just now as a further test, having things configured as I mentioned above and the job next scheduled to run at 9:15am, I went ahead and unshaded (set to Denied) the 9am hour and the next scheduled run altered itself from 9:15am to 1:15pm...

[Brad.Barker]

Hey John! That sounds like what I was advising of with the recommendation. You have to have each 1 hour interval set that you want it to run. So if you want it to run at 9 am, 1 pm and 5 pm for example, you have each of those hours selected and it should just start in those hours (at 9:15, 1:15, and 5:15 if you have the off set scheduled).

[pesos]

Thanks Brad. Yep just a misunderstanding I think. I read you saying it would start at 5:15pm and then run every 4 hours afterward (without those subsequent hours having to be selected). But of course those hours do need to be selected (just a misunderstanding with "run" vs "start"). All set, thanks!