Create Schedule

Create a schedule to automate client protection tasks.

Using client schedules improves data protection by automatically running backups on a regular basis.

Name page

The following settings are shown:

Server

The Operations Center can create client schedules only for servers that are running IBM Spectrum Protect V7.1.1 or later.

Servers that have an earlier software version installed are identified in the list and cannot be selected. For these servers, you can create schedules by using the DEFINE SCHEDULE command.

Type

The Operations Center categorizes clients into the following types:

Applications

The following clients are application clients:

• IBM Spectrum Protect for Enterprise Resource Planning
• IBM Spectrum Protect Snapshot
• IBM Spectrum Protect for Databases
• IBM Spectrum Protect for Mail
• IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments (except for VMware vSphere clients, which are classified as system clients)

A virtual machine that is backed up using application client software that is installed on the virtual machine itself is also classified as an application client.

Virtual Machines

A virtual machine is the individual guest host within a hypervisor. Each virtual machine is represented as a IBM Spectrum Protect file space.

To be classified as a virtual machine, a client must meet the following requirements:

• It is not registered to an IBM Spectrum Protect server as a client.
• It is backed up by an IBM Spectrum Protect client that is installed outside the virtual machine.
  Tip: This separately-installed client, called a data center node, is classified as an application client, even if it is technically a system client.

Systems

All other clients, for example backup-archive and API clients, are classified as system clients.

System clients also include the following items:

• An IBM Spectrum Protect source server in a server-to-server virtual volume configuration
• A virtual machine that is backed up using backup-archive client software that is installed on the virtual machine itself
• VMware vSphere clients

Service page

The following settings are shown:

Type of backup

Depending on the type of client that you select, you can use the wizard to schedule the following operations:

Full backup (shown only for virtual machine clients)

All eligible data is copied, regardless of whether it has changed since the last backup.

Incremental backup

After an initial full backup, only data that is new or has changed since the last backup is copied.

Archive (shown only for system clients)

An archive backup copies data for long-term retention.

You can enter a maximum of twenty file spaces, directories, or logical volumes in the "File specification" field. Insert a blank space between each file specification.

If a file specification contains blank characters (spaces), enclose it in quotation marks and then surround the quotation marks with single quotation marks.

If file specification contains multiple file names, enclose each file name in quotation marks and then surround the entire string with one pair of single quotation marks.

For example, to specify C:\FILE 2 and D:\GIF FILES on a Windows system, enter: '"C:\FILE 2" "D:\GIF FILES"'

To specify /home/test file on a UNIX system, enter: '"/home/test file"'

For more information, search for file specification in the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Tip: If you select the option to run weekly full and daily incremental backups for an application client, the wizard creates two schedules. The terms FULL and INCR are appended to the schedule names.

Script file (shown only for application clients)

Specifies the script file that is used to process the backup. Enter the name of a script file that exists on the client system, including the .scr or .cmd file extension.

If the script file is located in the default working directory of the client, enter the file name. Otherwise, enter a fully-qualified file path.

In most cases, the suggested script file name corresponds to a sample file that is shipped with the client. You must modify this sample file before it can be used.

For more information, see the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Virtual machines to exclude (shown only for Hyper-V schedules)

Specifies the client node names of one or more virtual machines. If you do not enter any names, all eligible virtual machines are included in the schedule. Use commas with no spaces to separate multiple names.

Time page

The following settings are shown:

Repeats (shown only for virtual machines)

Specifies how often the scheduled operation runs. For example, you can select the following options:

First day of the week

The scheduled operation runs every Sunday.

Last day of the week

The scheduled operation runs every Saturday.

First day of the quarter

The scheduled operation runs on the first day of the first month of every quarter.

Last day of the quarter

The scheduled operation runs on the last day of the last month of every quarter.

Start time

Specifies when the start window begins. The scheduled operation can start at any time within the start window.

Anticipated clients (not shown for virtual machines)

Specifies the number of clients that are expected to use the schedule.

This value is used to set an appropriate start window for the schedule. The start window is the time period during which the scheduled operation must start.

Tip: The start window does not limit how long the scheduled operation can run.

You can select one of the following client ranges:

• 10 or fewer: 15-minute start window
• 11 - 49: 1-hour start window
• 50 or more: 2-hour start window

To complete all scheduled operations on time, you might need to further adjust the settings. To change the start window, use the Duration parameter of the UPDATE SCHEDULE command.

You can also specify how scheduled operations are managed within the start window:

• If you use the client-polling schedule mode, use the SET RANDOMIZE command.
• If you use the server-prompted schedule mode, use the SET MAXSESSIONS command.

For more information, see the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Run time alert

If the scheduled operation exceeds the specified time, the IBM Spectrum Protect server issues a warning message. By default, this message generates an alert.

This setting does not stop a scheduled operation from running to completion.

For more information about managing client schedules and using IBM Spectrum Protect commands, see the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.