The Event Scheduler service can easily automate many hardware systems-management tasks. Use the Event Scheduler to create scheduled events, execute these events automatically on multiple remote systems or entire system groups, and maintain detailed logs of the results of these scheduled events. You can also edit or delete previously created scheduled events as necessary.
With Event Scheduler, you can create scheduled events that will automatically perform one of the following tasks on one or more individual systems, or even on entire system groups:
A scheduled event can be configured to execute repeatedly at a specified time interval (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly) for fully automated systems-management functions (such as simplified hardware inventorying), or can be executed once only for special situations (such as data collection and distribution or System Partition updating). Finally, Event Scheduler maintains a detailed log of all scheduled event results, so you can verify that your automated tasks were executed correctly.
Use Event Scheduler to perform any of the following actions:
To create a new scheduled event:
The New Event screen is displayed for specific task information can be entered.
The following tasks can be scheduled for a "one-time" or recurring time interval.
Note: There is no task-specific help for the Scrub All Raid Drives task.
The Date and Time field schedule frequency settings group contains six radio buttons, each of which determines the time interval between executions of the scheduled event.
The available selections are:
The schedule Date and Time field group contains fields that enable you to set date- and time-specific information as well as schedule frequency that determines the dates and times at which the scheduled event will be executed. Each field offers a wildcard value, marked with an asterisk (*). If you select this value, the Schedule Date and Time information is created for you, based on the current date and time.
Note: The name of the scheduled event you have just finished configuring now appears in the Scheduler List of Events.
Use the Command Line Interface (CLI) Service to execute the selected Netfinity command line on one or more remote systems. To configure the CLI action type in the CLI executable name and parameters in the designated fields.
Do NOT include the Network path /N target option in the CLI parameters. This will be provided by the Event Scheduler for each system the CLI is run on.
Enter the file name to be saved in the Save as File Name field.
This option is not currently supported under the web, although the option shows due to the dynamic nature of the Event Scheduler service.
Use this task-specific screen to configure a scheduled event that will transfer an individual file, an individual directory, or entire directory trees between the local managing system and all selected remote systems. You can also use this window to configure a scheduled event to delete specific local or remote files.
Attention: DOS does not support path names of more than 63 characters. If you will be using File Transfer to transfer nested directories to a system running Netfinity Manager for Windows or Windows Client Services for Netfinity, be sure that the complete path name does not exceed the maximum 63-character length. If the total length of the path name exceeds 63 characters, some nested subdirectories and the files they contain will be lost.
To configure your File Transfer scheduled event:
The fields that are active in the File Transfer task-specific window depend on which Action button you select. Available Actions are:
Select Copy File to create a scheduled event that will automatically transfer a specific file to or from the local system.
Select Copy Single Directory to create a scheduled event that will automatically transfer a specific directory to or from the local system.
Select Copy Nested Directory to create a scheduled event that will automatically transfer a specific directory and all of its subdirectories to or from the local system.
Select Delete Remote File to create a scheduled event that will automatically delete a specific file from remote systems.
If you are transferring a file or directory, select a Copy Direction (Copy Local to Remote or Copy Remote to Local). If you are deleting a file, you do not need to select a Copy Direction.
Enter information regarding the source of the file to be transferred and the target area to which the file will be transferred. If you are deleting a file, you will only need to enter information regarding the location of the file to be deleted.
Use this task-specific window to create a scheduled event that will automatically execute a specific command on one or more remote systems.
To configure your Remote Session scheduled event:
Use the Service Configuration task to use Service Configuration Files (SCF files) created using Service Configuration Manager to update or replace the configuration used by specific Netfinity services.
To configure your Service Configuration scheduled event:
The name you type in must be a filename that appears in the SCF subdirectory of your Netfinity installation directory, and the filename must match exactly, including the file's extension. For example, an SCF file named ALERT.SCF must be entered in the field as ALERT.SCF. If you type just ALERT, the service configuration update will fail.
Service Configuration events can apply changes specified in SCF files in one of two ways:
Select Overwrite Existing Configuration if you want to completely replace the service-specific configuration on each remote system with the configuration defined in the specified SCF file.
Select Add to Existing Configuration to append any configuration records that appear in the SCF file to the service conifguration that already exists on the remote system.
Use the Software Inventory task to create a scheduled event that will gather data about software installed on one or more remote systems. Once collected, this information can be exported to a file and used to generate a variety of reports.
To continue configuring your Software Inventory scheduled event:
You can select up to seven Output Options:
Select this option to create a report of all software products detected on each remote system. This report is then stored in a specified directory on your local system.
To generate a Software Inventory report for each system:
Note: The report for each system from which information is gathered will have a different and distinct file name. This file name is generated by taking the first four letters of the system's System Name and then applying a mathematical algorithm to the entire System Name to generate a four digit alphanumeric string. These two parts are then combined to create the file name.
For example, a report file created by a Generate System Reports scheduled event for a system named USER1 will always be named USER11BN.RPT. This ensures that similarly named systems will not generate identically named reports, and that each system will generate the same report name each time the scheduled event is executed.
Select Generate Summary Report by Product Name to create a report that contains a summary of all software products found on all selected remote systems. This report will feature information on all distinct Product Names that are found by Software Inventory.
To generate a Summary Report by Product Name:
Select Generate Summary Report by Product Version to create a report that contains a summary of all software products found on all selected remote systems. This report will feature information on all distinct Product Versions of distinct Product Names that are found by Software Inventory.
To generate a Summary Report by Product Version:
Select Generate Summary Report by Product Revision to create a report that contains a summary of all software products found on all selected remote systems. This report will feature information on all distinct Revisions of distinct Versions of distinct Product Names that are found by Software Inventory.
To generate a Summary Report by Product Revision:
Select Update NetView DM Inventory to update the NetView DM inventory files of any selected remote system that is running NetView DM. If the remote system is running NetView DM, Software Manager will scan the currently loaded dictionary file for any product definitions that include an NetView DM Change Object and add them to the NetView DM software inventory import file (FNDSWINV). The location token information will be written into the NetView DM agent software base path into a file called FNDTKINV.
This enables a user-written exit routine to then invoke the appropriate NetView DM INV and NetView DM UPDTG commands to move the data in this import file into that workstation's NetView DM software change history database.
Use the System Startup/Shutdown task to restart, shutdown, power up, or wake wake-on-LAN systems remotely.
The following System Startup/Shutdown Options are available.
This option attempts to restart any systems you specify, exactly as if you had selected Restart System in Remote System Manager. This action will only complete successfully if you have access to the remote system's Security Manager service.
This option attempts to shutdown the operating system of any systems you specify. This action will only complete successfully if the remote system is running Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51 or later, or NetWare and if you have access to the remote system's Security Manager service.
This option attempts to wake all specified systems that are enabled to support Wake-on-LAN.
This option attempts to power down all specified systems. This feature will only complete successfully on systems running Windows 95 that have Advanced Power Management enabled and on which you have access to the Security Manager service.
Continue configuring the scheduled event.
Use this action to create a scheduled event that will collect system hardware information from one or more remote systems. Once collected, this information can be saved as a history file and viewed later, printed to a printer, or saved to a file.
You can use this action to do one of the following actions for each selected system:
To configure the System Information scheduled event to create a history file for each system on which it is executed:
Note: The history file for each system from which information is gathered will have a different file name. This file name is generated by taking the first four letters of the system's System Name and then applying a mathematical algorithm to the entire System Name to generate a four digit alphanumeric string. These two parts are then combined to create the file name.
For example, a history file created by a Create History File scheduled event for a system named USER1 will always be named USER11BN.HST. This ensures that similarly named systems will not generate identically named history files, and that each system will generate the same file name each time the scheduled event is executed.
To configure the System Information scheduled event to print output for each system on which it is executed:
If you select To File, type in the Print File Directory field the complete path of the directory in which generated print files will be stored.
Note: The print file for each system from which information is gathered will have a different and distinct file name. This file name is generated by taking the first four letters of the system's System Name and then applying a mathematical algorithm to the entire System Name to generate a four digit alphanumeric string. These two parts are then combined to create the file name.
For example, a print file created by a Print Output To File scheduled event for a system named USER1 will always be named USER11BN.RPT. This ensures that similarly named systems will not generate identically named print files, and that each system will generate the same file name each time the scheduled event is executed.
Use the System Partition Access task to configure a scheduled event that will automatically update, back up, or delete specific files and directories from the the System Partitions of all selected systems.
You can configure a scheduled event to perform any one of the following actions:
Select Delete Partition File to erase a specific file from the System Partition of each selected system.
Select Partition Backup to create a backup image of the System Partition of each remote selected system.
Select Partition Restore to restore the System Partition of each remote selected system. The backup image is restored from an image located on the local system.
Select Copy To Partition to copy a specific file from the local system to the System Partition of all remote selected systems.
Select Copy From Partition to copy a specific file from the System Partition of all remote selected systems. The file is copied to a drive and directory located on the local system.
Select the Delete Partition File Action to erase a specific file from the System Partition of each remote selected system.
To configure a Delete Partition File Action:
Select Partition Backup to create a backup image of the System Partition of each remote selected system.
To configure a Partition Backup Action:
There are two Backup/Restore Filename options to choose from:
Note: If you selected System Generated, the System Partition Access task will create a system-specific file name for each system on which the scheduled event is performed. This file name is created by using the first four letters of a remote system's System Name, and then applying a mathematical algorithm to the entire System Name to generate a four digit alphanumeric string. These two parts are then combined to form a file name for the image.
For example, a System Partition backup image file of a system named USER1 created by a Partition Backup scheduled event using the System Generated Filename option will always be named USER11BN.IMG. This ensures that similarly named systems will not generate identically named partition backup images files, and that each system will generate the same file name (or restore the same image) each time the scheduled event is executed.
Select Partition Restore to restore the System Partition of each remote selected system. The backup image is restored from a specified image located on the local system.
To configure a Partition Restore Action:
There are two Backup/Restore Filename options to choose from:
Note: If you selected System Generated, the System Partition Access task will create a system-specific file name for each system on which the scheduled event is performed. This file name is created by using the first four letters of a remote system's System Name, and then applying a mathematical algorithm to the entire System Name to generate a four digit alphanumeric string. These two parts are then combined to form a file name for the image.
For example, a System Partition backup image file of a system named USER1 created by a Partition Backup scheduled event using the System Generated Filename option will always be named USER11BN.IMG. This ensures that similarly named systems will not generate identically named partition backup images files, and that each system will generate the same file name (or restore the same image) each time the scheduled event is executed.
If you have previously created System Partition images using the System Generated Backup/Restore Filename option, you should select System Generated when restoring these System Partitions.
Select Copy To Partition to copy a specific file from the local system to the System Partition of all remote selected systems.
To configure a Copy To Partition Action:
Select Copy From Partition to copy a specific file from the System Partition of all remote selected systems to a specified drive and directory on the local system.
To configure a Copy From Partition Action:
To delete a previously configured scheduled event:
After confirmation, the scheduled event(s) are deleted.
To edit/view a previously created scheduled event:
The Event Edit/View screen contains information specific to the selected scheduled event (including name, task to be performed, systems on which the task will be performed, and when the event will be performed again).
The View Event Details screen displays an itemized status for each machine scheduled for the task.
To view status summary results for the most current execution of a scheduled event:
Note: The Last Status field entries on the Event Scheduler screen represent the collective status of the scheduled event for all the machines scheduled for the task.
The View Event Details screen is displays an itemized status for each machine scheduled for the task.The Last Status field shows whether the task failed on a machine, was submitted to the machine, or the machine was off-line at the time the event was executed. If the task was scheduled with the Retry for offline systems option, this status will include the Retry status for machines that have beem off-line since the schedule was executed.
To enable/disable the retry of the scheduled event for the systems currently off-line:
To discard your changes:
Select Cancel to discard your field updates and return to the Event Scheduler screen.
If other Netfinity Managers have access to your Event Scheduler service, they can create, edit, and delete scheduled events on your system remotely. This could cause changes to the Scheduled Event list that would not ordinarily appear until the Event Scheduler Service window was closed and reopened.
Select Refresh from the Event Scheduler screen Scheduler Service window to update the Scheduled List of Events list immediately.
The Scheduler Log contains a record of all actions taken by the Event Scheduler service, including the name of any scheduled event, the name of the Netfinity service that was used to execute the scheduled event, the date and time at which the event was executed, the name of each system on which the event was executed, and the results (success or failure) of the scheduled event on each system.
To view the Scheduler Log:
The Event Logfile screen is displayed with the Event Scheduler log details for each scheduler task that has been executed.
To erase the contents of the log:
Select Clear Log to erase the contents of the log file.
To update the contents of the Scheduler Log while you are viewing it:
Select Refresh.
To close the Scheduler Log window and return to the Event Scheduler screen:
Select Return to Scheduler.
To exit the Event Scheduler service, select the "Netfinity" image on the top or bottom of the Event Scheduler service to return to the Netfinity services screen.