# Understanding scheduled tasks

The ServeRAID Manager Task Scheduler allows you to run lengthy operations at a convenient time, such as a logical drive migration or synchronizing a logical drive. All schedulable tasks work the same way: To schedule a migration, for example, you perform the standard set of steps; then, in the last step, you can choose to run the task immediately or to schedule it for another time.

You can run the task at the given date and time or make it a recurring task. If the task is recurring, it runs on a regular basis according to the interval you choose: the same time each day, the same time each week, or the same time each month. Not all tasks can be recurring tasks. For example, a logical drive migration cannot be a recurring task.

The Task Manager is a tool that you can use to manage scheduled tasks. It allows you to:

- Modify a task's schedule
- Delete a scheduled task
- View task properties

## Start time validation

When you schedule a task, it executes on the agent machine which may be a remote machine in a different time zone. To prevent scheduling problems due to time differences between the agent and client machines, the Task Scheduler performs the following checks:

- To accommodate differences in times zones, you can schedule a task up to 23 hours in the past, pending approval by the agent.
- If the agent determines that the task is scheduled in the past (based on the local time on the agent machine), it will reject the task and you will be prompted to select a different date and time.

## Missed start times

If a non-recurring task misses its start time, the Task Manager flags it with an error. You must modify the task schedule if you want to run it at another time.

If a recurring task misses its start time, it is rescheduled to run at the next scheduled interval. Example: a recurring task runs every Monday at 1:00 AM. The agent machine is powered off at that time. When you restart the agent machine, the missed task is rescheduled to run the following Monday at 1:00 AM.

Note: To accommodate temporary or brief interruptions on the agent machine, each task has a 30-minute grace period built into its start time. Example: a task is scheduled to run at 10:00 PM. A power outage lasts 20 minutes, from 9:55 PM to 10:15 PM. The task runs at 10:15 PM.

## Error conditions

When a scheduled task does not run successfully, the Task Manager displays an error icon and updates the "Status" column with an Error. If a task misses its start time, it is flagged with a warning error condition. You must reschedule the task to clear the error. If the error is non-recoverable it is considered critical. You must delete the task from the Task Manager; to reschedule it, you must create a new task. To see details about the error, use View task properties; examine the Error Description field for a description of what went wrong and what caused the task to fail.

## More information

- Synchronize logical drives (action)
- Understanding logical drive migration
- Using the Task Manager
- Starting the Task Manager
- Deleting a scheduled task
- Modifying a scheduled task
- Viewing task properties
- Using the ServeRAID Manager agent

Glossary | Contents

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