Hi,
I just upgraded to Vista and am trying figure out how things work now. I have re-installed AISBackup and re-created the jobs I used to have in Windows XP.
Using AISBackup 2.4.0.303
Microsoft Vista Media Center Edition (Build 6000) aka Vista Ultimate
I have a job that is a one-way disk-to-disk copy. The source is a CIFS/SMB share on a machine on the other side of a VPN. I have the job setup so that it connects the VPN before beginning the copy, and this works correctly when run interactively.
So, I want to run this job automatically every night. I set it up with "Auto Run this Copy Job" in the "Manage Backup" menu, providing my user name and password. The job never auto-runs, but never complains about something failing either. I've tried redoing the scheduled task several times, and have no problems with my other AISBackup scheduled tasks.
In the Control Panel -> Schedule Tasks section, the strange thing is that the command line for the scheduled task does not specify any job name. My other scheduled jobs looks like: AISBackup.exe JobA | (with the trailing pipe character), but the disk-to-disk job only has the trailing |.
The only other thing I can think of is that this job name is the only one with spaces in it, e.g. "My Copy Job" rather than "MyCopyJob". Don't know if that matters or not.
Any suggestions?
Problem with scheduled disk to disk job
Auto run set-up: Vista copy job.
Using AISBackup version 2.4 (build 303) on Windows Vista I set-up a simple copy job called “My Copy Job” and create a task via Manage Backup / Auto Run This Copy Job okay.
I also did this via the Tools / Auto running AISBackup where the actual command line is displayed as it is built. The run time parameter was correctly created as “My Copy Job|” so I cannot figure what is going wrong with yours?
Please try creating the same Job with Tools / Auto running AISBackup and let me know if the command line is constructed correctly.
Barry
I also did this via the Tools / Auto running AISBackup where the actual command line is displayed as it is built. The run time parameter was correctly created as “My Copy Job|” so I cannot figure what is going wrong with yours?
Please try creating the same Job with Tools / Auto running AISBackup and let me know if the command line is constructed correctly.
Barry
Well, I was unable to delete the job from within AISBackup, but I was able to delete it from the Windows scheduled tasks control panel. After recreating the job, it was no longer missing the job name on the command line.
Still, the job is not running as scheduled.
One thing I noticed that may or may not matter: when I run the job interactively from within the GUI, actually pressing "Run Copy", the VPN connects, then I get a dialog that states: "Unavailable network connection. Network shared not connected: \\server\share\.
After I press Ok though, it starts to copy from the unavailable connection and completes successfully. Could that prevent the scheduled job from finishing?
Still, the job is not running as scheduled.
One thing I noticed that may or may not matter: when I run the job interactively from within the GUI, actually pressing "Run Copy", the VPN connects, then I get a dialog that states: "Unavailable network connection. Network shared not connected: \\server\share\.
After I press Ok though, it starts to copy from the unavailable connection and completes successfully. Could that prevent the scheduled job from finishing?
Scheduled job
The VPN should not prevent the schedule from starting as this is a Windows thing and not VPN, however, the VPN problem may cause the job to fail after it has started.
Can you try a new copy job based on the VPN job to a test folder on the local PC, maybe remove a few files if there are a lot of them.
Basically the scheduler is independent of AISBackup.
The AISBackup VPN parameters are for the current user, if the job is run under a different user then AISBackup must be set-up to run under this user first.
No password is required if you choose to run the job under the current logged on user, but if the user is logged off the job will not start.
A password is required if the job is to be run 'properly' unattended, but then messages such as the VPN error / warning may cause a problem.
If you can set-up a VPN for me and e-mail me the username / password I will try a small scheduled backup from Vista.
Barry
Can you try a new copy job based on the VPN job to a test folder on the local PC, maybe remove a few files if there are a lot of them.
Basically the scheduler is independent of AISBackup.
The AISBackup VPN parameters are for the current user, if the job is run under a different user then AISBackup must be set-up to run under this user first.
No password is required if you choose to run the job under the current logged on user, but if the user is logged off the job will not start.
A password is required if the job is to be run 'properly' unattended, but then messages such as the VPN error / warning may cause a problem.
If you can set-up a VPN for me and e-mail me the username / password I will try a small scheduled backup from Vista.
Barry
I've not had much time to work on this recently, but I did want to note a few things.
First, I think I have user names and passwords in all the correct places. Both the scheduled job and the VPN have login information. I'm logged in when the jobs are scheduled to run in any case.
Second, when running the copy job directly from AISBackup, if I wait a few moments after the VPN connects but before clicking "Yes" (to say I really want to run the job), I don't get the network share unavailable error. It's like the connection isn't really quite ready and just waiting a few seconds gets it there.
Still don't know if this is a red herring in explaining why the job fails to run automatically.
I'll play around with this some more when I have time.
Jeremy
First, I think I have user names and passwords in all the correct places. Both the scheduled job and the VPN have login information. I'm logged in when the jobs are scheduled to run in any case.
Second, when running the copy job directly from AISBackup, if I wait a few moments after the VPN connects but before clicking "Yes" (to say I really want to run the job), I don't get the network share unavailable error. It's like the connection isn't really quite ready and just waiting a few seconds gets it there.
Still don't know if this is a red herring in explaining why the job fails to run automatically.
I'll play around with this some more when I have time.
Jeremy
Problem with scheduled disk to disk job
Hi Jeremy,
I suggest that you have answered your query yourself: i.e. remove the spaces in it, e.g. "MyCopyJob" rather than "My Copy Job"
I suggest that you have answered your query yourself: i.e. remove the spaces in it, e.g. "MyCopyJob" rather than "My Copy Job"
Hi,
I tried removing the spaces, but it did not seem to help.
Further experimentation seems to suggest (at least to my limited ability to peek into the process) that AISBackup is showing the "Click YES to Confirm disk copy" dialog a little too early. Here's what I mean by that.
I opened up AISBackup and Vista's Network and Internet -> Network Connections tab so I can view both simultaneously. I can see the VPN connection is disconnected. Then I click on Run Copy in AISBackup. The confirmation dialog comes up rather quickly, but the VPN connection still has a status of "Connecting..." If I wait for that Connecting... status to transition to connected before pressing the Yes button, the job works fine. If not, I get a "not found" type error.
Is there is some way I could insert an artificial pause after initiating the VPN but before the job actually starts to copy so that I could try this theory in the scheduled job?
Thanks!
Jeremy
I tried removing the spaces, but it did not seem to help.
Further experimentation seems to suggest (at least to my limited ability to peek into the process) that AISBackup is showing the "Click YES to Confirm disk copy" dialog a little too early. Here's what I mean by that.
I opened up AISBackup and Vista's Network and Internet -> Network Connections tab so I can view both simultaneously. I can see the VPN connection is disconnected. Then I click on Run Copy in AISBackup. The confirmation dialog comes up rather quickly, but the VPN connection still has a status of "Connecting..." If I wait for that Connecting... status to transition to connected before pressing the Yes button, the job works fine. If not, I get a "not found" type error.
Is there is some way I could insert an artificial pause after initiating the VPN but before the job actually starts to copy so that I could try this theory in the scheduled job?
Thanks!
Jeremy
I've had some success using the pre- and post-job options. I removed the VPN selection in the job's VPN tag and instead have it call a connect.bat script I wrote which inserts a ten second pause after connecting:
rasdial "My VPN Connection" Jeremy Mypassword /DOMAIN:DOMAIN
ping -n 10 127.0.0.1 > NUL 2>&1
The corresponding disconnect.bat script is simply:
rasdial "My VPN Connection" /disconnect
It works! The scheduled job ran without issue.
Jeremy
rasdial "My VPN Connection" Jeremy Mypassword /DOMAIN:DOMAIN
ping -n 10 127.0.0.1 > NUL 2>&1
The corresponding disconnect.bat script is simply:
rasdial "My VPN Connection" /disconnect
It works! The scheduled job ran without issue.
Jeremy
VPN Wait after connect
I will put in a user defined 'wait after connect' into the VPN option to see if that works. However, it is a pity the MS API does not return after the VPN connection has been established properly.
Cheers
Barry
Cheers
Barry