Access this dialog box from the Scheduled tasks window
(Tools > Distribution > Scheduled tasks). In the
Scheduled tasks window, click the Create software
distribution task toolbar button, or from the shortcut menu of
the task you want to configure, click Properties.
Use this dialog box to set the start time for the task and to
psecify whether to make it a recurring task and how often. This
dialog box also shows the task targets. Depending on the task type
you're scheduling, you may also see options for delivery methods
and distribution packages.
About task copying
You can also create groups for your common tasks to categorize
them. Other users will see groups only if their RBA scope allows
them to see a task in that group. If you try deleting a group that
contains tasks, you won't be able to delete the group if there are
tasks in the group that your scope doesn't allow you to see.
About the Overview
page
This page lets you pick an owner for the task and summarizes the
choices you've made in the Scheduled tasks dialog box. If you want
to modify any of your choices, click Change beside that
choice. If you want the task to appear in the Scheduled
tasks window's Common tasks group, rather than the My
tasks group, click Show in common tasks.
About the Distribution
package page
Use this page to select the distribution package you want to
deliver. Once you select a Package type, the Distribution
package list shows the packages of that type that you can
distribute. The packages in the list correspond to the packages you
can see under that type in the Distribution packages window
for the current user and the public user. Click the Distribution
package you want.
Push-based software distribution tasks can include a preliminary
package and a final package. When using multiple packages, the
packages are installed in order one at a time. The previous package
must return a successful task status before the next package begins
installing. For more information, see Using multiple distribution packages
in a task.
About the Delivery
method page
Use this page to select the delivery method to use for the
package you're delivering. Once you select a Delivery type,
the Delivery methods list shows the delivery methods of that
type that you can use. The delivery methods in the list correspond
to the delivery methods you can see in the Delivery methods
window for the current user and the public user. Select the
Delivery method you want.
About the Target
devices page
Use this page to view target devices for the task you're
configuring. You can't add targets on this page. You can add
targets later by dragging and dropping them into the task in the
Scheduled tasks window. Targeted devices can be in these
categories:
Targeted devices
Targeted LDAP objects
Targeted queries
Targeted LDAP queries
Targeted device groups
You can also select the Wake up devices option on this
page. This option wakes up a powered-down computer for the selected
task by using Wake On LAN. When the task is complete, the computer
shuts itself down again. This feature only works on computers with
BIOS versions that support Wake on LAN technology. Selecting this
option will make tasks take longer, since the task waits for
devices that just woke up to boot. Don't mark this option for pull
distribution packages.
About the Schedule task
page
Use this page to configure when the task runs and how retries
should work:
Leave unscheduled: Adds the task to the
Scheduled tasks window but doesn't schedule the task. Use this
option if you want to preserve a task configuration but you don't
want it to run.
Start now: Starts the task as soon as the
dialog box is closed. There can be a delay of up to a minute before
the task actually starts.
Start later: Starts the task at the specified
time and date.
Date and time: Runs a task on selected date.
Type the date using MM/DD/YY format, or click the Date list
to pick the date from a calendar.
Repeat every: Schedules the task to recur
periodically. Select Day, Week, or Month from the list to choose
how often the task repeats. It repeats at the time set above.
Deploy packages in this task even if they were
previously deployed: Reinstalls packages in the task if the
packages were already installed.
Schedule these devices: For the first time a
task runs, you should leave the default of Schedule these
devices. For subsequent runs, choose from All,
Devices that did not succeed, or Devices that did not try
to run the task. These options are explained in more detail
below.
When rescheduling a task, you can limit the devices the task
runs on. You may want to do this if the task failed on a large
number of devices and you don't expect the failed device state to
change, for example. Limiting the task this way would help the task
complete more quickly because the scheduler wouldn't keep trying
devices that won't process the task. You can choose to run tasks on
devices in these states:
Waiting or currently working: This is the
default and should be used the first time a task runs. If you're
rerunning the task, this option targets devices that succeeded the
previous time you ran the task.
All: Select this if you want the task to run
on all devices, regardless of state. Consider using this option if
you have a task, especially a repeating one, that needs to run on
as many devices as possible.
Devices that didn't succeed: Select this if
you only want the task to run on all devices that didn't complete
the task the first time. This excludes devices that have a
Successful state. The task will run on devices in all other
states, including Waiting or Active. Consider using
this option if you need the task to run on as many unsuccessful
devices as possible, but you only need the task to complete
successfully once per device.
Devices that didn't try to run the task:
Select this if you only want the task to run on devices that didn't
complete the task and didn't fail the task. This excludes devices
that were in an Off, Busy, Failed, or
Canceled state. Consider using this option if there were a
lot of target devices that failed the task that aren't important as
targets.
About
the Schedule dialog box
Several Management
Suite agents have features that you can schedule using the
local scheduler agent that is installed on managed devices. Use
this dialog box to configure that schedule.
You can also use the local scheduler to schedule your own tasks
to run periodically on devices. Once you create a local scheduler
script or customize the schedule for a device agent, you can deploy
it to devices by using the Scheduled tasks window.
To configure a local scheduler task, in the Managed
scripts window (Tools > Distribution > Managed
scripts), from the My scripts shortcut menu, click
New local scheduler configuration script.
All criteria in this dialog box that you configure must be met
before the task will execute. For example, if you configure a
schedule that repeats every day between 8 and 9 o'clock with a
Machine state of Desktop must be locked, the task
will only execute if it's between 8 and 9 o'clock and the device is
locked.
These options are available in the Schedule dialog
box:
Events section
The events section is dimmed unless you're configuring a local
scheduler script from the Manage scripts tool.
Run when user logs in:
Select this option to run the task whenever a user logs in. When a
user logs in, the local scheduler will run the task directly.
Run whenever the machine's IP address changes:
Select this option if you want the task to run if the device's IP
address changes or is renewed through DHCP. For example, you can
use this option to trigger an inventory scan when the IP address
changes, keeping the IP address in the Management Suite database
synchronized.
Time section
Use this section to configure times for the task to run. If you
launched this dialog box from the agent configuration tool, you can
specify a random delay on the agent configuration page you came
from. The random delay interval you specify is a time range during
which the task may run. For example, if you have a large number of
users who log in at the same time, this delay allows tasks that run
on login to not all run at the same time, assuming your delay
interval is long enough. The default delay is one hour.
Start: Click this option to display a calendar
where you can select the day you want the task to start. Once you
pick a day, you can also enter a time of day. These options default
to the current date and time.
Repeat after: If you want the task to recur,
click the list box and select minutes, hours, or
days. Then in the first box enter the length you want for
the interval you selected (for example, 10 days).
Time range: If you want the task to run
between certain hours, select the start and end hours. The hours
are in 24-hour time format.
Weekly between: If you want the task to run
between certain days of the week, select the start and end
days.
Monthly between: If you want the task to run
between certain dates of the month, set the start and end
dates.
Run filters section
When configuring local scheduler commands, you can specify the
minimum bandwidth criteria necessary for the task to execute. The
bandwidth test consists of network traffic to the device you
specify. When the time comes for the task to execute, each device
running the local scheduler task will send a small amount of ICMP
network traffic to the device you specify and evaluate the transfer
performance. If the test target device isn't available, the task
won't execute.
When specifying bandwidth criteria for devices that may be
connecting to the core through a LANDesk Management Gateway, you
should put the Management Gateway's IP address in the to
field. This allows the bandwidth test to complete and the task can
then execute.
You can select these Minimum bandwidth options:
RAS: The task executes if the device's network
connection to the target device is at least RAS or dialup speed, as
detected through the networking API. Selecting this option
generally means the task will always run if the device has a
network connection of any sort.
WAN: The task executes if the device's
connection to the target device is at least WAN speed. WAN speed is
defined as a non-RAS connection that's slower than the LAN
threshold.
LAN: The task executes when the device's
connection to the target device exceeds the LAN speed setting. LAN
speed is defined as anything greater than 262,144 bps by default.
You can set the LAN threshold in agent configuration (Tools >
Configuration > Agent Configuration, Bandwidth detection
page). Changes won't take effect until you deploy the updated
configuration to devices.
The run filters section has these options:
Minimum bandwidth: If you want task execution
criteria to include available bandwidth, select the minimum
bandwidth you want and enter the device name or IP address that
will be the target for the bandwidth test between the target and
device.
Machine state: If you want the task execution
criteria to include a machine state, select one of these
states: Screen saver or desktop locked, Desktop must
be locked, Machine must be idle, User must be logged
in, or User must be logged out. The criteria for the
Machine must be idle state are: the OS is locked, the screen
saver is active, or the user is logged out.
Other options
Additional random delay once all other filters
pass: If you want an additional random delay, use this option.
If you select a random delay that extends beyond the time limits
you configured for the task, the task may not run if the random
value puts the task outside the configured time limits.
Delay up to: Select the additional random
delay you want.
And at least: If you want the task to wait at
least a certain number of minutes before executing, select this
option. For example, if you're scheduling an inventory scan, you
could enter a 5 here so a computer has time to finish booting
before the scan starts, improving the computer's responsiveness for
the user.
Command: Enter the program you want to run
locally. Include the full path to the program or make sure the
program is in a folder that's in the device's path. This path must
be the same on all devices you deploy this script to.
Parameters: Enter any command-line parameters
you want passed to the program.