Setting priority and availability windows for selection lists

When you create a backup selection list, you can specify the priority for processing the jobs associated with the selection list. In addition, you can set a time range when the resources in the list will be available for backup. The time range is called the availability window. You can set a default availability window for selection lists. When you create a new selection list, the default availability window displays, but you must select the Limit availability of this selection list for backup to the following daily time window option in order for the selection list to use the default window.

You can set one availability window per selection list, and the window is the same for each day of the week. If you merge two or more selection lists or replace a selection list, Backup Exec uses the availability window of the original list.

If you schedule a job to run outside of the availability window, the job does not run and Backup Exec displays an Invalid Schedule status for the job on the Job Monitor. For example, you set the availability window to allow resources to be available for backup between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. If you schedule a backup job to run at 7:00 a.m, the job will not run because the resources are not available at that time. When scheduling a job, be sure that the schedule overlaps the availability window for the resources.

To set priority and availability windows for selection lists

  1. Do one of the following:

    To set a default priority and availability window for all selection lists

    Do the following steps in the order listed:

    • On the Tools menu, select Options.

    • On the Properties pane, under Job Defaults, click Priority and Availability.

    To set a priority and availability window for a specific selection list

    Do the following steps in the order listed:

    • On the navigation bar, click Job Setup.

    • In the task pane, under Selection Lists Tasks, select New backup selection list.

    • Select the data you want to back up.

    • On the Properties pane, under Source, click Priority and Availability.

    To set a priority and availability window for a selection list that is associated with a backup

    Do the following steps in the order listed:

    • On the navigation bar, click the arrow next to Backup.

    • Click New Backup Job.

    • Select the data you want to back up.

    • On the Properties pane, under Source, click Priority and Availability.

  2. Complete the appropriate options as follows:

    Job priority

    Select the default priority you want to assign to all jobs associated with this selection list. The choices are Highest, High, Medium, Low, and Lowest.

    Limit availability of this selection list for backup to the following daily time window

    This option displays as Limit availability to this daily time window when you are setting default options. Select this check box to enable the availability window, which specifies when the selection list will be available for backup each day. Then specify the window settings or use the default settings.

    If you do not select this option, the resources in the selection list are always available for backup.

    First available date

    Select the first date when the selection list should be available to be backed up. The list will be available every day from this date onward.

    Begin time

    Select the earliest time when this selection list will be available for backup.

    End time

    Select the latest time when this selection list will be available for backup.

    Enable automatic cancellation for this selection list

    Select this option if you want Backup Exec to cancel the job associated with this selection list if the job does not complete within the selected number of hours or minutes. Backup Exec starts timing the length of time the job takes to run when the job is queued, not when the job begins.

    Cancel backup job if not completed within x

    Type the number of hours or minutes you want to allow jobs to complete before they are automatically canceled. The default amount of time is three hours.