C H A P T E R  8

Managing Tasks

The Sun StorageTek RAID Manager software allows you to schedule some types of jobs (or tasks) to complete at convenient times. Additionally, you can schedule some tasks to recur at preset times.

A Task Manager utility helps you manage the tasks you schedule.

This chapter describes how to schedule, monitor, and manage tasks. The chapter contains the following sections:


Scheduling a Task

If a task is lengthy and limits access to components on your storage space, you may want to set a date and time for the task to complete, instead of running the task while there is activity on your storage space.

If a task must be performed regularly, you can schedule it to recur at preset times.

You can schedule these Sun StorageTek RAID Manager software tasks:


procedure icon  To Schedule a Task

1. Complete each step of the task until you are prompted to click Apply.

Do not click Apply. You will see a Schedule button on the Configuration Summary screen.

FIGURE 8-1 Accessing the Schedule Button


Screen shot of the Configuration Summary window.

2. Click Schedule.

The schedule window is displayed.

FIGURE 8-2 Schedule Window


Screen shot of the Schedule window.

3. Set the date and time for the task.



Note - Keep geography in mind--If you are scheduling tasks on remote systems located in other geographical areas, remember that the time you set for a scheduled task is that system’s time, which may be different from local time. You will be prompted to select a new time if the one you’ve set occurs in the past on the remote system.


4. Set the recurrence frequency, if the option is available for this task and you want it to occur regularly.

5. Click Apply.

The task is saved in the Task Manager, and the scheduled task is added to the Task List.


Opening the Task Manager

You can use the Task Manager to monitor and modify the tasks you have scheduled. To schedule a task, see Scheduling a Task.

Tasks are associated with systems. When you open the Task Manager, you see the scheduled tasks associated with that local or remote system only.


procedure icon  To Open the Task Manager

1. From the menu bar, choose Configure > system-name> Tasks.

FIGURE 8-3 Opening the Task Manager


Screen shot of the Tasks menu option.

The Task Manager is displayed on the Tasks tab of a new window. The Tasks tab has two main panels: the Task List (upper panel) and the Task Event Log (lower panel).

FIGURE 8-4 Task Manager Window


Screen shot showing the Task Manager. Callouts point to the Tasks tab, the Task List, and the Task Event Log.



Note - From the Tasks tab, you can access other utilities in this window, such as the Email Notification Manager (see Setting Up Email Notifications), by clicking their tabs.



Monitoring Tasks

Use the two main panels of the Task Manager--the Task List and the Task Event Log--to monitor tasks.

Monitoring Upcoming Tasks in the Task List

The Task List displays all scheduled tasks in order of creation, and includes basic information about each task. Although you can’t sort the tasks in any other order, you can reorganize the columns in the Task List by clicking and dragging the column heads.

The Status column of the Task List shows the current condition of each task:

In the menu bar, click View task for additional detail about any task in the Task List.


procedure icon  To Check Past Tasks and Events in the Event Log

The Event Log displays detailed information about the Task Manager itself, such as when scheduled events were modified, deleted, or completed successfully.

By default, task events are listed in the order they occurred, with the most recent event first.

1. Click on the column heads to sort task events.

You can also reorganize the columns by clicking and dragging the column heads.

2. Review the icons to determine the status of past tasks.

The following table describes the Event Log uses icons.


TABLE 8-1 Event Log Icons

Icon

Status

Explanation and Solution


 

Information

The task or event completed successfully. No action required.


 

Warning

The task missed its start time. Reschedule the task to clear the error, as described in Modifying a Task.


 

Error

The task failed. Delete the task to clear the error. Schedule the task again, as described in Scheduling a Task.)


3. Double-click on an event to see basic information about the event.

4. Click Next to see the next event in the list.


Modifying a Task

If your requirements change, you can reschedule a task to a different date or time. You can also modify the task description that appears in the Task List. Creating a custom task description makes it easier to find the task in the Task List.


procedure icon  To Modify a Scheduled Task

1. From the menu bar, choose Configure > system-name > Tasks (as shown in FIGURE 8-3).

The Task Manager is displayed.

2. In the Task Manager, select the task you want to change, then click Modify task.

FIGURE 8-5 Modifying a Scheduled Task


Screen shot of the Modify task tab.

3. In the Modify Task window, make the required changes, then click OK.

FIGURE 8-6 Modify Task Window


Screen shot of the Modify task window.

The task and Task List are updated with the new information.

Rescheduling a Task Following a Missed Start Time

Tasks scheduled in the Sun StorageTek RAID Manager software include an automatic 30-minute grace period following their start time, to accommodate temporary interruptions. For instance, if there’s a brief power outage a task will run once normal conditions resume, if the interruption lasts no longer than 30 minutes past the scheduled start time.

If a task misses its start time, it must be rescheduled. For instructions, see Modifying a Task.

If a recurring task misses its start time, it is automatically rescheduled to run at the next scheduled interval.


Deleting a Task

If a scheduled task is no longer required, you can delete it from the Task Manager.


procedure icon  To Delete a Task

1. From the menu bar, choose Configure > system-associated-with-the-task-you-want-to-delete > Tasks (as shown in FIGURE 8-3).

The Task Manager is displayed.

2. In the Task Manager, select the task you want to delete, and click Delete task.

FIGURE 8-7 Deleting a Task


Screen shot of the Delete task button.

3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

The task is deleted.


Disabling the Task Manager

The Task Manager is enabled by default. If you do not wish to schedule tasks on a selected system, you can disable it.



Note - If you disable the Task Manager, no scheduled tasks will run on that system.



procedure icon  To Disable the Task Manager

1. From the menu bar, choose Configure > system-name > Tasks (as shown in FIGURE 8-3).

The Task Manager is displayed.

2. In the Task Manager menu bar, choose Actions > Disable Task Scheduler.

FIGURE 8-8 Disabling the Task Manager


Screen shot of the Disable Task Scheduler menu option.


The Task Manager is disabled. The Tasks tab shows the red disabled icon.

Note - When the Task Manager is disabled, a brief three-tone alert sounds each time you open and log into the Sun StorageTek RAID Manager software. Scheduled tasks in the Task List will not run while the Task Manager is disabled.



procedure icon  To Re-Enable the Task Manager

Follow the steps in Disabling the Task Manager, selecting Enable Task Scheduler during Step 2.

Scheduled tasks that have missed their start times must be rescheduled if you want them to run. See Modifying a Task for instructions.

Scheduled tasks that did not miss their start time while the Task Manager was disabled will run as scheduled.