Scheduled Task Not Run
I have three tasks scheduled to run each night. Task 1 runs at 1:05am, Task 2 runs at 1:10am and Task 3 runs at 1:15am. Each task has (almost) identical options and identical target directory. They differ in the information that they back up.
I have been getting 'backup successful' emails from Tasks 2 and 3 consistently. Task 1 refuses to run via the scheduler.
I said above that they have '(almost) identical options' ... Task 2 and 3 have exactly the same options. Task 1 has a pre-execution batch file. I will remove the batch file requirement from Task 1 and see if Schedule will show any love for Task 1.


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Experiment #1: Set Task 1 to run at 7:05am and unchecked the 'Use Custom Commands' check box. Result: It ran.
Experiment #2: Set Task 1 to run at 8:20am and checked the 'Use Custom Commands' check box. Result: It ran. Excellent (sarcasm) ... I'll put it back to 1:05am and keep watching it.
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In reply to I can only advise that you… by truwrikodrorow…

Steve - thx for the reply. Task 1 runs manually. I have also run the batch file manually (no issue). I ran a few tests (see other reply) and the last version (which is the same as the 1:05am version) ran. Maybe it hates 1:05am?
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Did you check the logs for task 1 for when it fails to run / when it runs OK?
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Here are the available logs from this morning (1am is the usual backup time). There is no log for 1:05 (Task #1) but there is a log from Task #2 (1:10) and Task #3 (1:15 but waited until Task #2 had finished ... so 1:20).
You can also see the 3 Task #1s I ran at 5:32, 7:05 and 8:20. They all completed.
Dump of the log from 8:20 ...
C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Logs\service_2018-02-08-08-20-01.log
log uuid=987D00F9-5839-49BC-9FDD-83803ED89F25; product=True Image; version=19.0; build=6595; task=DE87BB3B-06D2-424F-8897-DBE86471BE7E; task_name=1-Win Users
Start= 2/8/2018 8:20:01 AM
id=1; date/time=2/8/2018 8:20:01 AM; message=Backup reserve copy attributes: format tib; need_reserve_backup_copy false
id=2; date/time=2/8/2018 8:20:01 AM; message=Operation 1-Win Users started by schedule.
id=3; date/time=2/8/2018 8:20:01 AM; message=Operation description: Liquorice Allsorts Backup - Users (1 of 3).
id=4; date/time=2/8/2018 8:20:04 AM; message=Backup reserve copy attributes: format tib; need_reserve_backup_copy false
id=5; date/time=2/8/2018 8:20:04 AM; message=Operation: Backup
id=6; date/time=2/8/2018 8:20:29 AM; message=Create Backup Archive From: C:\Users\ To file: 1-Win Users_inc_b1_s4_v1.tib Compression: Normal
id=7; date/time=2/8/2018 8:20:47 AM; message=Writing incremental version to file: 1-Win Users_inc_b1_s4_v1.tib
id=8; date/time=2/8/2018 8:21:12 AM; message=Link target was not backed up.; line_tag=0xCE542E14DA203BBF
Error_Code=AREABAC/OyDaFC5UzkxpbmsgdGFyZ2V0IHdhcyBub3QgYmFja2VkIHVwLgBQYXRoAFdNOi9DRHJpdmUAJG1vZHVsZQBBdGlfZGVtb25fdnNfNjU5NQAkZmlsZQBBazpcNjU5NVxhcmNoaXZlXGJhY2t1cGVyLmNwcAAkZnVuYwBBQXJjaGl2ZTo6QmFja3VwT3BlcmF0aW9uOjpQcm9jZXNzSXRlbXMAJGxpbmUATqADAAAAAAAAAA==
id=9; date/time=2/8/2018 8:21:12 AM; message=Link target was not backed up.; line_tag=0xCE542E14DA203BBF
Error_Code=AREABAC/OyDaFC5UzkxpbmsgdGFyZ2V0IHdhcyBub3QgYmFja2VkIHVwLgBQYXRoAFdNOi9EdWZmbGVCYWcAJG1vZHVsZQBBdGlfZGVtb25fdnNfNjU5NQAkZmlsZQBBazpcNjU5NVxhcmNoaXZlXGJhY2t1cGVyLmNwcAAkZnVuYwBBQXJjaGl2ZTo6QmFja3VwT3BlcmF0aW9uOjpQcm9jZXNzSXRlbXMAJGxpbmUATqADAAAAAAAAAA==
id=10; date/time=2/8/2018 8:21:22 AM; message=The following backups have been successfully created: Q:\set0\1-Win Users_inc_b1_s4_v1.tib
id=11; date/time=2/8/2018 8:21:23 AM; message=Validate Backup Archive Location: Q:\set0\1-Win Users_inc_b1_s4_v1.tib
id=12; date/time=2/8/2018 8:22:25 AM; message=Operation has succeeded.
id=13; date/time=2/8/2018 8:22:28 AM; message=The e-mail notification has been successfully sent.
id=14; date/time=2/8/2018 8:22:28 AM; message=Batch operation has completed successfully.
Start= 2/8/2018 8:20:01 AM
Finish= 2/8/2018 8:22:28 AM
Total Time= 00:02:27
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Update:
2/9/18 - All three tasks started successfully
2/10/18 - All three tasks started successfully
2/11/18 - All three tasks started successfully
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Thanks for reporting this excellent news.
Ian
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In reply to Thanks for reporting this… by truwrikodrorow…

Ian ... not sure I would call it 'excellent'. Sure, the tasks are starting as scheduled ... all I did to Task #1 was to remove the pre-processing command. I have now put that back ... we'll see if Task #1 starts as scheduled tonight.
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Perhaps an obvious question here, but what does your pre-processing command do?
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It is a modified version (added more logging of information and made it such that it detects if the generation aging has already been done) of the batch file found here ... https://forum.acronis.com/forum/best-practices-data-protection/howto-do…
I have it set up to create a new generation every week.
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Ok, thanks for the extra information, hope the next scheduled run all goes as expected.
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Update: Wed is the day that I start a new generation. I have the backup tasks set 'incremental' ... which means that if it can't find the initial backup, Acronis 2016 performs a full backup.
Task #1 (with the pre-processing batch file) runs (scheduler worked) @1:05am, batch file completes (creates new generation folder) but Task #1 cannot complete as it can't find the old files and it can't handle the contradiction.
Task #2 (@1:10am) and #3 (@1:15am) run (no scheduler issues), can't find the old files, issues warnings about not finding them ... but chews through the issue and create brand new FULL backups.
I get up at 6am to see the issue with Task #1 ... run that manually with no problems (it creates a new FULL backup).
Next idea is to remove the pre-processing batch file from Task #1 and create a windows scheduled task to run said batch file at 12:35am. Hopefully, that will give Task #1 time to 'clear its head' and work from the 1:05am start.
Update next Wednesday.
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Update (last one) ... the windows scheduled task ran at 00:35 this morning and a new generation directory was created with the older ones aged. Success.
Task #1 ran at 1:05am, couldn't find the prior incremental back up file, complained and IGNORED the error - success!
Task #2 ran at 1:10am, couldn't find the prior incremental back up file, complained and IGNORED the error - success!
Task #3 ran at 1:31am (scheduled start is 1:15 but it was delayed due to the long running Task #2), couldn't find the prior incremental back up file, complained and IGNORED the error - success!
All good. Thanks for following my testing.
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Back again ... Task #1 failed to start as scheduled yesterday and today. Tasks #2 & #3 both started as scheduled.
Any suggested diagnostic items I can look at to see what is up?
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I suspect that some of this issue comes back to your use of Chain2Gen of which I have no experience (as have never used this).
It may be worth sending a private message to GroverH as he contributed to the Best Practices topic that you referred to earlier in this thread.
The other suggestion here would be try setting up 3 standard ATI tasks just using the options provided in the GUI and scheduling these to confirm that these would continue as expected?
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I have three (3) tasks that are effectively identical ... except that they differ by what they back up. The options and target are all the same. Previously, I had set up the task that runs first to run a pre-backup batch file. I have now DISABLED that option and moved the batch file execution to a windows scheduled task.
The 2nd two run fine and have been running fine for a couple of weeks. The first one ran for a week-ish but failed to start at the last two scheduled start times.
I am planning to ...
a) re-create task #1 from scratch to see if that fixes it
OR
b) create short-cuts to run task #1, disable the scheduling for Task #1 and set up a windows scheduled task to run that short cut
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Well ... Task #1 started to work again. I didn't do anything to it. It ran Wed and Thur night. The very last thing you want with software is inconsistency.
Ok, maybe not the 'very last thing' ... but inconsistent behavior is very difficult to debug.
I have not turned off the Acronis scheduling and created three (3) Windows Scheduling tasks to run these. I will report back.
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