Post Command Will Not Run
Acronis True Image Home 10
I would like to setup a scheduled back up job that will backup a machine overnight, and shutdown the computer when finished. To do this I need to accomplish 3 things:
- Make sure the computer is running at the time that the backup is scheduled to run.
- Create an Acronis backup job that backs up the machine.
- Create an automated process to shutdown the computer.
The first one is easy. I set the BIOS to start the machine each night at a specific time. The second task is also easy. I have setup a backup job that is scheduled to start several minutes after the machine has booted up. It's the third task that is giving me problems. When I created my backup job, I specified a post command that runs after the backup process. The post command runs a batch file that shuts down the computer. I have tested the batch file by using the Test Command button in Acronis and by running it from the command line, and it runs fine. However, I cannot get the backup job to run the post command.
How can I get the backup job to run the post command?
I also have two other questions about this process.
- While creating the backup job I entered a user name and password for running the job. Does the user account need to be logged in for the job to run?
- I also specified that the job should verify the archive file. If I can get the post command to run and fire off the shutdown command, will it wait for the verification process to complete, or will it just shutdown regardless?
Thanks for any help that you can offer.
--Tom
If you're actually using TI 10 (4,942) and not TI 2010, the post-command will be run before the validation. You would need to delay the shutdown to allow enough time for the validation to complete or do a manual validation later.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/6013#comment-13011
is the solution for 3#.The solution for 1& 2 could also be Drive Notify listed inside my signature below;'
or to use Chain2Gen as listed below.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/5940#comment-10742
Thanks! There's a lot of information in those links. I'll work through it and see what I can come up with.
--Tom
If you're actually using TI 10 (4,942) and not TI 2010, the post-command will be run before the validation. You would need to delay the shutdown to allow enough time for the validation to complete or do a manual validation later.
Yes, it is actually ATI 10--not 2010. I did see in the online Help where the post command runs before the validation (which seems goofy to me) and so I had thought about some kind of delayed action. For example, I could have a batch file that runs the AT command, which in turn would run a batch file to shutdown the computer. That would allow me to introduce, say, a 10-minute delay that would allow the verification process to complete before the shutdown. I would set the actual length of the delay by looking at how long the validation process normally takes.
--Tom
I was able to get the post command to run. Here's what I did.
Post Command
- Command: C:\Windows\System32\schtasks.exe
- Arguments: /run /tn "sdpc"
This runs a task called "sdpc" (Short for Shutdown PC) once the backup completes.
SDPC Task
- The task is not scheduled (In the task: Schedule tab > Check the Show Multiple Schedules box > Click Delete > OK)
- Stop the task if it runs for 30 minutes
- Only start if the machine has been idle for 5 minutes
- Retry for 180 minutes
The task runs a batch file named sdpc.bat.
SDPC.BAT
This batch file displays a message, starts a 300 second (5 minute) countdown timer, and shuts down the machine when the countdown hits zero. The 5 minute delay allows the verification process to finish, since the 5 minute idle setting on the task does not seem to work for that function.
:: Shuts down the PC
:: -s Specifies shutdown
:: -m Specifies the computer to shutdown
:: -t Sets the delay to xx seconds
:: -c Specifies the comment to display before shutting down
:: -f Forces the closing of open applications
shutdown -s -m \\<Machine Name> -t 300 -c "Automated system shutdown in progress." -f
--Tom
Tom,
Very neat. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Grover