TED uses schedules to control when Distributions are built, sent, and extracted. Schedules do not affect the total resources used by a Distribution (such as CPU cycles, bandwidth, and disk space), but rather when the resources will be used.
The following provides an understanding of scheduling in TED:
If you set a schedule in the Schedule tab for the Tiered Electronic Distribution policy (in the Service Location Package), this schedule will be the default for all Distributors and Subscribers for which the policy applies, unless in ConsoleOne you set a schedule for a specific TED object. In other words, modified schedules for Distributors and Subscribers will automatically override the Tiered Electronic Distribution policy schedule.
The Distributor and Subscriber schedules are different. There are separate Schedule tabs for the Distributor's Refresh and Subscriber's Extract schedules.
By default, when a schedule is set in the Tiered Electronic Distribution policy, the Use Policy check boxes are displayed on both the General and Schedule tabs for all Distributors and Subscribers. And, the box is automatically checked for the Distributor and Subscriber objects that have not yet had their schedules modified. It is unchecked for the objects that have a schedule defined.
You can disable the Tiered Electronic Distribution policy's default schedule for a specific Distributor or Subscriber by unchecking the Use Policy check box in the object's properties. Then you must define a schedule in the object's properties for it to have a usable schedule.
You can override a specific Distributor or Subscriber schedule by checking the Use Policy check box in that object's properties. The Tiered Electronic Distribution policy's schedule will then be applied to that Distributor or Subscriber.
For information on how to create, configure, and schedule the Tiered Electronic Distribution policy, see Tiered Electronic Distribution.
Some TED objects must be scheduled or they will not perform their Distribution-related actions. TED has several schedules that are used to control when Distributions are built, distributed, and extracted.
You may are may not need to resolve certificates when making changes to one of the following schedules (for more information, see Resolving Certificates):
A Distributor's schedule determines when the Distributor will re-read Novell eDirectoryTM for configuration changes. This enables the Distributor to respond to a request to build a Distribution. The Distributor rebuilds a Distribution when the Distribution's schedule indicates that is should be built.
When the Channel's Send schedule starts, the Distributor checks with the Subscribers that it sends to directly to see if they have the current Distribution. However:
If the Subscriber does have the entire Distribution, it checks with its subordinate Subscribers to see if they do, and so on down the routing hierarchy.
The time it takes to verify that all receivers have all of the Distributions in the Channel is minimal.
IMPORTANT: A Distribution might never get sent completely if the Refresh schedule is shorter than the time it takes to build or send the Distribution. In other words, if the Refresh schedule is too short, when the Distributor is refreshed the Distribution in the process of being built or sent could be cancelled before it has completed sending. Therefore, we recommend the Distributor's Refresh schedule be daily, unless changes to Distributions warrant a more frequent refresh, then set it in hours. Do not refresh the Distributor more often than every five minutes.
In ConsoleOne, right-click the Distributor object > click Properties.
Click the Schedule tab > click the arrow for the drop-down box > click Interval > select an interval, such as Daily.
Set the Start and End times, if necessary.
The Start Time and the End Time specify the time window for performing the schedule's action.
You can repeat the action every so often throughout the day.
You can also have the refresh occur randomly in the specified time window. For more information, see Using the Randomly Dispatch Option in a Distributor's Refresh Schedule.
Click OK.
The Distribution's schedule determines when a Distributor will be requested to create the Distribution file based on the definition in the Distribution object.
Most Distributions consist of a set of files that change over time and need to be redistributed on a regular basis. Each Distribution has its own Build schedule that tells the Distributor how often to rebuild the Distribution. When the Distributor builds a Distribution, it automatically compares it with the previous version to see if there are any changes.
For the File Distribution, if there are no changes in the current build, no new version will be created. If there are changes, a delta is built consisting of only the changes to be distributed.
For the FTP, HTTP, and Software Package Distribution types, a new version will only be built if there has been a change since the last version. The Distributor will send the complete new version to all target Subscribers.
The Distribution's End Time is used to determine the end time for randomly dispatching events. In other words, the Distributor will not stop building the Distribution until it is complete.
Deleted files and directory synchronization are handled in the Build schedule.
In ConsoleOne, right-click a Distribution object > click Properties.
Click the Schedule tab > click the arrow for the drop-down box > click a schedule type, such as Run Immediately.
You can repeat the action every so often.
The Start Time and the End Time specify the time window for performing the schedule's action.
You can also have the build occur randomly in the specified time window (if you select the Daily schedule type). For more information, see Using the Randomly Dispatch Option in a Distribution's Build Schedule.
Click OK.
A Channel's Send schedule provides a window of time for when a Distributor can start sending its Distributions to the Subscribers associated with that Channel.
The Channel's schedule applies only to the Distributor and its direct receivers (first tier Subscribers). When the Send schedule ends, the Distributor stops distributing to those first tier Subscribers.
Second-tier receivers and beyond do not adhere to the Channel's schedule. The parent Subscribers that are sending Distributions to other Subscribers will continue to send a Distribution after the Send schedule ends. Their subordinate Subscribers will also ignore the Send schedule.
The Send schedule's End Time forces the Distributor to stop sending a Distribution when the Send schedule ends. The Distributor will start sending the Distribution where it left off when the Send schedule begins again. A Distribution will not be totally re-sent. For example, if 50 MB of a 60 MB Distribution had already been sent before the disruption, when the Send schedule starts again for the Channel, the Distributor will begin sending the remaining 10 MBs.
For information on how time zones affect a Channel's schedule, see TED Object Scheduling Issues.
Cache and Forward has no bearing on whether a parent Subscriber continues to send a Distribution when the Channel's Send schedule ends. Parent Subscribers who have completely received a Distribution prior to the Send schedule ending will continue to send that Distribution to subordinate Subscribers. There is no mechanism for controlling whether parent Subscribers should continue to send when the Send schedule ends.
IMPORTANT: A Distribution might never get sent if the Send schedule is shorter than the time it takes to send the Distribution. Therefore, we recommend the Channel's Send schedule be daily or in hours. Make the Send schedule at least long enough to allow all of the Channel's Distributions to be sent.
In ConsoleOne, right-click the Channel object > click Properties.
Click the Schedule tab > click the arrow for the drop-down box > click Interval > select an interval (in the Repeat the Action Every field), such as 1 hour > click OK.
The Start Time and the End Time specify the time window for performing the schedule's action.
For information about randomly starting the Send schedule (if you select the Daily schedule type), see Using the Randomly Dispatch Option in a Channel's Send Schedule.
The Subscriber's schedule determines when a Subscriber can extract a Distribution that has been received.
The Subscriber's End Time is used to determine the end time for randomly dispatching events. In other words, the Subscriber will not stop extracting the Distribution until it has completed the extraction process.
In ConsoleOne, right-click a Subscriber object > click Properties.
Click the Channels tab > click Add > browse for the Channel > click Select > click OK.
Make sure the Channel is listed as Active in the Channels list.
Click the Schedule tab > the arrow for the drop-down box > select a schedule, such as Run Immediately > Click OK.
This schedule type will cause the Subscriber to extract the Distribution as soon as it is received.
The Start Time and the End Time specify the time window for performing the schedule's action.
For information about randomly starting the Extract schedule (if you select the Daily schedule type), see Using the Randomly Dispatch Option in a Subscriber's Extract Schedule.
Repeat these steps for each Subscriber.