TED uses schedules to control when Distributions are built, sent, and extracted. Schedules do not affect the total resources used by a Distribution, 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 you manually set a schedule for a specific TED object. In other words, modified schedules for TED objects will override the Tiered Electronic Distribution policy schedule.
This is done by unchecking the Use Policy check box and setting a schedule. By default, when a schedule is set in the Tiered Electronic Distribution policy, the Use Policy check boxes are checked for the Distributor and Subscriber objects that have not had their schedules modified.
The End Times for the following schedules, combined with the Start Time, specify the time window for starting the schedule's action:
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 rebuild a Distribution when it discovers that there are configuration changes within eDirectory.
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 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 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.
Determines when a Distributor will be requested to build the individual pieces that comprise the Distribution.
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 this schedule.
Provides a window of time for when a Distributor can send its Distributions to the Subscribers.
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 the first tier Subscribers. Therefore, the second and lower tiers of Subscribers in the Distributor's routing hierarchy do not adhere to the Send schedule.
The Channel's End Time is enforced for this schedule. The Distributor will stop sending a Distribution when the Channel schedule ends and will start sending the Distribution where it left off when the Channel 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.
Note that this End Time enforcement only applies to a Distributor sending a Distribution to a first-tier Subscriber, not to parent Subscribers sending to other Subscribers. Parent Subscribers who are passing a Distribution on will ignore the Channel's End Time and complete sending the Distribution.
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.
Determines when a Subscriber can start to 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.