Automation Manager
If you find you are running the same report at the same time every month you may want to consider getting the machine to run it automatically itself. You can do this by using the Automation Manager which is a front end to the Unix cron utility.
This is located:
System Management -> Automation manager {New Style Menus}
When first selected you will have two options, List and Quit, you should select the list option to enable the add/edit routines.
The List option has two formats:
- Summary - A one line list of all jobs
- Detailed - The job is displayed in more detail.
Once the jobs have been listed the menu will have two additional options:
- Add a new job - This as the name suggests allows you to
add additional jobs to the schedual. When selected a 'pop-up' box will
appear with a list of all the utilities that
are available to you.
Select the required option.
There are two 'modes' for editing, basic and advanced. The default is the basic - this allows you to set the day and time you want the job to run - the advanced option will be explained in the next section.
Enter the required time (in 24 hour format) when you want this job to run. You then have the option:
- Leave Weekday and day blank to run the job every day
- Enter a day of the week (0-6) where 0=Sunday, 1=Monday etc. the job will run at the specified time on that day.
- Enter a Day of the month, e.g. 28 to run the job on the 28th of month.
Once you have entered the details you will have a prompt:
Confirm Settings: - Command - Edits the command line to allow additional options to be added.
- Advanced - Switches over the editing to allow you to fine tune the settings.
- Yes - Accepts the job and returns you to then menu.
- No - Allows you to re-enter the details
- Quit - Returns you to the menu
Note: There are two additional options, when you select the 'Report Generator' you will be prompted to enter the name of the script you want to run. With 'Special' you have to specify the full command you wish to run.
Multiple Jobs
Some of the options (Report Generator, S_Send and X_Check) can be specified multiple times whereas the other reports can only be added once.
- Edit a job - When selected a list of all the current jobs will
be displayed, select as required. You will them be taken to the
'Advanced Editing' screen. Here you have the choice to enter:
- Mins The minutes portion of the time you wish the job to run at (0-59)
- Hours The hours portion of the time you wish the job to run at (0-23)
- Day The day of the month to run (1-31)
- Month Limit the job to run on certain months (1-12)
- Weekday To run on a specific day of the week (0-6, with 0=Sunday)
The last three option above are optional, if you leave them out the job will run every day.
With the Advanced option you have additional granularity over the times e.g.:
- a number in the (respective) range indicated above
- two numbers separated by a minus (indicating an inclusive range)
- a list of numbers separated by commas (meaning all of these numbers)
- an asterisk (meaning all legal values)
Note that the specification of days may be made by two fields (day of the month and day of the week). If both are specified as a list of elements, both are adhered to. For example,
Specifing 1,15 for 'Day' and 1 for 'Weekday' would run a command on the first and fifteenth of each month, as well as on every Monday. To specify days by only one field, the other field should be set to ``*''.Set the options as required and when finished you will be taken to the Confirm prompt as explained above, except you have one additional option Delete, this will remove the job.
- Return to the menu - once you are happy with the jobs, return to the menu - this will submit the jobs to the system. If there are any errors these will be displayed on the screen allowing you to take corrective action.