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Document ID: 3281
Subject: Backups work manually but not when scheduled
Creation date: 3/6/14 3:09 PM
Last modified on: 12/12/18 4:17 PM


Scheduled backups don't run

Often backup jobs run fine manually but result in one or more errors when they run through the scheduler. There are several reasons why this happens. It is important to understand the difference between a schedule job and manual job, which will help you troubleshoot these problems.

On Windows OS, jobs are triggered by a Windows Service that is constantly running in the background. Typically, this service is run using the built-in SYSTEM account on the machine. Therefore, the user account running scheduled backups is SYSTEM. Manual backups, on the other hand, are run using the account that is currently logged in.

Possible reasons for failure

Service Status
Ensure Backup Monitor Service is running. This is a regular service on Windows and can be checked from Control Panel / Services application. Additionally, ensure this Service is configured to start automatically.

Another way of ensure this service is running is to check its status from the server side by following the steps below.
  • Log into the web interface of Syncrify Server using the admin account.
  • Click Remote Clients under Quick Links
  • Confirm you see the desired clients in this list. If you do not see the client, that means the client cannot communicate with the server
Mapped drives
The concept of mapped drives in Windows is user specific. This mean the OS maps these drive when a user logs in and they are not available to any other user on the system but the one who is currently logged in.

Therefore, mapped drives results in error because they are not available to the service that triggers a scheduled job. This is an OS-level restriction built into Windows.

Additionally, it is not a good idea to backup mapped drives. Click here for more information.
Permissions
Since scheduled backups run as the SYSTEM user, some of the folders with restrictive permission may result in errors. In such cases, try changing the user that runs the service using the following steps:
  • Open Control Panel
  • Go to Services application
  • Locate Backup Monitor Service, click the right mouse button and select Properties
  • Select the Log On tab and change the user



User comments

Posted by Paul Harding on 9/26/16 3:59 AM

For me, it was the Backup Monitor Service which was in the "Stopped" state. However, the first time I started the service after experiencing the scheduler failing to run, the Syncrify task icon still had a "STOP" square on it, so I went back into Services again and restarted the Backup Monitor Service and then, the icon has a "Pause" sign on it. So, please check the Syncrify task icon (near the Windows clock) and make sure it has a "Pause" icon (like two vertical bars) not a stop icon (like a square).


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