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Q313289: HOW TO: Use the At.exe Command to Schedule Backup in Windows NT

Article: Q313289
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): 4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbenv kbhw kbtool kbAudITPro kbHOWTOmaster
Last Modified: 06-AUG-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 
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IN THIS TASK
------------

- SUMMARY

   - Requirements
- Using the At.exe Command to Schedule a Backup Job on a Windows NT 4.0-Based
  Computer

   - Creating a Batch File for the Backup Job
- Configuring the Schedule Service to Start Automatically
- Using the At.exe Command to Schedule a Backup Job

- REFERENCES

SUMMARY
=======

This step-by-step article describes how to schedule a tape backup job on a
Windows NT Workstation 4.0-based or Windows NT Server 4.0-based computer. The
three-part process involves creating a batch file that contains the appropriate
backup commands, configuring the Schedule (or Task Scheduler) service to start
automatically, and then using the At.exe command to schedule the Windows NT
Backup program to run. After you have scheduled the backup job, it will run
automatically.

Requirements
------------

- A computer (that meets the requirements that are listed on the appropriate
  Hardware Compatibility List) on which Windows NT Server 4.0 or Windows NT
  Workstation 4.0 is installed.

- A tape drive (that meets the requirements listed on the Hardware
  Compatibility List) must be installed in the computer, and a tape must be
  inserted in the drive.

Using the At.exe Command to Schedule a Backup Job on a Windows NT 4.0-Based Computer
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Backup jobs are commonly run after business hours, when users do not have program
files open and when system-resource usage is low. Using the At.exe command to
schedule a backup job to run automatically can be a great convenience for the
administrator, because it eliminates the need for a staff member to be present
and manually complete this task.

Creating a Batch File for the Backup Job:

The first part of scheduling a backup job is creating a batch file that contains
all of the commands that are required to complete the backup job. Windows NT
Backup is the program that is used to create the backup job, and this program is
included with the Windows NT 4.0 operating system. To create a batch file for
the backup job:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.

2. In Notepad, type the appropriate commands to complete a backup of the files
  you want to back up, and then press ENTER. The command line utility that is
  used to create a backup job is Ntbackup.exe. The syntax for creating a backup
  job by using Ntbackup.exe is:

  ntbackup backup path nameoptions

  The following list describes the switches that you can use with Ntbackup.exe:

   - /a - Appends the backup set after any existing backup sets, rather than
     replacing it. This switch is not available for a blank tape.
   - /b - Backs up the local registry, but only if you back up another file
     from the same volume.
   - /d "text" - Describes the backup set. This description appears when you
     view the tape catalog.
   - /e - Logs exceptions, such as a summary log. If you do not use this
     switch, a full detail log is created.
   - /l file name - Assigns a file name to the log file. The default file name
     is Backup.log, and this file is located in the \Systemroot folder.
   - /r - Limits access to the tape to administrators, backup operators, or the
     user that created the backup. If this switch is not used, anyone with the
     restore right can restore the backup set.
   - /t - Specifies the backup type, either Normal, Copy, Incremental,
     Differential or Daily, and the default backup type is normal. For example,
     /t Copy, or /t Incremental.
   - /v - Confirms that the files were backed up accurately.
   - /hc: - Enables or disables hardware compression for tape drives that
     support it, and is either on or off. For example, /hc:on, or /hc:off. The
     default is hardware compression off.

  For example, to complete a normal backup of drive C, drive D, and the registry
  on a Windows NT 4.0-based computer, by using hardware compression and
  verifying that the data was backed up correctly, you would use the "ntbackup
  backup c: d: /b /hc:on /v" (without the quotation marks) command.

3. On the Notepad File menu, click Save As. In the Save As dialog box, select a
  drive and a folder in which to store the batch file. In the "Save as type"
  box, click All Files. In the "File name" box, type a name for the batch file
  that uses a .cmd file extension (for example, "Backup.cmd" (without the
  quotation marks)). Click Save.

4. Quit Notepad to complete the process of creating a batch file for the backup
  job.

Configuring the Schedule Service to Start Automatically:

By default, the Schedule service is configured to start manually. To use the
At.exe command to schedule an automatic backup job, you must configure the
Schedule service to start automatically. After you complete this task, the
schedule service starts automatically every time you start the computer.

NOTE: If Internet Explorer 4.0 or later is installed on your Windows NT 4.0-based
computer, the Schedule service is called the Task Scheduler service. Task
Scheduler may or may not already be configured to start automatically, depending
on the version of Internet Explorer you use. To configure the Schedule service
to start automatically:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click
  Services.

2. In the Services dialog box, click Schedule (or Task Scheduler if you are
  running Internet Explorer 4.0 or later), and then click Start. After the
  service starts, click Startup.

3. In the Service dialog box, click Automatic, and then click OK.

4. In the Services dialog box, click Close.

5. Close Control Panel to complete the process of configuring the Schedule
  service to start automatically.

Using the At.exe Command to Schedule a Backup Job:

Now you're ready to use the At.exe command and the batch file that you created in
the "Creating a Batch File for the Backup Job" section of this article to
schedule an automatic tape backup job. To use the At.exe command to schedule a
backup job:

1. Click Start, click Run, type "cmd" (without the quotation marks), and then
  click OK.

2. At the command prompt, type the appropriate commands to schedule the backup
  job to run automatically by using the batch file that you created in the
  "Creating a Batch File for the Backup Job" section of this article, and then
  press ENTER. The command-line utility that is used to schedule a task to run
  is At.exe. The syntax for using the At.exe command is:

  at \\computer nameid/delete time
  /interactive/every:date[,...]/next:date[,...] "command"

  The following list describes the switches that you can use with the At.exe
  command:

   - \\computer name - Specifies a remote computer. If you omit this switch,
     the commands are scheduled on the local computer.
   - id - Assigns an identification number to a scheduled command.
   - /delete - Cancels a scheduled command. If you use this switch and omit an
     id, all of the scheduled commands on the computer are canceled.
   - time - Specifies the time that the command is to run. Time is expressed as
     hour:minutes in 24-hour notation. It runs 00:00 (midnight) though 23:59.
   - /interactive - Allows the backup job to interact with the desktop of the
     user that is logged on at the time the backup job runs. If omitted, the
     backup job runs, but is not visible on the desktop.
   - /every:date[,...] - Specifies the weekdays or days of the month that a
     command is to run. Specify date as one or more days of the week
     (M,T,W,Th,F,S,Su) or one or more days of the month (by using numbers 1
     through 31). If you omit this switch, the default is the current day of
     the month.
   - /next:date[,...] - Specifies the next weekdays or days of the month a
     command is to run. If you omit this switch, the default is the current day
     of the month.
   - command - Specifies the program or batch file to run, such as
     C:\Backup.cmd.

  For example, to schedule a backup to run at 23:00 every weekday by using the
  C:\Backup.cmd batch file, you would use the "at 23:00 /every:M,T,W,Th,F
  "c:\Backup.cmd"" (without the quotation marks) At.exe command.

3. At the command prompt, type "exit" (without the quotation marks), and then
  press ENTER to complete the scheduling of an automatic tape backup job by
  using the At.exe command. The backup will run, automatically, on the days and
  times that you specified.

REFERENCES
==========

For more information about how to schedule a backup job by using the At.exe
command, see Module 11 of the Microsoft Official Curriculum, Course Number 803,
Administering Microsoft Windows NT 4.0:

  http://www.microsoft.com/TRAINCERT/SYLLABI/803BFINAL.ASP

For additional information about how to manually create a tape backup job, click
the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q316340 HOW TO: Back Up Files and Folders on a Windows NT 4.0 Computer by
  Using Windows NT Backup

For additional information about how to restore data from tape, click the article
number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q309340 HOW TO: Use Backup to Restore Files and Folders on Your Computer

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbenv kbhw kbtool kbAudITPro kbHOWTOmaster 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400
Version           : :4.0
Issue type        : kbhowto

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