Configuring schedules for backup jobs

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
Backup Exec lets you configure the time and the frequency for which you want to run jobs. You can run jobs immediately, once on a specific day and time, or more than once according to a schedule. Backup Exec lets you use minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years as measurements of time to create a recurring pattern for the schedule. Alternatively, you can select specific days of the month to create a recurring schedule on which jobs should run.
See How job scheduling works in Backup Exec.
For information about configuring a schedule for a Forever Incremental backup, refer to the following chapter.
See “ Forever Incremental Backup ”.
You can configure default options for schedules, which all your jobs inherit when you create them. Or you can override the default schedule settings when you create jobs.
To configure schedules for jobs
  1. Do one of the following:
    To configure default schedule settings for all backup jobs - Click the Backup Exec button, and then select Configuration and Settings .
    - Select Job Defaults , and then select the type of backup for which you want to configure schedule settings.
    To configure a schedule for specific backup jobs - Create a new backup definition or edit an existing backup definition.
    - In the Backup box, click Edit .
  2. In the left pane, click Schedule.
  3. In the Job template name field, type the name of the job template for which you want to configure a schedule.
Job templates are the collection of settings that Backup Exec uses to create jobs. Backup job settings can include scheduling options, storage device options, or backup methods for selected types of data, for example. When you want to run a backup, Backup Exec combines the job template with the backup selections to create a backup job that runs according to the options that you specified.
The job template name that you enter in this field is used to create the job name.
  1. In the Job name field, type the name of the job for which you want to configure a schedule.
The unique job name helps you to identify backup jobs in Backup Exec. This is only available to set per job, not as a default backup job setting.
  1. For each job for which you want to configure a schedule, do one of the following:
    To configure recurring jobs Complete the following steps\:
    - Select Recurrence .
    - Proceed to step 6 to configure the recurrence pattern.
    To configure jobs to run immediately without any recurrences Complete the following steps\:
    - Select Run now with no recurring schedule .
    - Proceed to step 9.
    Note: This option is only available for full backup jobs.
    To configure a job without a schedule Complete the following steps\:
    - Select Create without a schedule .
    - Proceed to step 10.
    When you use this option, the jobs do not run at the time of creation and they do not have a recurring schedule. The jobs remain unscheduled until you choose to run them. You can use a third-party job automation or task scheduling tool to run the jobs later.
    You can run unscheduled backup jobs later by using the Run Next Backup Now option or you can manually run the job by using the Run Now option.
    If you use this option to create a job, you cannot place the job on hold. You cannot place jobs on hold unless they are scheduled.
  2. To configure the recurrence pattern, complete the following options:
    Hours Select this option to create a recurrence pattern that is measured in hours or minutes.
    When you selectHours, you can configure the following options:
    - Every X hour/minute Indicate the number of hours or minutes between the start time of a job and the start time of the next job instance.
    - You must choose between the following options: From Designate the starting time for a job to run. Between Restrict the job to certain hours and days. For example, if you only want the job to run during business hours, you can select 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The start time and end time can span a maximum of 24 hours. However, they can cross over midnight into the following day.
    Days Select this option to create a recurrence pattern that is measured in days.
    When you selectDays, you must choose between the following options:
    - Every X day Indicate the number of days between the start time of a job and the start time of the next job instance.
    - Every weekday Select this option to enable the job to run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
    Weeks Select this option to create a recurrence pattern that is measured in weeks.
    When you create a recurrence pattern that is measured in weeks, you must configure the Every X week on field. The Every X week on specifies the number of weeks between the start time of a job and the start time of the next job instance. It also specifies the days of the week on which the job should run.
    Months Select this option to create a recurrence pattern that is measured in months.
    When you selectMonths, you must choose between the following options:
    - Day X of every X month Specify the day on which the job should run. Then indicate the number of months between the start time of a job and the start time of the next job instance.
    - Every X X of every X month Specify the day on which the job should run. Then indicate the number of months between the start time of a job and the start time of the next job instance.
    - Selected days of the month Specify the weeks and days of the month on which Backup Exec runs the job. You select the days and weeks on a grid. The recurrence pattern that you select repeats itself every month. The default setting is for the job to run every month on the current week and day of the month. If you create the job on the third Monday of the month, the default setting is for the job to run once a month on the third Monday. You can change the default or select additional days on which the job should run. For example, if you want the job to run on the last Friday of every month, select the check box for Friday in the last row of the grid. Any additional days that you select are added to the monthly recurrence pattern.
    - Selected dates of the month Specify the dates of the month on which Backup Exec runs the job. The recurrence pattern that you select repeats itself every month. The default setting is for the job to run every month on the current date of the month. If you create the job on the 15th, the default setting is for the job to run once a month on the 15th. You can change the default or select additional days on which the job should run. For example, if you want the job to run on the 1st and 15th of every month, select only those dates in the calendar. Any additional days that you select are added to the monthly recurrence pattern. If you select the 31st, the job runs on the last day of the month in months that do not have 31 days. For example, if you configure the job to run on the 31st, in September the job runs on the 30th instead.
    Years Select this option to create a recurrence pattern that is measured in years.
    When you selectYears, you can configure the following options:
    - Every X year Specify the number of years between the start time of a job and the start time of the next job instance.
    - You must choose between the following options: On X Specify the date on which Backup Exec runs the job. The date that you select in this field corresponds to the number of years that you selected in the Every X year field. So if you selected to run the job every 2 years and you selected June 28th in this field, the job runs every 2 years on June 28th. On the X of X Specify the day and month on which Backup Exec runs the job. The date that you select in this field corresponds to the number of years that you selected in the Every X year field. So if you selected to run the job every 2 years and you selected the fourth Thursday of June in this field, the job runs every 2 years on the fourth Thursday of June.
    at Enter the starting time for the first job in the recurrence pattern.
    Starting on Enter the date on which you want the recurrence pattern to begin.
    The date that you enter in this field is the date on which the schedule goes into effect. You can select any date in the past or the future. If you select a date that occurred in the past, Backup Exec calculates the date of the next upcoming job and begins running recurring jobs on that date.
    Calendar Click this option to view all scheduled backup jobs on a calendar to check for scheduling conflicts.
    Run initial full backup now in addition to the selected schedule Select this option to run the initial full backup as soon as the job is created without affecting the schedule of future jobs.
    Reschedule the job if it does not start X hours after its scheduled start time Specify the amount of time past the job's scheduled start time at which you want Backup Exec to change the job completion status to Missed. The job is rescheduled to run based on the time window that you configured.
    See List of job statuses in Backup Exec .
    Cancel the job if it is running X hours after its scheduled start time Specify the amount of time after the job's scheduled start time at which you want to cancel the job if it is still running. Backup Exec changes the job completion status to Canceled, timed out .
    See List of job statuses in Backup Exec .
  3. To configure specific dates to include with the recurring job schedule, select the Include/exclude dates tab, and then complete the following steps:
    • Click Include dates.
    • Select the dates that you want to include with the recurring job schedule.
    • Click OK.
The job runs on all of the dates that you select using this option, in addition to the dates that are part of its normal schedule recurrence. The job resumes its normal schedule on the next day that it is scheduled after an include date.
See Including a specific date in the schedule for a backup job.
  1. To configure specific dates to exclude from the job schedule, select the Include/exclude dates tab, and then complete the following steps:
    • Click Exclude dates.
    • Select the dates that you want to exclude from the recurring job schedule.
    • Click OK.
The job does not run on any of the dates that you select using this option. It resumes its normal schedule on the next day that a job is scheduled after an excluded date.
See Preventing backup jobs from running on a specific date.
  1. To submit jobs with an on-hold status, select Submit job on hold.
You should select this option if you want to submit the job, but you do not want the job to run until a later date. The job runs later when you change the job's hold status.
  1. Click OK.
More Information
Changing default backup job settings
Backing up data
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