Working with timer

The Timer module is a flexible general-purpose module used for all timing functions within an agent. The basic functional principle is that of a list of timer entries each of which invokes an action when the timer "fires". There are many applications internal to the agent which need access to a timer service, not to mention the need for a flexible scheduler for general external use. Types of actions include Hardware and Software uploads, generating Reports , managing Alerts and Events or File Store functions.

List

The List tab of the Timer module table displays the list of all currently existing timers with the following information:

Parameter

Description

Name

The Name field specifies the name given to a specific Timer .

Description

The Description entry is optional. If it is used it should be a brief descriptive entry of the respective Timer and what it relates to.

Enable Type

This entry defines when the timer will be enabled, possible values are:

  • Never – If the entry is set to this value, the timer will never be enabled and its Status value will automatically be Disabled.
  • Immediate – If the entry is set to this value, the timer will be activated immediately.
  • Next Agent Startup – Through this value the timer will be activated at the next startup of the agent on the local client.
  • Every Agent Startup – This value activates the timer at every startup of the agent on the local client.
  • Enable Time – If you select this value, the timer becomes enabled or activated at a specifically defined date and time.

CronSpec

The CronSpec field specifies the frequency of execution for each particular Timer . The time specification is a crontab-like string made up of the following ranges: seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, week, days. Each set of ranges can be preceded by a % sign which will change the meaning from absolute to relative number. For instance if seconds equals 29 the timer will get fired each time the absolute time ends with a number of seconds equal to 29 (for example, 11:43:29) whereas %20 means every 20 seconds every minute, that is, at 13:25:00, 13:25:20, 13:25:40, 13:26:00, and so on. Ranges are comma-separated lists. A range is made of a number eventually followed by a '-' sign and another number or a '*' sign for any value. Number of seconds can vary from 0-59 (max. resolution of 5 seconds). Number of minutes can vary from 0-59. Number of hours can vary from 0-23. Number of days can vary from 1-31. Number of months can vary from 1-12 (1 is January). Number of week days can vary from 0-6 (0 is Sunday).

Examples:

  • Every 30 seconds: %30 * * * * *
  • Every December 31st at 0:00: * 0 0 31 12 *
  • At 8:15 and 12:15 every Monday: * 15 8,12 * * 1
  • Timer fires every day at midnight: 0 0 0 * * *
  • Timer fires every odd month at noon during the week: 0 0 12 * 1,3,5,7,9,11 1-5.
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