Scripted Backup Will Not Wake Computer

[shaegelin]

I need my computers to wake to run backups at night.

 

The Retrospect 7.7 press release states:

it [Retrospect] can also wake Windows and Mac computers that are in standby (sleep) mode, allowing those systems to await backup in a low power usage state and providing significant cost savings over time.

 

This is not working for me under Windows 7 or XP. Both fail to auto launch at night but then want to start once I wake the computer manually.

[Mayoff]

The backup server itself will not wake up, but the Retrospect will use Wake on Lan.

 

Did you check the option in the client properties to enable this option? You may also need to use a Proactive Backup script for this feature to work correctly.

[shaegelin]

I have three desktops connected to a home network along with some printers and a NAS device.

 

All I want to do is have the retrospect pro that is running on a desktop wake that same desktop and run its scripted backup.

 

1) Is that possible?

2) Is it possible using windows task scheduler to do the waking?

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

 

 

[Ramon88]

We are not using 7.7 yet, but here is some general wake-on-lan (WOL) advice.

 

You need to enable WOL on your client system. This is a combination of hardware (BIOS) and OS settings. Only after you have done that correctly it will be possible for a program to send a 'magic packet' and a WOL enabled client to receive that packet and wake up.

 

Some more info is to be found on Wikipedia .

[poorman]

It seems clear that while Retrospect 7.7 will use wake-on-LAN to wake up clients, it simply isn't designed to wake the server machine for scheduled backups.

 

It appears that Windows 7 Task Scheduler can do the job. I created a basic task on a test machine (which is running Windows 7 RC) and modified the task's properties to enable it to wake the machine. The machine woke up at the scheduled time. So, if you created one or more scheduled tasks on your Retrospect server to wake you machine a few minutes before each scheduled backup then Retrospect will probably run as you desire.

 

If you try this please do report back on this thread so we all can learn from your experience.

 

-- Pete

[Ramon88]

A crude (but effective) method for waking a computer at a fixed time is by setting a power on time in the BIOS.

[shaegelin]

As of Retrospect 7.7, automated backups will not wake a sleeping computer. To be clear, a script will not wake the same computer that is running that script. Hopefully EMC will add this in the future.

 

To wake a sleeping computer for backup, use Windows Task Scheduler to wake the computer one minute before your Retrospect script is scheduled to run. This has worked successfully for me in XP, Vista and Windows 7. (in XP I could only find this feature searching help, "Task Schedule").

 

The ability to wake a computer for backup, without duplicating the command in windows task scheduler, is a fundamental part of having automated backups. EMC needs to add this feature to Pro and Express to support the many home users backing up one machine or a small network (not able to wake-on-lan). Although windows task scheduler works, it requires a duplicate command to first wake the computer before the retrospect automated script. Also, task scheduler does not automatically close Retrospect when finished even when Retrospect Preferences are set to do so.

 

Steve

automate script wake fail