5 1 0:Managing SEP sesam Events

Welcome to the latest SEP sesam documentation version 5.1.0 Apollon. For previous documentation version(s), check documentation archive.

Overview

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SEP sesam events are created and scheduled to automate and perform specific tasks within the backup and recovery process. A task defines the scope and methodology of a specific operation, such as backup, and events represent the individual executions of that task. A task can be executed only once as a standalone, non-recurring instance (with the option Immediate start) or linked with an event to a schedule for regular or repeated execution. Events are created for all commonly used actions such as backup, restore, migration, replication, media, and commands.

SEP sesam events enable powerful functionalities, including automated restores, scheduling various external scripts (Linux Shell, Windows PowerShell, etc.), or even running different external applications, for example, ORACLE backup via RMAN, SAP HANA backup via BACKINT, and others.

Scheduled events are triggered by SEPuler, the SEP sesam event scheduler. They are started at predefined time intervals or on specific dates, as defined in schedules they are linked to. Additionally, an event can be triggered by user interaction, as a follow-up event by the completion of a previous task, or through notification, where an event is initiated by an external system.

For a particular task, multiple events can be created within different schedules, each with its own set of parameters and configurations, accommodating diverse requirements and scenarios.

To prevent possible task conflicts and efficiently manage tasks in the execution queue, SEP sesam enables setting the event priority. Furthermore, blocking events can be used to prevent execution of other events on specific days or at certain hours.

Event priority

To implement more complex event strategies, events can be assigned different priorities to resolve scheduling conflicts. Event priority affects the execution order of different events and determines which event takes precedence when equal events occur on the same backup day.

The priorities range from the lowest (1, default) to the highest (99). Events with a priority of 0 are always executed first, overriding all other priorities. However, they do not suppress the execution of other events and cannot be used as blocking events. Additionally, events with a priority of 0 cannot be blocked themselves. Events triggered by immediate start are assigned priority 0 by default.

During each SEP sesam backup day, scheduled events are evaluated based on their type and priority. Events of the same type with the same task name (for example, a backup) are examined to determine if higher priority events of the same type have already expired or are still scheduled to run. In cases where higher priority events of the same type are scheduled, SEP sesam suppresses the execution of lower priority events.

	Note
	Event priority determines the order in which jobs are executed from the queue, regardless of the equality of events. If there are jobs in the queue and a new event with a higher priority is activated by SEPuler, that job will access a busy device first.

When multiple equal events are scheduled for the same backup day, only the event with the highest priority will be executed. This ensures that only the event with the highest priority is executed for tasks, associated with multiple overlapping schedules on specific days. However, if all equal events have the same priority (e.g., the default priority of 1), all of them will be executed.

Note

To control the suppression of events to specific time periods rather than the entire backup day, you can configure the suppress_with_timerange database key to yes in the system settings, and set the Start time frame option in the schedule settings of the higher-priority event. This configuration applies to regular and blocking events, and ensures that equal events with lower priority are suppressed only during the specified time frame, providing more precise control over event scheduling.

Equality of events

Events are equal when they are of the same type and are based on the same task. Specifically, for backup events (and the same principle applies to migration, replication, command, and restore events), events are considered equal if their task names match. This means that events with the same task name are considered as equal backup events.

Task groups are handled in the same manner as individual tasks. If two events are created for the same task group, they are considered equal.

For media events, such as those related to handling storage media, equality is determined by comparing the drive number or drive group number associated with the events. If two media events have the same drive number or drive group number, they are considered equal. See also the example below.

Blocking events

Blocking events prevent the activation of other events during specific timeframes. They allow you to temporarily suspend certain activities or ensure that conflicting activities do not occur simultaneously. Blocking events do not create an entry in the job status but instead send a notification indicating their activation.

A blocking event prevents other events from executing without initiating any action itself. In contrast, regular events suppress equal events of lower priority while performing their configured tasks. This means that while a regular event actively executes a backup or other task, a blocking event only prevents other events from executing, without performing any additional actions.

Blocking events also use event priorities to resolve scheduling and determine the order of execution for events. On the designated SEP sesam backup day, a blocking event suppresses the execution of other events, regardless of whether they are scheduled to run before, during, or after the blocking event. See also the example below.

Example

In the following example a backup task for a client is scheduled through three different schedules:

Daily: This backup schedule, intended for daily incremental backups, is set to run every day at 6 PM.
Weekly: This backup schedule, intended for weekly differential backups, is configured to run on Sundays at 9 AM.
Monthly: This backup schedule, intended for monthly full backups, is scheduled for the last day of each month at 10 PM.

In this example, the events are created with the following priorities: priority 1 for the daily incremental backup, priority 2 for the weekly differential backup, and priority 3 for the monthly full backup.

Name	Time	Priority	Purpose
Daily	6 PM	1	daily incremental backups
Weekly	9 AM	2	differential backups on Sunday
Monthly	10 PM	3	full backups at the end of the month

Based on the event priorities, SEP sesam will handle the execution order of these equal events as follows:

If the daily incremental backup event (priority 1) and the weekly differential backup event (priority 2) are scheduled to run on the same backup day, the event with priority 2 takes precedence and is executed, while the lower priority event (daily incremental) is suppressed and not performed.
If the monthly full backup event (priority 3) coincides with either the daily incremental or the weekly differential backup events (or even both), the monthly full backup event with priority 3 is executed instead of the lower priority events.

In addition to the previous events, a blocking event for the same backup task is scheduled to run yearly on January 1^st with priority 9.

Name	Time	Priority	Purpose
Yearly	12 PM	9	block backup on January 1^st

When January 1^st aligns with any of the scheduled backup events (daily incremental, weekly differential, or monthly full), the blocking event with priority 9 will take precedence. It overrides all equal events with lower priorities and prevents them from running on that specific date.

Standard event types

Standard event types are used to automate and perform specific tasks within the backup and recovery process. The following event types are available:

Backup event: Used for performing backups and can be created for a task or a task group.
Command event: Used for executing custom commands or scripts.
Restore event: Used for restoring data from backups.
Migration event: Used for migrating data to different storage or systems.
Replication event: Used for replicating data to a secondary location.
Media event: Used for managing media-related tasks, such as initializing media or performing archive adjustment.

Special event types

In addition to the standard event types, SEP sesam also provides special events that serve specific purposes in scheduling and task execution. These events include:

Newday events: This event marks the start of a new backup day. It is typically used for administrative purposes.
Blocking events: These events are used to block or prevent the execution of other events. They are useful for creating custom schedules or managing event dependencies.
Follow-up events: These events are triggered by the successful completion of a previous event. They enable sequential execution of tasks, ensuring that dependent actions are performed in a specific order.
Failover events: These events are used when the original backup task event cannot be executed successfully because data storage (media pool or data store) is not accessible. They provide a mechanism to redirect tasks to alternative data storage resources.

Viewing events

The SEP sesam Web UI enables users to effectively track their scheduled activities. It offers a detailed overview of past events categorized by task type, allowing users to easily review their status. Additionally, the Web UI provides dedicated views under Monitoring for currently active jobs and future events that are scheduled to run. Different filters are provided in the views that can be applied to refine the lists and limit the displayed results.

In SEP sesam GUI, the Calendar sheet offers an overview of all events and their current status for a selected day. It includes future events scheduled to run on that specific day, and past events that have been completed or expired. All events in SEP sesam, including unique and non-recurring tasks, are initiated by the SEPuler. To access and review these events within the Calendar Sheet, navigate to Main Selection -> Scheduling -> Calendar Sheet.