Category: Argent Job Scheduling

KBI 312156 Enhancement Argent Job Scheduler Is Now With Exchange Web Service For Microsoft 365

Version Argent Job Scheduler 10.0-2401-A and above Date Friday, 23 February 2024 Summary Option to configure Exchange Web Service for Microsoft 365 in Argent Job Scheduler Following are the benefits of integrating Exchange Web Service, which includes: Effortless Email Communication Customers can send emails straight through the application with ease, which expedites their communication procedures. […]

Argent Job Scheduling

These articles explain how Argent Job Scheduling works, the product’s architecture, and important concepts. Argent Job Scheduling consists of two components: Argent Scheduler Argent Queue Engine The important concepts to understand are: Rollover Background Jobs Security Fault Tolerance And Backup Nodes

Affinity Parameters

There are three options for Affinity on the Argent Job Scheduler’s Job Server Group screen (J20C): First Available Server All Servers Specified Above Least-busy Server (Lowest CPU) First Available Server: This option, as the name implies, means that if a job is submitted and there are multiple Argent Queue Engines from which to choose, then […]

Argent Job Scheduler Credentials

Argent Job Scheduler supports several ways to define the log on credentials used when a job is submitted to an Argent Queue Engine server for execution. This help article discusses the supported options and describes several different techniques. Default Queue Engine Account vs ‘Run-As’ Credentials When a job is submitted to Argent Queue Engine for […]

Argent Job Scheduler Migration To SQL Server

Migrate Argent Job Scheduler From CodeBase to SQL 7.0 (or above) Backend Argent Job Scheduler consists of Scheduling Engine and Queue Engine. The Scheduling Engine can use MS SQL server as its database backend. The migration steps are described as follows. Click For Full Size The first step is to back up the Argent Job […]

Argent Queue Engine

Argent Job Scheduling consists of two products: the Argent Scheduler and the Argent Queue Engine. Both products consist of a service and a GUI client. The normal installation will configure a server and use the service account. The Argent Queue Engine is installed on all servers where jobs run – the Argent Queue Engine runs […]

Argent Queue Engine Error Codes

This article explains the error codes produced by the Argent Queue Engine. When you attempt to control a Job you are restricted from or if you attempt to exceed a Queue limit, the Argent Queue Engine provides an error code to explain the condition. Below is the list of Argent Queue Engine error codes and […]

Argent Scheduler

The Argent Scheduler consists of a service and a client GUI. In most cases the service and client GUI are installed on the same machine. You can also install just the client GUI of the Argent Scheduler on the desktops of users who need to schedule jobs regularly. A frequently asked question is, “If I […]

Archived Jobs

Archiving is used to keep track of all the Jobs submitted by Argent Job Scheduler Archival can be done automatically or manually to the default Argent database or separate database configured by the user Archiving is the feature by which Argent Job Scheduler stores and retrieves historical information of all Jobs handled by Argent Job […]

Background Jobs

A job scheduler by nature is designed to run jobs in the background, as opposed to the foreground or interactively. Thus, a program requiring mouse or keyboard input will not run correctly until it is modified. This is by design — any program requiring user intervention cannot be run in the background; how would you […]

Command Reference

While most Argent Customers prefer to manage their jobs through the Argent Scheduler GUI and the Argent Queue Engine GUI, a compete set of commands are provided, so you can programmatically control your scheduling. Each command uses a unique set of qualifiers, or switches. Qualifiers begin with the forward slash character. Many qualifiers can specify […]

Network Usage

You can use all of the commands across the network. There are two different ways to use the commands across a network. The first is to use the /SERVER qualifier every time you enter a command. The second is to set the XS_SERVER environment variable. Example A Using /SERVER qualifier: C:\>QSHOW /SERVER=SULLIVAN Queue Name Status […]

JSUBMIT

The JSUBMIT.EXE command is used to submit jobs into the current schedule on the Argent Scheduler. Syntax JSUBMIT.EXE /NAME=JobTemplate /PARAMS=Params /SERVER=ServerName /QUEUE=QueueName /ALERT_START=AlertName /ALERT_NORMAL=AlertName /ALERT_ABEND=AlertName /ALERT_LATE_START=AlertName /RUN_AT=dd-MMM-ccyy:hh:mm or hh:mm /EVERY=hh:mm /UNTIL=dd-MMM-ccyy:hh:mm or hh:mm /HOLD Qualifiers /NAMEThis is required and must reference an existing job template definition in the Argent Scheduler where the JSUBMIT.EXE command is […]

QSUBMIT

The QSUBMIT.EXE command submits a job to a queue in an Argent Queue Engine server. The job is specified by its job file, which is either a command procedure (.cmd or .bat) or executable (.exe) file. If this command is being used on the server, i.e. the server on which the Argent Queue Engine service […]

QSYSTEM

The QSYSTEM.EXE command allows the System Administrators to control the queue system settings. Most of the functions of this command are, by default, available only to members of the Administrators or Domain Admin Group on the Argent Queue Engine server. Syntax QSYSTEM.EXE /SHOW /START /STOP /PAUSE /CONTINUE /DEFAULT_QUEUE=QueueName /NO_DEFAULT_QUEUE /LOG_SIZE_LIMIT=KBytes /KEY=LicenseKey /NOSTART /MAX_EXEC_JOBS /MAX_JOB_PROCESSES /LICENSE […]

QCANCEL

The QCANCEL.EXE command cancels, aborts, or discards a job, depending on the current status of the specified job. Syntax QCANCEL.EXE JobNumber /ABORT /SERVER=ServerName Qualifiers If only a job number is provided, the pending job instance is cancelled. /ABORTIf this qualifier is present and the specified job is executing, then the job is aborted. If this […]

QCREATE

The QCREATE.EXE command creates a queue. Various queue properties can be specified when the queue is created, and they can also be changed at a later time with the QMODIFY.EXE command. Default values are used for any attributes that are not specified. The queue name may be up to 16 characters long, and may not […]

QMODIFY

The QMODIFY command modifies one or more of a Queue’s properties. Syntax QMODIFY.EXE QueueName /DESCRIPTION=string /PRIORITY=n /PENDING_JOBS=n | /EXECUTING_JOBS=n | /STOP /START /CLOSE /OPEN /AUTO_START=hh:mm /AUTO_STOP=hh:mm /AUTO_OPEN=hh:mm /AUTO_CLOSE=hh:mm /NOWORLDREAD /NOWORLDCONTROL /SERVER=ServerName /DEFAULT_LOGDIR=NewDefautDir /CREATE_DEFLOGDIR /USE_DEFAULT_LOGDIR /NOUSE_DEFAULT_LOGDIR Qualifiers /DESCRIPTIONThis specifies a new description for the queue. /PRIORITYThis specifies a new priority for the queue. This value may […]

QDELETE

The QDELETE.EXE command deletes a queue, canceling any jobs in the queue. If the queue contains any executing jobs, the QDELETE.EXE command will not delete the queue unless the /ABORT_JOBS qualifier is used. Syntax QDELETE.EXE QueueName /ABORT_JOBS /SERVER=ServerName Qualifiers /ABORT_JOBSThis instructs the Argent Queue Engine to abort any executing jobs in the queue in order […]

QOPEN

The QOPEN.EXE command opens a queue. When a queue is open, and as long as it is not full, it will accept jobs that are submitted to it. Syntax QOPEN.EXE QueueName /SERVER=ServerName Qualifiers /SERVERThis specifies the name of an Argent Queue Engine server. If this qualifier is absent, then the command uses the value of […]

QCLOSE

The QCLOSE.EXE command closes a queue. When a queue is closed, it will not accept jobs that are submitted to it. Syntax QCLOSE.EXE QueueName /SERVER=ServerName Qualifiers /SERVERThis specifies the name of an Argent Queue Engine server. If this qualifier is absent, then the command uses the value of the XS_SERVER environment variable, if defined. If […]

QSTART

The QSTART.EXE command starts a queue. When a queue is started, it will execute jobs that are pending in the queue. Syntax QSTART.EXE QueueName /SERVER=ServerName Qualifiers /SERVERThis specifies the name of an Argent Queue Engine server. If this qualifier is absent, then the command uses the value of the XS_SERVER environment variable, if defined. If […]

QSTOP

The QSTOP.EXE command stops a queue. When a queue is stopped, it will not execute jobs that are pending in the queue. Syntax QSTOP.EXE QueueName /SERVER=ServerName Qualifiers /SERVERThis specifies the name of an Argent Queue Engine server. If this qualifier is absent, then the command uses the value of the XS_SERVER environment variable, if defined. […]

QREQUEUE

The QREQUEUE.EXE command moves a job from one queue to another queue. Syntax QREQUEUE.EXE JobNumber /QUEUE=QueueName /SERVER=ServerName Qualifiers /QUEUEThis specifies which queue to requeue the job to. This qualifier is required. /SERVERThis specifies the name of an Argent Queue Engine server. If this qualifier is absent, then the command uses the value of the XS_SERVER […]

QSHOW

The QSHOW.EXE command displays information about a single queue, a single job, and all queues in the system, or all executing jobs. Syntax QSHOW.EXE /ALL | QueueName /JOBS JobNumber /EXECUTING_JOBS /SERVER=ServerName Qualifiers /ALLThis displays all queues in the system. This is the default if no qualifiers are specified. /JOBSThis can be used with a queue […]

Creating Exit Code Files Using Argent_CC

You can use the Argent_CC.exe utility in your batch jobs to generate an exit code that the Argent Queue Engine can read, to determine if the job completed successfully according to your specifications. Here is an example of using the Argent_CC.exe utility in a batch job. Example: REM JOB3.CMD DIR ARGENT_CC /CC=0004/FILE=%AQM_EXIT_CODE_FILE% This will cause […]

Directory Structure

This series of articles describe the directory structure of the Argent Job Scheduler and the Argent Queue Engine.

Argent Job Scheduler Home Directory

The default value for the root/home directory of the installed program product is typically C:\ARGENT\SchedulingEngine. Customers can change the directory name during product installation. Throughout the remainder of this document, the term “home directory” will be used to refer to the name of the installed product root directory. Sub-Directories The following directories are installed under […]

Argent Queue Engine Home Directory

The default value for the root/home directory of the installed program product is typically C:\ARGENT\QueueEngine. Customers can change the directory name during product installation. Throughout the remainder of this document, the term “home directory” will be used to refer to the name of the installed product root directory. Sub-Directories The following directories are installed under […]

Configurable Standalone Files

Some file processing performed by the Argent Job Scheduler is configurable and is not tied to a specific directory. Configuration Information Files Both the Argent Job Scheduler and the Argent Queue Engine maintain configuration information in three files: hosts.dat timeouts.dat users.dat The hosts.dat and timeouts.dat files contain information about Queue Engine server connections. The users.dat […]

Critical Configuration Settings

This section highlights some Job Scheduler configuration settings that can be critically important in production environments System Options Home Path, Database, ODBC Setup The values for these three prompts can only be changed during upgrade and installation processing. Changing the value of the Home Path, for example, can disrupt production environments by making it impossible […]

Environment Variables

The Argent Job Scheduler supports three important constructs that can be combined to provide great flexibility to customer-developed applications. Environment Strings Environment string support provides a way for a customer to set the value of an environment variable that will be accessible to customer jobs during execution. Environment strings are defined for a job using […]

Fault Tolerance And Backup Nodes

All Argent products are designed for the real world, where not everything goes according to plan all the time… You can define Backup Nodes within Configuration Options to ensure continuity when the primary server running the Argent Scheduler fails. Click For Full Size On the Argent Queue Engine side, you can install separate instances of […]

System Requirements

For Codebase Backup Engine The Primary Engine must be upgraded to the same version as the Backup engine to be installed. For SQL Backup Engine The Primary Engine must be upgraded to the same version as the Backup engine to be installed. SQL 7.0 or Higher One Empty SQL Database on Backup Machine 100 Megabyte […]

How Argent Job Scheduler Codebase Backup Engine Works

In the configuration of main engine, the tab ‘Backup Node‘ specifies the failure-proof path. The main engine writes a live status file ‘TAJSALIV.SVC‘ to the directory, and updates its timestamp in the frequency specified in the same tab. In the configuration of backup engine, the tab ‘Backup Node‘ specifies the failure-proof path as well. IT […]

How To Setup The Codebase Backup Engine

Before the customer begins: The Primary Engine must be upgraded to the same version as the Backup engine to be installed. Customer must be logged on under an account that is in the Administrator’s group. No reboot is needed. On Backup Engine Server From Windows Explorer run setup.exe from Scheduler_Install folder. Click For Full Size […]

How Argent Job Scheduler SQL Backup Engine Works

In the configuration of the main engine, the tab ‘Backup Node‘ specifies the failure-proof path. The main engine writes a live status file ‘TAJSALIV.SVC‘ to the directory, and updates its timestamp in the frequency specified in the same tab. In the configuration of the backup engine, the tab ‘Backup Node‘ specifies the failure-proof path as […]

How To Setup The SQL Backup Engine

Before customers begin: The Primary Engine must be upgraded to the same version as the Backup engine to be installed. One Empty SQL Database on Backup Machine must be created 100 Megabyte Database 100 Megabyte Transaction Log On The Backup Engine Server From Windows Explorer run setup.exe from Scheduler_Install folder. Click For Full Size Click […]

Using MSDE As Argent Job Scheduler Backend

Pre-requisites: IMPORTANT Requirements: W2K SP2 w/MDAC 2.6, IE 5.5 SP2, Access 2000, MSDE (Found on Office 2K CD). NOTE: Unlike SQL Server 7.0/2000, the MSDE has a 2-gigabyte database size limit, doesn’t support Symmetrical Multiprocessing (SMP) on Windows 95 or later, and when using Transactional replication, can’t be a replication publisher (although it can act […]

Installation Of MSDE From Office 2000 CD

The customer starts by navigating to SQL\X86\SETUP\SETUPSQL.EXE and double-click the file name to begin the installation process. Click For Full Size Click For Full Size The customer selects Local Install – Install to the Local Machine then clicks Next to continue. Click For Full Size The customer clicks Next to continue. Click For Full Size […]

Creating a Database for the Argent Job Scheduler To Use

Open up a command prompt on MSDE Server and type “osql -E” Click For Full Size The customer opens a command prompt window on server where MSDE has been installed and types osql -E. The customer then types the following commands. Variable values are highlighted with italics. USE master GO CREATE DATABASE TALC ON ( […]

Creating the DSN for the Argent Job Scheduler

The customer navigates to the ODBC administration tool using Start->All Programs->Administrative Tools->Data Sources (ODBC) as shown in the following example: Click For Full Size The customer clicks the System DSN tab and then clicks Add. Click For Full Size The customer selects SQL Server as shown in the example below. Click For Full Size The […]

Using MSDE As The Argent Backend

If customers are not sure about any steps in the document or are not positive on how to proceed on a certain step, contact Argent Technical Support FIRST. Proceeding with an incorrect step could result in loss of data. Using MSDE as the Argent Backend From the folder where the Argent Job Scheduler install kit […]

Argent Job Scheduler Migration from Codebase To MSDE

Pre-requisites: IMPORTANT Customers who wish to convert to the MSDE backend must upgrade to the most recent version FIRST. If customers attempt to move to the MSDE before upgrading to the current version, the import of fields and tables into the SQL database will fail. ENSURE that the Argent database is experiencing NO Codebase Errors […]

Enhanced Reliability of the Argent Job Scheduler in Tight Core

Background Argent has focused substantial technical and development resources on assessing and improving the effectiveness of Argent Job Scheduler in heavily constrained environments. This document describes unexpected behaviors seen in the Windows operating systems and enhancements Argent has introduced in Argent Job Scheduler to compensate for these Windows problems. Heavily Constrained Environments Under Windows, any […]

Export/Import Tools

Introduction Argent customers need reliable tools to be able to export data from a table in one database and import the data to a different database or server. The ArgSoft XML tools address this need by providing an export tool and an import tool. The export tool is implemented as ARGSOFT_SAVEASXML.EXE. The import tool is […]

Export Tool-ARGSOFT_SAVEASXML.EXE

ARGSOFT_SAVEASXML.EXE supports the following parameters /SERVER_NAME= The name of the database server where the database table to be exported resides /DATABASE_NAME= The name of the database where the table to be exported resides /TABLE_NAME= The name of the table to be exported /FILTER_EXP= An optional expression that can be used to select a subset of […]

Import Tool-ARGSOFT_LOADFROMXML.EXE

ARGSOFT_LOADFROMXML.EXE supports the following parameters /SERVER_NAME= The name of the database server where the database table to be imported resides /DATABASE_NAME= The name of the database where the table to be imported resides /TABLE_NAME= The name of the table to be imported /INPUT_FILE= The fully-qualified path and name of the disk file where the XML […]

Sample Exported XML Disk File

The following is an example of the contents of the XML disk file created during an export from an origin database table: Click For Full Size The generated XML is compatible with other Argent-provided XML manipulation tools. The high-level tag is the pair. The tag contains attributes that represent the parameter input. Each tag represents […]

Examples JS

Example – Synchronizing Calendars Between Argent XT and Argent Job Scheduler Many Argent customers select both the Argent Extended Technology systems management and monitoring product and the Argent Job Scheduler business process management product for deployment within their enterprises. Both products implement a calendar table. The calendar table has an identical column layout in both […]

Installation JS

The Argent Job Scheduler allows users to launch, control and monitor jobs submitted by the Argent Job Scheduler running in the queue engine server. The Argent Job Scheduler is an enterprise-wide batch job scheduling system for production W200x/UNIX/iSeries/SAP environments. Argent Job Scheduler centralizes control of all batch jobs submitted to W200X and UNIX Queue Engines, […]

Argent Job Scheduler Min Prerequisites

To install Argent Job Scheduler, the following minimum system and hardware requirements need to be met: Hardware Requirements At least two CPU cores 2 GB RAM 1 GB of free disk space 1.2 GHz processor or higher Software Requirements Argent Job Scheduler functions on W2008 or later Argent Queue Engine (XS) functions on W2008 or […]

How To Install Argent Job Scheduler

This section explains the step-by-step procedure for installing the Argent Job Scheduler. Before customers begin, please note: Installation takes less than 2 minutes. Customers must be logged on under an account that is in the Administrators group. No reboot is needed. All customers’ existing Job Classes, etc. will be retained if the Upgrade path is […]

How To Upgrade Argent Job Scheduler

This section explains the procedure for upgrading customer’s current version of the Argent Job Scheduler. About Upgrading Upgrading is different than re-installing; when customers upgrade they are only replacing the executable files. This means that their data files remain intact. All customers existing Job Classes, etc. will be retained if they use the Upgrade path […]

How To Install Argent Queue Engines W200X/NT

This section explains the step-by-step procedure for installing the Argent Queue Engine on Windows machine. After the installation, Argent Job Scheduler engine can be configure to execute jobs on the Argent Queue Engine. Step 1: Run SETUP.EXE from Windows Explorer or from the Start Menu (Type: X:\_ARGENT_INSTALL\SETUP.EXE) If you intend to install the Pre-W200X version […]

How To Install UNIX Queue Engines

UNIX Conventions When using UNIX via its command line interface, UNIX displays a prompt that signifies that it is ready to receive a command from the user. The character(s) used by this prompt can be significant. The standard default prompt for the UNIX Super User, the user with universal permissions, who is usually an administrator, […]

Solaris JS

Installing Argent Queue Engine On Solaris Using pkgadd The Solaris Queue Engine is delivered via a software package that can be installed via the pkgadd utility. By default, pkgadd looks for packages in the /var/spool/pkg directory. Move the Solaris Queue Engine to this directory, then uncompress and expand it into the ARGTqe folder. Then issue […]

Solaris x86

Installing Argent Queue Engine On Solaris x86 Before installation of the Argent Queue Engine you must have a valid license file (tabflicense.dat). Transfer the Solaris x86 Argent Queue Engine file and the license file to the /tmp directory on the host. Instructions Login into the host as the “root” user. Change directory to /tmp. cd […]

HP-UX JS

Installing Argent Queue Engine Software on HP-UX HP-UX uses the swinstall utility to install software packages called depots. Download and uncompress THE_ARGENT_QUEUE_ENGINE_4_6A_0601_HPUX_DEPOT.TAR.Z. To install the Queue Engine, issue the following command: # swinstall -x ask=true -s /install_dir/ARGTqe.depot ARGTqe Where /install_dir/ARGTqe.depot is the full path name of the Queue Engine depot file. The installation will ask […]

AIX JS

Installing Argent Queue Engine Software on AIX For the AIX platform the Queue Engine is packaged in a compressed tar file. This tar file automatically expands to fill the opt/ARGTqe directory directly under the location of the tar file. To install the Queue Engine, issue the following commands: # mv THE_ARGENT_QUEUE_ENGINE_4_6A_0601_AIX.TAR.GZ / # cd / […]

Linux JS

Installing Argent Queue Engine Software on Linux For the Linux platform the Queue Engine is packaged in a compressed tar file. This tar file automatically expands to fill the opt/ARGTqe directory directly under the location of the tar file. To install the Queue Engine, issue the following commands, substituting the actual file prefix for THE_ARGENT_QUEUE_ENGINE_LINUX: […]

Starting Queue Engines Manually

Starting Queue Engine Manually As part of the installation process, a message is printed toward the end that indicates the directory path that should be added to the PATH variable of root and any other user using the QE utilities. Once root’s PATH variable has been set properly, the administrator can start or stop the […]

How To Install Argent iSeries Job Adapters

To install the Argent Job Scheduler Adapter for iSeries, customers must be signed on as the system security officer. This is the QSECOFR user profile. The installation must be performed under this user profile. Customers also need to be familiar with manipulating iSeries save file objects and File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Before beginning the installation […]

How To Prepare An Argent Job Scheduler Machine For SAP Integration

Customers should contact SAP administrator to install SAP Front End package compatible with your SAP system on Argent Job Scheduler main engine and any client machines. User should gather the following SAP system and logon information, which are needed for Argent Job Scheduler configuration information. SAP server name SAP application server (usually the IP address […]

Argent Queue Engine Web Interface Overview

The Argent Queue Engine Web Interface is a lightweight, reduced version of the Argent Queue Engine product. The Argent Queue Engine Web Interface enables customers to completely administer all aspects of Argent Queue Engine products using a web browser. Configuration and management can be handled from any machine with a web browser, without the need […]

System Requirements-Queue Engine Web Interface

The system requirements are: Windows 200x/NT/XP 256 MB RAM 500 MB of disk space 500 MHz Processor or higher The software requirements for Queue Engine Web Interface are: IIS 5.0 or higher Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher NET Framework Version 1.1 Argent Queue Engine installed. Your Argent Job Scheduler is a critical production system, the […]

Argent Queue Engine Web Interface Installation Guide QE

Run SETUP. EXE and click the Next button as shown below: Click For Full Size On the following screen, click the Next button. Click For Full Size Accept the License Agreement and click Next button. Click For Full Size Select the desired Destination Folder for installing the Argent Queue Engine Web Interface by using the […]

Migrating To Argent Queue Engine 7.1A-XS

With the introduction of Argent Job Scheduler version 5.0A-0604 and later there are two possible types of Argent Queue Engines that can be implemented: An NT version; and An XS version. The NT version of the Argent Queue Engine can be run on either Windows NT or Windows W200x. In contrast, the new XS version […]

Argent Job Scheduler Migration-Prerequisites

Ensure that all appropriate precautions are taken before attempting any Argent Job Scheduler upgrade. At a minimum this should include: Bringing the Argent Job Scheduler and Argent Queue Engine environments to an orderly end (a quiescent state); Notification of all users of the outage window; A full SQL database backup; A full Argent Job Scheduler […]

Argent Job Scheduler-Scheduling Engine Migration Steps

Before upgrading the NT version of the Argent Queue Engine to the XS version, it is recommended that the Argent Job Scheduler – Scheduling Engine be upgraded first. To upgrade the Argent Job Scheduler – Scheduling Engine, perform the below steps: Stop The Argent Job Scheduler – Scheduling Engine service using the Service Control Manager […]

Argent Job Scheduler Queue Engine Migration Steps

Do the following to migrate the Argent Queue Engine from the NT version to the XS version: Ensure that the Argent Job Scheduler – Scheduling Engine service has been stopped. Open a command prompt window and navigate to (drive):\ARGENT\SchedulingEngine directory and run: XS_MIGRATE /GET servername where servername is the name of the server where the […]

Changing TCP/IP Ports For Remote XS Engines

The new XS Argent Queue Engine uses TCP port 3135. The older NT-version Argent Queue Engine uses TCP port 3000. For customers connecting with remote Argent Queue Engines, once the remote Argent Queue Engine is upgraded to an XS style Argent Queue Engine, the port in the Argent Job Scheduler needs to be changed to […]

Rollover

Rollover is a crucial concept. By default, Rollover occurs everyday at midnight. You can change the time of Rollover in the System Configuration screen of the Argent Scheduler, although this is not recommended – loading all the new day’s jobs at the start of the new day is the most straightforward approach. Rollover is the […]

Security AJS

Argent has a very granular and highly definable security setup. It utilizes the security infrastructure contained within Windows to enforce security settings. By default, all jobs submitted via the Argent Scheduler are run under the context of the Default account. This account is specified in Configuration Options within the Argent Queue Engine and by default […]

Argent Scheduler Security

The Argent Scheduler interface is the first place security should be set. This will immediately limit the ability of non-administrator level users from inappropriately accessing the Argent Scheduler interface and associated settings. Security Sensitive Operations The security settings for the Argent Scheduler interface are located on Security tab in the Configuration dialog. This can be […]

Job Class Security

The finite control of security for Job Class resides in the Job Class and Job Template configuration. Setting these security settings directly control how a user or group of users can interact with a specific Job Class. This includes settings such as being able to submit a job to a queue or making specific changes […]

Argent Queue Engine Based Security

As well as security applied to the Argent Job Control Panel, security options can be configured for the Argent Queue Engine and associated Queues, allowing total control over the entire lifecycle of a Job. The permissions associated with the Queue Engine only apply to Jobs that are being submitted to the Queue Engine or Jobs […]

Job Instance Security

Job Instance Security allows users to apply security directly to each scheduled Job Instance and also all instances running on a specified Queue. These permissions can be used to prevent other non-administrative users from tampering with or removing the Job. The Job Instance permissions can be set from the Argent Job Control Panel, the Argent […]

Argent Job Scheduler Training

Managing an IT environment means managing tasks. Today’s operating systems provide rudimentary scheduling systems – at best. The Windows “Scheduled Tasks” interface is quite limited, providing almost nothing in the realm of alerting on failed jobs, and even less when trying to automate hundreds or thousands of jobs per day. And the UNIX/Linux chron scheduler […]

What Are The Essential Requirements For A Production Job Scheduler?

There are a number of production job scheduling products available in the market today. Many of these vendors have a background in scheduling, often times originating in mainframe scheduling. Today some of the leading job scheduling vendors are: Argent Software BMC Software CA UC4 The most critical features for a production job scheduling product are […]

How Argent Addresses The Essential Requirements For Production Job Scheduling

1 – Security Argent provides a number of different levels of security. Argent’s products are used by the U.S. federal government agency called Intelink, which links the CIA, FBI, NSA, and other agencies they don’t want to mention… All communication across the TCP/IP links is encrypted. Argent philosophy to encryption is to provide an architecture […]

What Are The Main Features Needed For A Production Job Scheduler?

In this section, the most important features of a job scheduling product are described. Needless to say, different vendors’ perception of the features Customers require differ, but the features listed here are common to all Customers, what varies from one Customer to the next is the relative importance of the specific feature. 1 – Distributed […]

Components Of The Argent Job Scheduler

There are two components to the Argent Job Scheduling product, namely the actual scheduler and the queue engine. Within the Argent Job Scheduler product, these are respectively referred to as the “Argent Scheduler” and the “Argent Queue Engine”; in shorthand notation: Argent Job Scheduler = Argent Scheduler + Argent Queue Engine The scheduler schedules the […]

Overview And Sample Installations

Simple Single Installation The illustration below shows a sample installation of the Argent Job Scheduler. In the example, there is a single, central Argent Scheduler and three remote Queue Engines. Each Argent Queue Engine runs the jobs on its corresponding server submitted from the Argent Scheduler. Click For Full Size Multiple Installation The example below […]

What Is A Job?

A “job”, or “batch job”, or “job instance” – the terms are synonymous – is the basic unit of work executed on a queue engine. “Job Instance” will be used for maximum clarity. This discussion about jobs uses Windows as the motif, but the discussion is easily transposed to UNIX, Linux, or iSeries. Each job […]

What Does The Argent Queue Engine Do?

The Argent Queue Engine supervises the running of a job instance, or an external job. As with all Argent products, the Argent Queue Engine uses no kernel-mode code, and only public APIs. This disciplined engineering approach means the last barrage of service packs will not destabilize Argent, and a new release of the operating system […]

How the Argent Queue Engine Works-Queues

When initially installed, three queues are created, these queues are called HIGH_PRIORITY, LOW_PRIORITY and QUEUE1; queue names can be up to 32 characters in length, and the more meaningful the name, the better. A queue is an independent work area within the Argent Queue Engine. Queues in the Argent Queue Engine are independent of each […]

Command-line Options

Command-line interpreters allow various commands to be issued in a very efficient (and often terse) way. Argent includes a complete set of commands to programmatically control the Argent Queue Engine. Each command uses a unique set of qualifiers, or switches. Qualifiers begin with the forward slash character ( / ). Many qualifiers can specify values, […]

Command-Line Examples

The Argent Queue Engine provides the following commands: QSUBMIT QSYSTEM QCANCEL QCREATE QMODIFY QDELETE QOPEN QCLOSE QSTART QSTOP QREQUEUE QSHOW See Also: Command Reference

Job Affinity-What Is It?

Occasionally there may be a need to “load balance” running jobs across multiple servers. The Argent Job Scheduler provides the following three options, all customizable on a job-by-job basis. Take for example the needs of a particular financial services company using the Argent Job Scheduler. This particular firm runs over 30,000 jobs per day! Obviously, […]

Installation-Licensing

The Argent Job Scheduler, like all Argent products, uses a License File. Production Customers can apply their existing Argent Job Scheduler production License File. Customers who are evaluating the Argent Job Scheduler need to obtain a 30-day License File from their Argent Account Manager The Argent Job Scheduler can only be installed in the designated […]

Installation-Database Backend

The Argent Job Scheduler supports a range of ODBC-compliant databases, such as SQL Server, Oracle and Access, as the database backend. Because Access is a lightweight database, it is only used for prospective Customers.Production Customers cannot apply a production License File with an Access backend – a production key cannot be created for an Access […]

Job Control Panel

The Argent Job Scheduler has a GUI interface called the Job Control Panel. Most customers use this interface to manage their jobs. It includes the Quick Access Toolbar for commonly accessed areas of the Job Control Panel, File drop down menus, a Status Bar and most importantly, a view of the current schedule of jobs. […]

Job Template Customization

You can further customize the job parameters by selecting the buttons from the toolbar located on the right side of the job diagram. The buttons are as follows: Basic Security Servers Limits Advanced Dependencies Post Job Schedule Click For Full Size Basic The Basic button defines the basic parameters of a Job Template. (W200X Job) […]

Alerts JST

There are six different categories of Alerts available in the Argent Job Scheduler. Five of the six are notifications, and the other is a run command Alert which allows you to execute a .cmd, exe, .bat, etc. Email Pager Bell Windows Message Argent Console Alert Run command There are 3 different priorities available for each […]

Argent Job Scheduler Limit Alerts

You can configure the Argent Job Scheduler to send an Alert from the Job Limit screen: Notify if job runs more than X hours Y mins Notify if job is late more than X hours Y mins Notify if job has not started by time HH:MM Notify if job has not ended by time HH:MM […]

Queue Engine GUI

While most customers prefer the Job Control Panel’s view of all Queue Engine servers, Argent also provides a Queue Engine GUI for connecting directly to a single Queue Engine to manage the Queue Engine directly. You can manage many of the same Queue Engine properties either through the Job Scheduler Control Panel or the Queue […]