Site Server and Windows NT Task Scheduler Conflict

ID: Q193042

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Site Server version 3.0

SYMPTOMS

When a Site Server Task Scheduler (SSTS) job is modified by the Windows NT Task Scheduler (WTS) (permissions, schedule, and so on), the following error message occurs when the SSTS is opened:

Couldn[ASCII 146]t un-schedule existing task

When the SSTS is closed, the modified job (with the SSTS properties) is added to the schedule and can be viewed by the WTS.

CAUSE

The WTS is a newer scheduling process and contains more attributes than the SSTS or the WinAT Scheduler (WAS). Any time the WTS modifies the SSTS or WAS jobs, it also takes ownership. Therefore, these jobs are no longer viewable by the SSTS or WAS, and can no longer be modified or deleted by these processes. This becomes a problem only when the SSTS is opened. When the SSTS is opened, any active job in its queue is unscheduled. Because active jobs modified by the WTS are no longer viewable by the SSTS, they cannot be unscheduled, which results in the above error message. When the SSTS is closed, it reschedules all of the active jobs in its queue. Therefore, any SSTS job modified by the WTS will contain a duplicate job (not a ghost image) with the SSTS properties, and both will run as scheduled. If the WTS or WAS has deleted an SSTS job, then the job will be rescheduled when the SSTS is opened and then closed.

WORKAROUND

Depending on your situation, use one of the following workarounds to resolve this problem:

Workaround #1

If you are using the SSTS to modify jobs that have already been modified by the WTS, delete the jobs from the WTS before starting the SSTS. Open the SSTS and close the error message boxes (there will be one for every modified task), make your changes, and then close the SSTS. (Remember that any changes made by the WTS are now null and void.) However, when possible, use the WTS to modify these jobs.

Workaround #2

If you start the SSTS for reasons not involving the WTS modified jobs, close the error message boxes and continue on. However, before you close the SSTS window, locate the jobs that have been modified by the WTS, and then either deactivate the jobs (edit and uncheck the Active checkbox) or delete the task altogether from the SSTS queue.

Workaround #3

If you start the SSTS for the same reason listed in Workaround #2, instead of editing or deleting the modified jobs, simply close the SSTS, start up the WTS, and then delete the duplicate jobs listed in the WTS.

Workaround #4

If you need to delete the SSTS jobs that have not been modified by the WTS, then use the SSTS to delete or deactivate these jobs. However, if you cannot do this and choose to delete them using the WTS or the WAS, then the next time you start the SSTS, deactivate the deleted jobs or wait until after you close the SSTS, and then delete the duplicate job using the WTS or the WAS.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Site Server version 3.0.

Additional query words:

Keywords : prodsitesrv3
Version :
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb