scheduled task: batch file doesn't run

[Ammammata]

OS: Windows Server 2008 R2

According to this web sites,
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5085116/windows-2008-server-task-scheduler-does-not-run-bat-batch-job,
there's a bug that prevent a batch file *with quotes inside* to be
executed

the link provides three possible solutions:

1.
create a launcher.bat (without quotes inside) that calls the proper
batch file

2. set the "Starting folder" in the parameters and remove the full path
in the "command"

3.
apply a patch http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951246 but is not
available any more


the task is executed as administrator, both manually (it works) and
scheduled (it doesn't)


this is the batch file, that runs correctly when manually executed, as
I wrote above

note the quotes "" in the command for

rem ------------------------ start
D:
cd \TempBackup

@echo off
for /f "tokens=2 delims==" %%i in ('wmic path win32_localtime get
dayofweek /value') do set dow=%%i

xcopy \\192.168.42.54\as400\SV0%dow%\*.* d:\TempBackup\SV /c /f /h /y
/j

rem CURL

rem hidden parameters for privacy
SET FTP_URL=xxx.yyy.zzz.www
SET USERNAME=ftpuser
SET PASSWORD=********
SET REMOTE_DIR=/disk1/CompanyName/%dow%/
SET FOLDER_PATH=d:\TempBackup\SV

REM Iterate over each file in the folder and upload it using curl
FOR %%F IN ( %FOLDER_PATH%\*.* ) DO curl -T %%F
ftp://%USERNAME%:%PASSWORD%@%FTP_URL%%REMOTE_DIR% --ftp-create-dirs

echo All files processed.

del /q %FOLDER_PATH%\*.*
rem ------------------------ end

any further help is appreciated

have a nice weekend

[JJ]

Post by Ammammata
OS: Windows Server 2008 R2
According to this web sites,
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5085116/windows-2008-server-task-scheduler-does-not-run-bat-batch-job,
there's a bug that prevent a batch file *with quotes inside* to be
executed
1.
create a launcher.bat (without quotes inside) that calls the proper
batch file
2. set the "Starting folder" in the parameters and remove the full path
in the "command"
3.
apply a patch http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951246 but is not
available any more
the task is executed as administrator, both manually (it works) and
scheduled (it doesn't)
this is the batch file, that runs correctly when manually executed, as
I wrote above
note the quotes "" in the command for
rem ------------------------ start
cd \TempBackup
@echo off
for /f "tokens=2 delims==" %%i in ('wmic path win32_localtime get
dayofweek /value') do set dow=%%i
xcopy \\192.168.42.54\as400\SV0%dow%\*.* d:\TempBackup\SV /c /f /h /y
/j
rem CURL
rem hidden parameters for privacy
SET FTP_URL=xxx.yyy.zzz.www
SET USERNAME=ftpuser
SET PASSWORD=********
SET REMOTE_DIR=/disk1/CompanyName/%dow%/
SET FOLDER_PATH=d:\TempBackup\SV
REM Iterate over each file in the folder and upload it using curl
FOR %%F IN ( %FOLDER_PATH%\*.* ) DO curl -T %%F
echo All files processed.
del /q %FOLDER_PATH%\*.*
rem ------------------------ end
any further help is appreciated
have a nice weekend

You misunderstood the problem. That problem has nothing to do with the
problem in your batch file.

The KB951246 problem lies at the `schtasks.exe` program. Not at the code
within the scheduled batch file itself. And it doesn't matter whether the
scheduled program is a batch file or not.

https://mskb.pkisolutions.com/kb/951246

e.g. if the program command line which need to be scheduled is supposed to
be run like below.

"d:\my scripts\test.bat" /z "quoted arg"

The command line for creating the scheduled task using schtasks is supposed
to be like below.

schtasks /create /sc daily /tn test /tr "\"d:\my scripts\test.bat\" /z
\"quoted arg\""

However due to the bug in schtasks, the command line of the scheduled
program of the created scheduled task, ends up like below.

d:\my scripts\test.bat /z "quoted arg

Your problem is an entirely different problem. But since you didn't mention
how exactly, your batch file "doesn't work", I could only point out the code
which have the potential of causing the problem - which is the curl's
command line for the `FOR` command. i.e.: (long text warning)

curl -T %%F ftp://%USERNAME%:%PASSWORD%@%FTP_URL%%REMOTE_DIR% --ftp-create-dirs

Here... if the file/folder enumerated by the `FOR` command contains a space
or special character such as `&`, curl won't be executed as inteaded. To fix
it, the `%%F` must be double-quoted. i.e.:

curl -T "%%F" ftp://%USERNAME%:%PASSWORD%@%FTP_URL%%REMOTE_DIR% --ftp-create-dirs

In Windows, when specifying a file system path, it should always be
double-quoted if it's not already double-quoted. Especially if the path is
unknown, or may vary, or can be anything.

Another example of the need of double-quoting is when your `FOLDER_PATH`
variable contains a space or special character. e.g. if it's:

SET FOLDER_PATH=d:\Temp Backup\SV

Then below code line will not work as expected:

del /q %FOLDER_PATH%\*.*

Because it's expanded as:

del /q d:\Temp Backup\SV\*.*

The folder path must be double-quoted like below.

del /q "d:\Temp Backup\SV\*.*"

Thus the code line in the batch file must be like below.

del /q "%FOLDER_PATH%\*.*"

[Ammammata]

Post by JJ
You misunderstood the problem. That problem has nothing to do with the
problem in your batch file.
Your problem is an entirely different problem. But since you didn't mention
how exactly, your batch file "doesn't work"

my fault :(

checking the event log, I see 7 entries:
(translated into English)

- activity activated by scheduler
- message received (credentials)
- activity activated
- action activated (the batch file)
- activity process created (cmd.exe)
- action completed (cmd.exe)
- activity completed

The scheduled task completes in 1 second and of course nothing happens:
no copy from NAS to local folder, no upload to remote disk with curl,
the LAN/WAN are NOT so fast

Post by JJ
Here... if the file/folder enumerated by the `FOR` command contains a space
or special character such as `&`, curl won't be executed as inteaded. To fix

Hi

I would try this one first, but note that among the 37 files I must
transfer, there are 25 whose name begins with $$; the rest are only
letters and digits, no spaces, no hyphen, no underscore, nothing else
that's not [A-Z0-9]

Post by JJ
In Windows, when specifying a file system path, it should always be
double-quoted if it's not already double-quoted. Especially if the path is
unknown, or may vary, or can be anything.

for what concerns the path, I strongly avoided all spaces and non
alphanumeric characters, why should I complicate my life when I can
keep things simple?

as I stated, the batch file runs without errors when manually executed

I also made a single-day version, removing the for /f "tokens=2
delims==" %%i in... command and manually setting dow=1 (day of week,
1=Monday)

well, it works (manual) and doesn't (schedule)


at this point I'll search a third party tool to bypass the scheduler

[Ammammata]

Post by Ammammata
at this point I'll search a third party tool to bypass the scheduler

testing "Advanced Task Scheduler" version 9.0 Build 2307

it works fine, I made a shorter test right now; tomorrow I'll check
how's gone the full backup