Scheduling when your Amazon DataSync task runs - Amazon DataSync
How DataSync task scheduling worksCreating a DataSync task schedulePausing a DataSync task scheduleChecking the status of a DataSync task schedule
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Scheduling when your Amazon DataSync task runs

You can set up an Amazon DataSync task schedule to periodically transfer data between storage locations.

How DataSync task scheduling works

A scheduled DataSync task runs at a frequency that you specify, with a minimum interval of 1 hour. You can create a task schedule by using a cron or rate expressions.

Important

You can't schedule a task to run at an interval faster than 1 hour.

Using cron expressions

Use cron expressions for task schedules that run on a specific time and day. For example, here's how you can configure a task schedule in the Amazon CLI that runs at 12:00 PM UTC every Sunday and Wednesday.

cron(0 12 ? * SUN,WED *)
Using rate expressions

Use rate expressions for task schedules that run on a regular interval, such as every 12 hours. For example, here's how you can configure a task schedule in the Amazon CLI that runs every 12 hours:

rate(12 hours)
Tip

For more information about cron and rate expression syntax, see the Amazon EventBridge User Guide.

Creating a DataSync task schedule

You can schedule how frequently your task runs by using the DataSync console, Amazon CLI, or DataSync API.

The following instructions describe how to set up a schedule when creating a task. You can modify the schedule later when editing the task.

In the console, some scheduling options let you specify the exact time that your task runs (such as daily at 10:30 PM). If you don't include a time for these options, your task runs at the time that you create (or update) the task.

  1. Open the Amazon DataSync console at https://console.amazonaws.cn/datasync/.

  2. In the left navigation pane, expand Data transfer, then choose Tasks, and then choose Create task.

  3. Configure your task's source and destination locations.

    For more information, see Where can I transfer my data with Amazon DataSync?

  4. For schedule Frequency, do one of the following:

    • Choose Not scheduled if you don't want your task to run on a schedule.

    • Choose Hourly, then choose the minute during the hour that you want your task to run.

    • Choose Daily and enter the UTC time that you want your task to run.

    • Choose Weekly and the day of the week and enter the UTC time that you want the task to run.

    • Choose Days of the week, choose a specific day or days, and enter the UTC time that the task should run in the format HH:MM.

    • Choose Custom, and then select Cron expression or Rate expression. Enter your task schedule with a minimum interval of 1 hour.

You can create a schedule for your DataSync task by using the --schedule parameter with the create-task, update-task, or start-task-execution command.

The following instructions describe how to do this with the create-task command.

  1. Copy the following create-task command:

    aws datasync create-task \
  --source-location-arn arn:aws:datasync:us-east-1:123456789012:location/loc-12345678abcdefgh \
  --destination-location-arn arn:aws:datasync:us-east-1:123456789012:location/loc-abcdefgh12345678 \
  --schedule '{
    "ScheduleExpression": "cron(0 12 ? * SUN,WED *)"
  }'

  2. For the --source-location-arn parameter, specify the Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the location that you're transferring data from.

  3. For the --destination-location-arn parameter, specify the ARN of the location that you're transferring data to.

  4. For the --schedule parameter, specify a cron or rate expression for your schedule.

    In the example, the cron expression cron(0 12 ? * SUN,WED *) sets a task schedule that runs at 12:00 PM UTC every Sunday and Wednesday.

  5. Run the create-task command to create your task with the schedule.

Pausing a DataSync task schedule

There can be situations where you need to pause your DataSync task schedule. For example, you might need to temporarily disable a recurring transfer to fix an issue with your task or perform maintenance on your storage system.

DataSync might disable your task schedule automatically for the following reasons:

  1. Open the Amazon DataSync console at https://console.amazonaws.cn/datasync/.

  2. In the left navigation pane, expand Data transfer, and then choose Tasks.

  3. Choose the task that you want to pause the schedule for, and then choose Edit.

  4. For Schedule, turn off Enable schedule. Choose Save changes.

  1. Copy the following update-task command:

    aws datasync update-task \
  --task-arn arn:aws:datasync:us-east-1:123456789012:task/task-12345678abcdefgh \
  --schedule '{
    "ScheduleExpression": "cron(0 12 ? * SUN,WED *)",
    "Status": "DISABLED"
  }'

  2. For the --task-arn parameter, specify the ARN of the task that you want to pause the schedule for.

  3. For the --schedule parameter, do the following:

    • For ScheduleExpression, specify a cron or rate expression for your schedule.

      In the example, the expression cron(0 12 ? * SUN,WED *) sets a task schedule that runs at 12:00 PM UTC every Sunday and Wednesday.

    • For Status, specify DISABLED to pause the task schedule.

  4. Run the update-task command.

  5. To resume the schedule, run the same update-task command with Status set to ENABLED.

Checking the status of a DataSync task schedule

You can see whether your DataSync task schedule is enabled.

  1. Open the Amazon DataSync console at https://console.amazonaws.cn/datasync/.

  2. In the left navigation pane, expand Data transfer, and then choose Tasks.

  3. In the Schedule column, check whether the task's schedule is enabled or disabled.

  1. Copy the following describe-task command:

    aws datasync describe-task \
  --task-arn arn:aws:datasync:us-east-1:123456789012:task/task-12345678abcdefgh

  2. For the --task-arn parameter, specify the ARN of the task that you want information about.

  3. Run the describe-task command.

You get a response that provides details about your task, including its schedule. (The following example focuses primarily on the task schedule configuration and doesn't show a full describe-task response.)

The example shows that the task's schedule is manually disabled. If the schedule is disabled by the DataSync SERVICE, you see an error message for DisabledReason to help you understand why the task keeps failing. For more information, see Troubleshooting Amazon DataSync issues.

{
    "TaskArn": "arn:aws:datasync:us-east-1:123456789012:task/task-12345678abcdefgh",
    "Status": "AVAILABLE",
    "Schedule": {
        "ScheduleExpression": "cron(0 12 ? * SUN,WED *)",
        "Status": "DISABLED",
        "StatusUpdateTime": 1697736000,
        "DisabledBy": "USER",
        "DisabledReason": "Manually disabled by user."
    },
    ...
}