Using Schedule Manager › Edit a Schedule › Understand the Links Control Panel › Define a Period

Define a Period

To define a period

1. Issue the I line command from the Links Control panel.

   The Schedule Manager displays its Period Maintenance Panel, shown here:

   Schedule Manager ----------- Period Maintenance Panel ----------- System:OPS11.7R
   Command ===>                                                                  
   
   Period Name: ___________  (Required. Up to eleven alphanumeric characters)    
   Start Time : ____         (Required. HHMM - Any value from 0000 to 4800)  
   End   Time : ____         (Required. HHMM - Any value from Start Time to 4800)
   
   Specify values for ONLY ONE of the following types of period definitions:  
   
   1. Place an S beside each day of the week that this period will be active:  
        _ Sunday _ Monday _ Tuesday _ Wednesday _ Thursday _ Friday _ Saturday
   
   2. Specify a first (and optional last) day of the year that this period will be
      active. (Period will only be active First Date if Last Date not specified.)
        First Date ===> Month: __    (1 - 12)                                    
                        Day  : __    (1 - last day of month)                     
        Optional        Year : ____  (Period active EVERY YEAR if not specified) 
         Last Date ===> Month: __    (1 - 12)     
                        Day  : __    (1 - last day of month)   
   
   _ Select this option to make the set of links for this period a DUPLICATE of  
     the set of links for the period named: ___________                          
   

   • The Default Period of the Schedule Manager

     The set of periods that applies to a certain time may not describe the desired state of all resources on your system, and you may not have defined periods to cover all times. So, the Schedule Manager uses a period called DEFAULT to define the desired states of those resources whose desired states are not defined by any other period.

     If the Schedule Manager cannot find a resource in the set of periods that control a certain point in time or in the DEFAULT_STATE period, then the Schedule Manager does not set the desired state of the resource.

   • The Period Names

     The period name can contain 1 to 11 characters and must start with an alphabetic or national character. National characters for the United States are $, @, and #.

2. Specify the time interval that this period covers as hours and minutes.

   In most cases, specify this time in military time on a 24-hour clock, without a colon between hours and minutes (for example, 10:00 p.m. becomes 2200). However, if the time interval for a period starts before midnight and ends after midnight, you must specify the time on a 48-hour clock with 2400 representing midnight. For instance, a start time of 2300 and an end time of 3700 specifies a time interval lasting from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. the following afternoon.

   If a resource must be UP or DOWN continuously over two consecutive periods, then make the end time of the earlier period and the start time of the later period exactly the same. Otherwise, System State Manager may bring the resource UP or DOWN for the interval between when the earlier period expires and the next period becomes active.

3. Define a cyclic days of the week period.

   To specify each day of the week that the period should be active, type an S beside the name of that day on the Period Maintenance Panel. For example, to make a period active Monday through Wednesday and on Saturday, type an S beside Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

   The cyclic days of the week period are defined.

4. Define a fixed dates period.
   • To specify a single date when the period should be active, enter numeric values for month, day, and optional year for the First Date field. Numeric values are automatically padded to the left as necessary. For example, you can specify the month of February as 2; the 4th day of the month as 4; and the year 2009 as 9.
   • To specify a range of dates when the period should be active, enter month and day values for both the First Date and Last Date fields. Enter an optional year value for the First Date field only; the year for the Last Date field is assumed from the First Date field. A single period cannot span more than one year. The first date can be later in the year than the last date. If it is, then the period remains active into the following year. For example, a period with a first date of April 12 and a last date of April 10 is active every day of the year except April 11.

     If the optional year is not specified, then the period is active every year on the specified dates (unless the start date is February 29, in which case the period is active only in leap years).

Resolving Conflicts

When two periods overlap in time with one period containing an active link and the other period containing an inactive link to the same resource, then those periods are said to be in conflict. For a description of how the Schedule Manager resolves schedule conflicts, see How Schedule Manager Resolves Schedule Conflicts in this chapter.

When a fixed period and a cyclic period are in conflict over scheduled control of a common resource, the Schedule Manager gives control to the fixed period.

When a fixed period with a year specified and a fixed period without a year specified are in conflict over scheduled control of a common resource, the Schedule Manager gives control to the fixed period with the year specified.

The SHOW CONFLICTS command (see View Schedule Conflicts in this chapter), the SHOW OVERLAPS command (see View Schedule Overlaps in this chapter), and the REPORT CONFLICTS command (see The REPORT Primary Command in this chapter) all report only on conflicts between periods not resolved by the above rules (that is, between two cyclic periods or between two fixed periods both with or without the year specified). Those conflicts are resolved by start time (see How Schedule Manager Resolves Schedule Conflicts in this chapter).

Any schedule can contain periods that span the same point in time. In other words, more than one period may be active at any given time. Periods that are active at the same time are said to overlap. A schedule overlap may be created intentionally or unintentionally. In either case, the affect of the overlap may be good or bad. For a discussion on the affect of overlaps, see Viewing Schedule Conflicts in this chapter.

Note: Schedule Manager brings resources defined for a period up when that period begins, but does not take those resources down when that period ends, in case a subsequent or overlapping period needs those resources to be active. In addition:

• The definition of the default period for your site must include links to all resources under the control of the Schedule Manager.
• The periods you define should keep control of the desired state of each resource continuously throughout all 24 hours of a day. You can define multiple periods to accomplish this, but at minimum you should define the desired state of a resource for the default period.

Period Overlap Conflicts

When two periods overlap in time with one period containing an active link and the other period containing an inactive link to the same resource, then those periods are said to be in conflict.

• When a fixed period and a cyclic period are in conflict over scheduled control of a common resource, the Schedule Manager gives control to the fixed period.
• When a fixed period with a year specified and a fixed period without a year specified are in conflict over scheduled control of a common resource, the Schedule Manager gives control to the fixed period with the year specified.

The SHOW CONFLICTS command (see View Schedule Conflicts in this chapter), the SHOW OVERLAPS command (see View Schedule Overlaps in this chapter), and the REPORT CONFLICTS command (see The REPORT Primary Command in this chapter) all report only on conflicts between periods not resolved by the above rules (that is, between two cyclic periods or between two fixed periods both with or without the year specified). Those conflicts are resolved by start time.

Any schedule can contain periods that span the same point in time. In other words, more than one period may be active at any given time. Periods that are active at the same time are said to overlap. A schedule overlap may be created intentionally or unintentionally. In either case, the affect of the overlap may be good or bad.

Note: Schedule Manager brings resources defined for a period up when that period begins, but does not take those resources down when that period ends, in case a subsequent or overlapping period needs those resources to be active. In addition:

• The definition of the default period for your site must include links to all resources under the control of the Schedule Manager.
• The periods you define should keep control of the desired state of each resource continuously throughout all 24 hours of a day. You can define multiple periods to accomplish this, but at minimum you should define the desired state of a resource for the default period.

More information:

View Schedule Conflicts

How Schedule Manager Resolves Schedule Conflicts

View Schedule Overlaps

REPORT Command—Print Schedule Manager Data