About Scheduled Jobs Troubleshooting
Short description
Explains how to resolve problems with scheduled jobs
Long description
This document describes some of the problems that you might experience when using the scheduled job features of PowerShell and it suggests solutions to these problems.
Before using PowerShell scheduled jobs, see about_Scheduled_Jobs and the related scheduled jobs about topics.
Can't find job results
Basic method for getting job results in PowerShell
When a scheduled job runs, it creates an instance of the scheduled job. To view, manage, and get the results of scheduled job instances, use the Job cmdlets.
Note
To use the Job cmdlets on instances of scheduled jobs, the PSScheduledJob
module must be imported into the session. To import the PSScheduledJob
module, type Import-Module PSScheduledJob or use any scheduled job cmdlet,
such as Get-ScheduledJob.
To get a list of all instances of a scheduled job, use the Get-Job cmdlet.
Import-Module PSScheduledJob
Get-Job ProcessJob
Id Name PSJobTypeName State HasMoreData Location
-- ---- ------------- ----- ----------- --------
43 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed False localhost
44 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed False localhost
45 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed False localhost
46 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed False localhost
47 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed False localhost
48 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed False localhost
49 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed False localhost
50 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed False localhost
The Get-Job cmdlet sends ProcessJob objects down the pipeline. The
Format-Table cmdlet displays the Name, ID, and PSBeginTime
properties of a scheduled job instance in a table.
Get-Job ProcessJob | Format-Table -Property Name, ID, PSBeginTime -Auto
Name Id PSBeginTime
---- -- ---------
ProcessJob 43 11/2/2011 3:00:02 AM
ProcessJob 44 11/3/2011 3:00:02 AM
ProcessJob 45 11/4/2011 3:00:02 AM
ProcessJob 46 11/5/2011 3:00:02 AM
ProcessJob 47 11/6/2011 3:00:02 AM
ProcessJob 48 11/7/2011 12:00:01 AM
ProcessJob 49 11/7/2011 3:00:02 AM
ProcessJob 50 11/8/2011 3:00:02 AM
To get the results of an instance of a scheduled job, use the Receive-Job
cmdlet. The following command gets the results of the newest instance of the
ProcessJob (ID = 50).
Receive-Job -ID 50
Basic method for finding job results on disk
To manage scheduled jobs, use the job cmdlets, such as Get-Job and
Receive-Job.
If Get-Job does not get the job instance or Receive-Job does not get the
job results, you can search the execution history files for the job on disk.
The execution history contains a record of all triggered job instances.
Verify that there is a timestamp-named directory in the directory for a scheduled job in the following path:
$home\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\ScheduledJob <ScheduledJobName>\Output
For example:
C:\Users<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\ScheduledJob <ScheduledJobName>\Output
For example, the Get-ChildItem cmdlet gets the on-disk execution history of
the ProcessJob scheduled job.
$Path = '$home\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell'
$Path += '\ScheduledJobs\ProcessJob\Output'
Get-ChildItem $Path
Directory: C:\Users\User01\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell
\ScheduledJobs\ProcessJob\Output
Mode LastWriteTime Length Name
---- ------------- ------ ----
d---- 11/2/2011 3:00 AM 20111102-030002-260
d---- 11/3/2011 3:00 AM 20111103-030002-277
d---- 11/4/2011 3:00 AM 20111104-030002-209
d---- 11/5/2011 3:00 AM 20111105-030002-251
d---- 11/6/2011 3:00 AM 20111106-030002-174
d---- 11/7/2011 12:00 AM 20111107-000001-914
d---- 11/7/2011 3:00 AM 20111107-030002-376
Each timestamp-named directory represents a job instance. The results of each job instance are saved in a Results.xml file in the timestamp-named directory.
For example, the following command gets the Results.xml files for every saved instance of the ProcessJob scheduled job. If the Results.xml file is missing, PowerShell cannot return or display the job results.
$Path = '$home\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell'
$Path += '\ScheduledJobs\ProcessJob\Output\*\Results.xml'
Get-ChildItem $Path
Directory: C:\Users\User01\Appdata\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell
\ScheduledJobs\ProcessJob\Output
The job cmdlet might not be able to get scheduled job instances or their results because the PSScheduledJob module is not imported into the session.
Note
Before using a job cmdlet on scheduled job instances, verify that the PSScheduledJob module is included in the session. Without the PSScheduledJob module, the job cmdlets cannot get scheduled job instances or their results.
To import the PSScheduledJob module:
Import-Module PSScheduledJob
Receive-Job cmdlet might already have returned the results
If Receive-Job does not return job instance results, it might be because a
Receive-Job command has been run for that job instance in the current session
without the Keep parameter.
When you use Receive-Job without the Keep parameter, Receive-Job
returns the job results and sets the job instance's HasMoreData property to
False. The False value means that Receive-Job returned the job's
results and the instance has no more results to return. This setting is
appropriate for standard background jobs, but not for instances of scheduled
jobs, which are saved to disk.
To get the job instance results again, start a new PowerShell session by typing
PowerShell. Import the PSScheduledJob module, and try the Receive-Job
command again.
Receive-Job -ID 50
#No results
PowerShell.exe
Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Import-Module PSScheduledJob
Receive-Job -ID 50
Handles NPM(K) PM(K) WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s) Id ProcessName
------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ -- -----------
1213 33 12348 21676 88 25.71 1608 CcmExec
29 4 1168 2920 43 0.02 748 conhost
46 6 2208 4612 45 0.03 1640 conhost
Using Keep parameter to get results more than one time in a session
To get the result of a job instance more than one time in a session, use the
Keep parameter of the Receive-Job cmdlet.
Import-Module PSScheduledJob
Receive-Job -ID 50 -Keep
Handles NPM(K) PM(K) WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s) Id ProcessName
------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ -- -----------
1213 33 12348 21676 88 25.71 1608 CcmExec
29 4 1168 2920 43 0.02 748 conhost
46 6 2208 4612 45 0.03 1640 conhost
Receive-Job -ID 50 -Keep
Handles NPM(K) PM(K) WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s) Id ProcessName
------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ -- -----------
1213 33 12348 21676 88 25.71 1608 CcmExec
29 4 1168 2920 43 0.02 748 conhost
46 6 2208 4612 45 0.03 1640 conhost
The scheduled job might be corrupted
If a scheduled job becomes corrupted, PowerShell deletes the corrupted scheduled job and its results. You cannot recover the results of a corrupted scheduled job.
To determine if a scheduled job still exists, use the Get-ScheduledJob
cmdlet.
Get-ScheduledJob
The number of results might have exceeded the ExecutionHistoryLength
The ExecutionHistoryLength property of a scheduled job determines how many job instances, and their results, are saved to disk. The default value is 32. When the number of instances of a scheduled job exceeds this value, PowerShell deletes the oldest job instance to make room for each new job instance.
To get the value of the ExecutionHistoryLength property of a scheduled job, use the following command format:
(Get-ScheduledJob <JobName>).ExecutionHistoryLength
For example, the following command gets the value of the ExecutionHistoryLength property of the ProcessJob scheduled job.
(Get-ScheduledJob ProcessJob).ExecutionHistoryLength
To set or change the value of the ExecutionHistoryLength property, use the
MaxResultCount parameter of the Register-ScheduledJob and
Set-ScheduledJob cmdlets.
The following command increases the value of the ExecutionHistoryLength property to 50.
Get-ScheduledJob ProcessJob | Set-ScheduledJob -MaxResultCount 50
The job instance results might have been deleted
The ClearExecutionHistory parameter of the Set-ScheduledJob cmdlet
deletes the execution history of a job. You can use this feature to free up
disk space or delete results that are not needed, or already used, analyzed or
saved in a different location.
To delete the execution history of a scheduled job, use the ClearExecutionHistory parameter of the scheduled job.
The following command deletes the execution history of the ProcessJob scheduled job.
Get-ScheduledJob ProcessJob | Set-ScheduledJob -ClearExecutionHistory
Also, the Remove-Job cmdlet deletes job results. When you use Remove-Job to
delete a scheduled job, it deletes all instances of the job on disk, including
the execution history and all job results.
Jobs started by using the Start-Job cmdlet are not saved to disk
When you use Start-Job to start a scheduled job, instead of using a job
trigger, Start-Job starts a standard background job. The background job and
its results are not stored in the execution history of the job on disk.
You can use the Get-Job cmdlet to get the job and the Receive-Job cmdlet to
get the job results, but the results are available only until you receive them,
unless you use the Keep parameter of the Receive-Job cmdlet.
Also, background jobs and their results are session-specific; they exist only
in the session in which they are created. If you delete the job with
Remove-Job, close the session or close PowerShell, the job instance and its
results are deleted.
Scheduled job doesn't run
Scheduled jobs don't run automatically if the job triggers or the scheduled job are disabled.
Use the Get-ScheduledJob cmdlet to get the scheduled job. Verify that the
value of the Enabled property of the scheduled job is True.
Get-ScheduledJob ProcessJob
Id Name Triggers Command Enabled
-- ---- -------- ------- -------
4 ProcessJob {1, 2} Get-Process True
(Get-ScheduledJob ProcessJob).Enabled
True
Use the Get-JobTrigger cmdlet to get the job triggers of the scheduled job.
Verify that the value of the Enabled property of the job trigger is
True.
Get-ScheduledJob ProcessJob | Get-JobTrigger
Id Frequency Time DaysOfWeek Enabled
-- --------- ---- ---------- -------
1 Weekly 11/7/2011 5:00:00 AM {Monday, Thursday} True
2 Daily 11/7/2011 3:00:00 PM True
Get-ScheduledJob ProcessJob|Get-JobTrigger|Format-Table ID, Enabled -Auto
Id Enabled
-- -------
1 True
2 True
Scheduled jobs don't run automatically if job triggers are invalid
For example, a job trigger might specify a date in the past or a date that does not occur, such as the 5th Monday of the month.
Scheduled jobs do not run automatically if the conditions of the job trigger or the job options are not satisfied.
For example, a scheduled job that runs only when a particular user logs on to the computer will not run if that user does not log on or only connects remotely.
Examine the options of the scheduled job and make sure that they are satisfied. For example, a scheduled job that requires that the computer be idle or requires a network connection, or has a long IdleDuration or a brief IdleTimeout might never run.
Use the Get-ScheduledJobOption cmdlet to examine the job options and their
values.
Get-ScheduledJob -Name ProcessJob
StartIfOnBatteries : False
StopIfGoingOnBatteries : True
WakeToRun : True
StartIfNotIdle : True
StopIfGoingOffIdle : False
RestartOnIdleResume : False
IdleDuration : 00:10:00
IdleTimeout : 01:00:00
ShowInTaskScheduler : True
RunElevated : False
RunWithoutNetwork : True
DoNotAllowDemandStart : False
MultipleInstancePolicy : IgnoreNew
JobDefinition : Microsoft.PowerShell.ScheduledJob.ScheduledJobDefinition
For descriptions of the scheduled job options, see New-ScheduledJobOption.
The scheduled job instance might have failed
If a scheduled job command fails, PowerShell reports it immediately by generating an error message. However, if the job fails when Task Scheduler tries to run it, the error is not available to PowerShell.
Use the following methods to detect and correct job failures:
Check the Task Scheduler event log for errors. To check the log, use Event Viewer or a PowerShell command such as the following:
Get-WinEvent -LogName Microsoft-Windows-TaskScheduler/Operational |
Where {$_.Message -like "fail"}
Check the job record in Task Scheduler. PowerShell scheduled jobs are stored in the following Task Scheduled folder:
Task Scheduler Library\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\ScheduledJobs
The scheduled job might not run because of insufficient permission
Scheduled jobs run with the permissions of the user who created the job or the
permissions of the user who is specified by the Credential parameter in the
Register-ScheduledJob or Set-ScheduledJob command.
If that user does not have permission to run the commands or scripts, the job fails.
Can't get scheduled job or scheduled job is corrupted
On rare occasions, scheduled jobs can become corrupted or contain internal contradictions that cannot be resolved. Typically, this happens when the XML files for the scheduled job are manually edited, resulting in invalid XML.
When a scheduled job is corrupted, PowerShell attempts to delete the scheduled job, its execution history, and its results from disk.
If it cannot remove the scheduled job, you will get a corrupted job error
message each time you run the Get-ScheduledJob cmdlet.
To remove a corrupted scheduled job, use either one of the following methods:
Delete the <ScheduledJobName> directory for the scheduled job. Don't delete
the ScheduledJob directory.
The directory's location:
$env:UserProfile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell \ScheduledJobs<ScheduledJobName>
For example:
C:\Users<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\ ScheduledJobs<ScheduledJobName>.
Use Task Scheduler to delete the scheduled job. PowerShell scheduled tasks appear in the following Task Scheduler path:
Task Scheduler Library\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell \ScheduledJobs<ScheduledJobName>
Job cmdlets can't consistently find scheduled jobs
When the PSScheduledJob module isn't in the current session, the job cmdlets cannot get scheduled jobs, start them, or get their results.
To import the PSScheduledJob module, type Import-Module PSScheduledJob or
run or get any cmdlet in the module, such as the Get-ScheduledJob cmdlet.
Beginning in PowerShell 3.0, modules are imported automatically when you get or
use any cmdlet in the module.
When the PSScheduledJob module isn't in the current session, the following command sequence is possible.
Get-Job ProcessJob
Get-Job : The command cannot find the job because the job name
ProcessJob was not found.
Verify the value of the Name parameter, and then try the command again.
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (ProcessJob:String) [Get-Job],
PSArgumentException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : JobWithSpecifiedNameNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.
Commands.GetJobCommand
Get-Job
Get-ScheduledJob ProcessJob
Id Name Triggers Command Enabled
-- ---- -------- ------- -------
4 ProcessJob {1} Get-Process True
Get-Job ProcessJob
Id Name PSJobTypeName State HasMoreData Location
-- ---- ------------- ----- ----------- --------
43 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed True localhost
44 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed True localhost
45 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed True localhost
46 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed True localhost
47 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed True localhost
48 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed True localhost
49 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed True localhost
50 ProcessJob PSScheduledJob Completed True localhost
This behavior occurs because the Get-ScheduledJob command automatically
imports the PSScheduledJob module, and then runs the command.