Automated Network Task Scheduling in rConfig V8

Scheduled Tasks for Network Automation in rConfig V8

Scheduled Tasks in rConfig automate recurring operations such as configuration backups, policy compliance checks, snippet deployment, system maintenance, and integration synchronization. Tasks execute at configured intervals, eliminating manual intervention for routine network management operations. This automation ensures consistent configuration capture, timely compliance validation, and systematic infrastructure maintenance across your entire network estate.

Understanding Scheduled Tasks

What Scheduled Tasks Provide

Configuration automation: Schedule regular device backups by device, command group (category), tag, agent, or Smart Group at intervals matching your change management requirements—hourly for critical infrastructure, daily for standard devices, or custom schedules for specific needs.

Compliance enforcement: Automate policy compliance checks to continuously validate network configurations against organizational standards, detecting drift immediately rather than during manual audits.

Operational efficiency: Deploy configuration snippets on schedules, synchronize external integrations automatically, and perform system maintenance tasks without administrator intervention.

Flexibility and control: Tasks can target individual devices, entire command groups (categories), tagged device groups, agents, or rule-based Smart Groups, with the ability to pause, modify, or manually trigger any task without disrupting schedules.

Task Execution Architecture

rConfig uses Laravel’s task scheduler and queue system for task execution:

1. Scheduler: Evaluates task schedules every minute, queuing tasks that are due to run
2. Queue system: Processes queued tasks through Horizon queue manager, providing visibility into execution status
3. Background processing: Tasks execute asynchronously without blocking web interface or other operations
4. Logging: All task executions are logged for audit trails and troubleshooting

This architecture ensures reliable task execution even during high-load periods, with automatic retry mechanisms for transient failures.

Tasks Main View

Navigate to Tasks → Scheduled Tasks to access the task management interface. The main view displays all configured tasks with their schedules, last execution times, and status.

Tasks Main View

Manual Task Execution

Run any task immediately without waiting for its scheduled time by clicking Run Now next to the task. This is useful for:

• Testing newly created tasks
• Performing on-demand backups before maintenance
• Validating task configuration
• Running tasks outside normal schedules

Monitoring manual execution: View task progress and results in the Horizon Queue Manager. Horizon provides real-time status updates, job completion details, and failure information.

Tip

Use manual execution to test tasks before relying on scheduled runs. This identifies configuration issues early and verifies tasks work as expected.

Adding a Scheduled Task

Click Add Task to create new scheduled tasks. The creation process varies by task type but follows a consistent pattern.

Task Creation Workflow

1. Select task type from available options (Devices, Command Groups, Tags, Agents, Smart Groups, Snippets, API Collections, Policy Compliance, or system-maintenance task)
2. Name and describe the task
3. Configure schedule using cron expression or visual scheduler
4. Select targets (devices, command groups, tags, agents, or Smart Groups) based on task type
5. Configure task-specific options (snippet selection, integration instance, retention days, etc.) as needed
6. Save and enable the task

Testing new tasks: After creation, use Run Now to verify task executes correctly before relying on scheduled execution.

Task Types and Configuration

The table below details each task type and its configuration options.

Note

Version Availability: V8 Core supports Config Downloads tasks only. V8 Pro and MSP editions support all task types listed below. Smart Group task types (rows 4 and 12) are available from V8.2.1+.

#	Task Type	Description	Configuration Options
1	Config Downloads - Devices	Download configurations at scheduled intervals for selected devices	Select specific devices, set schedule
2	Config Downloads - Command Groups	Download configurations at scheduled intervals for devices in selected command groups (categories)	Select command groups, set schedule
3	Config Downloads - Tags	Download configurations at scheduled intervals for tagged devices	Select tags, set schedule
4	Config Downloads - Smart Groups (V8.2.1+)	Download configurations for devices matched by one or more rule-based Smart Groups	Select Smart Groups, set schedule
5	Config Downloads - Agents	Download configurations for all devices assigned to selected Vector agents	Select agents, set schedule (Vector only)
6	Policy Compliance	Run Policy Compliance checks as configured in Compliance Assignments	Select compliance assignment, set schedule
7	Send Snippets - Devices	Deploy configuration snippets to selected devices	Select devices and snippet, set schedule
8	Send Snippets - Command Groups	Deploy configuration snippets to devices in selected command groups	Select command groups and snippet, set schedule
9	Send Snippets - Tags	Deploy configuration snippets to tagged devices	Select tags and snippet, set schedule
10	Send Snippets - Smart Groups (V8.2.1+)	Deploy a snippet to devices matched by one or more rule-based Smart Groups	Select Smart Groups and snippet, set schedule
11	API Downloads - API Collections	Run downloads for specific API collection configurations	Select API collection, set schedule
12	Other Tasks - Full System Backup	Create complete system backup including database and configurations	Set schedule only (no additional options)
13	Other Tasks - Clean Backups	Clean temporary backup files and optimize storage	Set schedule only (no additional options)
14	Other Tasks - Purge Old Configs	Remove configuration files older than specified retention period	Set number of days for retention, set schedule
15	Other Tasks - Archive System Logs	Archive system logs older than specified period	Set days or row count for archival, set schedule
16	Other Tasks - Integration Job	Execute specific integration synchronization job	Select integration to run, set schedule
17	Other Tasks - Integration V2 Job	Execute a configured Integration V2 instance	Select V2 instance, set schedule

Task Type Details

Config Downloads Tasks

Purpose: Automate regular configuration backups for devices, command groups, tags, agents, or Smart Groups.

Configuration:

• Target selection: Choose one of the five selector types — Devices, Command Groups, Tags, Agents, or Smart Groups (V8.2.1+) — at the task type selection step. Each task targets a single selector type.
• Schedule: Set frequency (hourly, daily, weekly, custom cron)
• Command execution: Tasks execute configured commands for target devices
• Output storage: Configuration files saved with timestamps for versioning

Note

Disabled devices are always excluded from every Config Download selector — Devices, Command Groups, Tags, Agents, and Smart Groups alike. Re-enable a device to resume backups.

Best practices:

• Schedule critical devices for hourly backups
• Use daily backups for standard infrastructure
• Group devices by change frequency using tags
• For composite selection (vendor + tag + version, NOT-something), use a Smart Group — it’s purpose-built for AND/OR/NOT logic across many device attributes
• Stagger backup times to distribute system load

Example schedule: Daily backups at 2 AM for production routers:

0 2 * * *

Smart Group Tasks

Purpose: Run config downloads or send snippets against devices matched by a saved Smart Group — a reusable, rule-based filter that you author once and reuse across many tasks. Available from V8.2.1.

When to use a Smart Group task type:

• The set of devices you want to target can’t be expressed as a single tag, category, or agent.
• You need AND/OR/NOT logic across attributes — e.g. “Cisco IOS routers tagged production AND last seen in the last 7 days, EXCEPT those tagged maintenance”.
• You want changes to the membership rule to apply across many tasks at once (edit the group, every task using it picks up the change on its next run).

Configuration:

• Build the Smart Group first at Inventory → Smart Groups — see the Smart Groups documentation for the rule builder, live preview, and device probe.
• Pick the task type:
  • Config Downloads → Smart Groups (rconfig:download-devicegroup)
  • Send Snippets → Smart Groups (rconfig:snippet-devicegroup)
• Select one or many Smart Groups in Step 3. Each group is evaluated independently and dispatched as its own batch named Smart Group: <name>.
• For snippet tasks, also pick the snippet to deploy.
• Schedule as you would any other task.

Task wizard Step 3 — Smart Group picker for the new Smart Group task types.

Run-time evaluation: Smart Groups are evaluated at task run time. Devices that newly match the rules are picked up automatically on the next scheduled run; devices that no longer match are dropped. There is no need to edit the task when device inventory changes.

Best practices:

• Treat the Smart Group name as the documentation — write descriptive names (Cisco edge routers (production)) that explain what the group selects.
• Test with the device probe inside the Smart Group editor before referencing the group from a task.
• Mark groups inactive rather than deleting if you suspect a group is no longer needed but want to verify first — inactive groups stay attached to existing tasks and can be re-activated.
• Smart Groups cannot be deleted while referenced by a task. The system blocks the delete and lists the dependent tasks.

Policy Compliance Tasks

Purpose: Automate policy compliance validation against device configurations.

Configuration:

• Compliance assignment: Select pre-configured compliance policy assignment
• Schedule: Set validation frequency
• Reporting: Results stored and available in compliance reports
• Notifications: Configure alerts for compliance failures

Best practices:

• Run compliance checks after backup tasks complete
• Schedule checks daily for critical compliance policies
• Review compliance reports regularly
• Configure notifications for immediate awareness of violations

Workflow: Task runs → Configurations evaluated against policies → Results logged → Notifications sent (if configured)

Snippet Deployment Tasks

Purpose: Automate deployment of configuration changes or standardized settings.

Configuration:

• Target selection: Devices, command groups, tags, or Smart Groups (V8.2.1+) to receive snippets
• Snippet selection: Choose which configuration snippet to deploy (one snippet per task)
• Schedule: Set deployment frequency
• Execution: Snippet deployed during task run

Best practices:

• Test snippets manually before scheduling deployment
• Use maintenance windows for production deployments
• Deploy to small device groups first, then expand
• Monitor deployment logs for failures

Use cases:

• Deploy standardized NTP configurations weekly
• Update SNMP community strings on schedule
• Apply security baseline configurations quarterly
• Roll out DNS server changes systematically

Caution

Snippet deployment modifies device configurations. Always test snippets thoroughly before scheduling automatic deployment to production devices.

System Maintenance Tasks

Purpose: Automate system housekeeping operations.

Full System Backup:

• Creates complete backup of rConfig system
• Includes database, configuration files, and system settings
• No additional configuration required beyond schedule
• Critical for disaster recovery planning

Clean Backups:

• Removes temporary files and optimizes storage
• Reclaims disk space from incomplete or failed backups
• Schedule weekly or monthly based on system activity

Purge Old Configs:

• Removes configuration files older than specified retention period
• Frees storage space while maintaining compliance with retention policies
• Configure retention days based on regulatory requirements
• Example: Retain 90 days for standard devices, 365 days for critical infrastructure

Archive System Logs:

• Archives old log entries to reduce database size
• Maintains system performance as log volume grows
• Configure based on days or row count thresholds
• Archived logs remain accessible for compliance and auditing

Best practices:

• Schedule maintenance tasks during low-activity periods
• Coordinate purge tasks with backup retention policies
• Monitor storage usage to adjust retention periods
• Document retention decisions for compliance audits

Integration Jobs

Purpose: Synchronize data between rConfig and external systems.

Configuration:

• Integration selection: Choose which integration to execute
• Schedule: Set synchronization frequency
• Direction: Depends on integration type (import, export, bi-directional)

Common integrations:

• CMDB synchronization (ServiceNow, Jira)
• Monitoring platform updates (Nagios, Zabbix)
• Ticketing system integration
• Custom API integrations

Best practices:

• Schedule integrations when external systems are least busy
• Monitor integration logs for failures
• Implement error notifications for integration issues
• Test integration changes before production scheduling

API Collections

Purpose: Execute API-based collection operations on schedule.

Configuration:

• Collection selection: Choose API collection to run
• Schedule: Set collection frequency
• Data processing: Results processed according to collection configuration

Use cases:

• Collect data from REST APIs
• Synchronize with cloud management platforms
• Aggregate information from multiple sources
• Automate external data ingestion

Schedule Configuration

Cron Expression Format

rConfig uses standard cron syntax for task scheduling:

* * * * *
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └─ Day of week (0-7, where 0 and 7 are Sunday)
│ │ │ └─── Month (1-12)
│ │ └───── Day of month (1-31)
│ └─────── Hour (0-23)
└───────── Minute (0-59)

Common Schedule Examples

Schedule	Cron Expression	Description
Every hour	0 * * * *	At minute 0 of every hour
Daily at 2 AM	0 2 * * *	2:00 AM every day
Every 6 hours	0 */6 * * *	At 00:00, 06:00, 12:00, 18:00
Weekdays at 9 AM	0 9 * * 1-5	9:00 AM Monday through Friday
Weekly on Sunday	0 3 * * 0	3:00 AM every Sunday
Monthly on 1st	0 4 1 * *	4:00 AM on the 1st of each month
Every 15 minutes	*/15 * * * *	At minutes 0, 15, 30, 45 of every hour

Schedule Best Practices

Stagger task execution: Avoid scheduling multiple resource-intensive tasks at the same time. Distribute load across different times to prevent system overload.

Consider time zones: Schedule tasks based on your rConfig server’s timezone. Account for daylight saving time changes if applicable.

Match business requirements: Align backup schedules with change windows. For example, if changes typically occur during business hours, schedule evening backups to capture those changes.

Account for task duration: Ensure sufficient time between task runs for completion. If a daily backup takes 2 hours, don’t schedule it to run every hour.

Test schedules: After creating tasks, verify they execute at expected times by monitoring the first few scheduled runs.

Pausing and Managing Tasks

Pausing Tasks

Temporarily disable tasks without deleting their configuration by using the pause feature.

When to pause tasks:

• During maintenance windows when backups aren’t needed
• When troubleshooting device connectivity issues
• During major network changes to avoid capturing transient configurations
• When system resources are constrained
• For testing alternative task configurations

Resuming tasks: Click the pause toggle again to re-enable scheduled execution. The task resumes on its normal schedule.

Editing Tasks

Modify existing tasks to update schedules, change targets, or adjust configuration:

1. Navigate to Tasks → Scheduled Tasks
2. Click Edit on the desired task
3. Update schedule, targets, or options
4. Click Save
5. Changes take effect on next scheduled run

Best practice: Test significant task changes using Run Now before relying on scheduled execution.

Deleting Tasks

Remove tasks that are no longer needed:

1. Navigate to Tasks → Scheduled Tasks
2. Click Delete on the task
3. Confirm deletion

Caution

Deleting tasks is permanent and cannot be undone. Deleted task history remains in logs but the task configuration is lost. Consider pausing tasks instead of deleting if you might need them later.

Impact of Device Organization Changes

Tag Deletion Impact

Deleting tags does not affect individual devices or device groups directly. However, scheduled tasks configured for those tags will fail to find target devices.

Resolution: Before deleting tags, review scheduled tasks using those tags and either:

• Update tasks to use different tags
• Modify tasks to target devices or categories directly
• Delete tasks that are no longer needed

Category Changes

Modifying device category assignments affects tasks configured for those categories. Devices moved out of categories are no longer targeted by category-based tasks.

Best practice: Audit scheduled tasks after significant category restructuring to ensure tasks still target intended devices.

Device Deactivation

Deactivated devices are excluded from scheduled tasks automatically, even if still in targeted categories, tags, or Smart Groups. This prevents tasks from attempting connections to unavailable devices. Re-enable the device to bring it back into scope on the next run.

Smart Group Rule Changes (V8.2.1+)

Editing a Smart Group’s rules changes the targets of every task that references that group. The change takes effect on the next scheduled run of those tasks — no per-task edit is required. The Smart Groups list page shows a Used by Tasks count per group so you can gauge blast radius before saving rule changes.

Setting a Smart Group to inactive does not detach it from existing tasks; it only hides it from the task wizard so no new tasks pick it up. To stop a task running against a group, edit the task and remove the group, or delete the task.

Monitoring Task Execution

Horizon Queue Manager

View real-time task execution status in the Horizon Queue Manager:

1. Navigate to Settings → Queues → Horizon
2. View active jobs, pending jobs, and completed jobs
3. Review job metrics: execution time, success rate, failures
4. Examine failed jobs for error details

Horizon provides:

• Real-time job processing visibility
• Detailed error messages for failures
• Job retry history and outcomes
• Queue performance metrics

Application Logs

Review detailed task execution logs:

1. Navigate to Settings → Logs → Application Logs
2. Filter by task name or device
3. Review log entries for task start, completion, and any errors

Log information includes:

• Task execution timestamps
• Target devices or groups
• Success/failure status
• Error messages and stack traces
• Duration and performance metrics

Task History

Each task maintains execution history:

1. Navigate to Tasks → Scheduled Tasks
2. Click on a task to view details
3. Review Last Run timestamp and status
4. Check Next Run scheduled time

Troubleshooting Tasks

Task Not Executing on Schedule

Symptoms: Task doesn’t run at scheduled times.

Diagnosis:

1. Verify task is not paused
2. Check cron expression is correct
3. Confirm Laravel scheduler is running: php artisan schedule:list
4. Review system cron configuration

Resolution:

# Verify scheduler cron job exists
crontab -l | grep schedule:run

# Should see:
* * * * * cd /var/www/html/rconfig8/current && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

If cron entry missing, add it:

crontab -e
# Add the line above

Task Execution Fails

Symptoms: Tasks queue but fail during execution, visible in Horizon as failed jobs.

Diagnosis:

1. Check Horizon Queue Manager for error details
2. Review application logs for specific error messages
3. Verify target devices are accessible
4. Confirm credentials are correct

Common causes and resolutions:

Device connectivity issues:

• Test device connectivity manually
• Verify credentials haven’t changed
• Check firewall rules

Command execution failures:

• Verify commands exist in device command groups
• Check command syntax for device type
• Review command execution logs

System resource constraints:

• Monitor CPU, memory, disk usage during task execution
• Reduce concurrent task execution if overloaded
• Increase system resources if consistently constrained

Queue Worker Not Running

Symptoms: Tasks queue but never execute, queue depth continuously grows.

Diagnosis:

# Check queue worker status
systemctl status rconfig-worker

# Check Horizon status
php artisan horizon:status

Resolution:

# Restart queue worker
systemctl restart rconfig-worker

# Restart Horizon
php artisan horizon:terminate
# Supervisor automatically restarts it

Task Takes Too Long to Complete

Symptoms: Tasks timeout or block subsequent executions.

Resolution:

1. Reduce scope: Break large tasks into smaller tasks targeting fewer devices
2. Adjust concurrency: Modify queue worker concurrency settings
3. Optimize commands: Remove unnecessary commands or reduce command output
4. Increase timeout: Adjust task timeout settings if legitimately long-running

Tasks Overlap or Conflict

Symptoms: Multiple tasks running simultaneously cause system slowdown or failures.

Resolution:

1. Stagger task schedules to prevent overlap
2. Reduce concurrent task limits in queue configuration
3. Prioritize critical tasks during peak times
4. Schedule intensive tasks during off-peak hours

Best Practices

Schedule Design

Start conservative: Begin with longer intervals (daily backups) and reduce intervals (hourly) only as system capacity allows.

Distribute load: Stagger tasks across different times to prevent resource contention. Don’t schedule 10 major tasks at midnight.

Match business needs: Align schedules with operational requirements. Critical devices may need hourly backups while others need daily.

Plan for growth: As device count increases, ensure scheduled tasks won’t overwhelm system resources.

Task Organization

Use clear naming: Name tasks descriptively to indicate purpose, targets, and frequency:

• Daily-Backup-Core-Routers
• Hourly-Backup-Critical-Infrastructure
• Weekly-Compliance-Check-Firewalls

Group related devices: Use categories and tags to organize devices logically, simplifying task configuration:

• Critical-Production tag for hourly backups
• Standard-Infrastructure tag for daily backups
• Lab-Equipment tag for weekly backups

Document task purposes: Use task descriptions to explain why tasks exist, what they accomplish, and any special considerations.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Review logs regularly: Check application logs and Horizon weekly to identify patterns of failures or performance issues.

Monitor system resources: Track CPU, memory, disk usage trends to identify when system capacity needs expansion.

Audit task effectiveness: Periodically review whether scheduled tasks still serve their intended purposes and adjust or remove as needed.

Test after changes: Whenever modifying tasks, schedules, or device configurations, manually trigger tasks to verify continued operation.

Maintain backup retention: Balance storage capacity with retention requirements. Implement appropriate purge schedules to prevent disk exhaustion.

Security Considerations

Snippet deployment security: Thoroughly test configuration snippets before scheduling automatic deployment. Erroneous snippets deployed at scale can cause widespread outages.

Credential management: Ensure device credentials remain current. Scheduled tasks fail if credentials expire or change without updating rConfig.

Audit task execution: Review task logs for unauthorized task creation or modification. Scheduled tasks have significant operational impact.

Related Documentation

• Horizon Queue Manager - Monitor task execution and queue status
• Application Logs - Review detailed task execution logs
• Device Configuration - Configure devices for scheduled backups
• Smart Groups - Reusable rule-driven device selectors used by Smart Group task types (V8.2.1+)
• Tags - Static device labels used by Tag-targeted tasks
• Policy Compliance - Configure compliance policies for scheduled validation
• Configuration Snippets - Create snippets for scheduled deployment

Quick Reference

Common Cron Expressions

# Every hour at minute 0
0 * * * *

# Daily at 2 AM
0 2 * * *

# Every 6 hours
0 */6 * * *

# Weekdays at 9 AM
0 9 * * 1-5

# Weekly on Sunday at 3 AM
0 3 * * 0

# Monthly on 1st at 4 AM
0 4 1 * *

# Every 15 minutes
*/15 * * * *

# Every 30 minutes
*/30 * * * *

Task Management Checklist

• Task type selected appropriately for purpose
• Schedule configured with valid cron expression
• Targets (devices/categories/tags) selected correctly
• Task-specific options configured
• Task tested with Run Now before enabling
• Execution verified in Horizon and logs
• Schedule doesn’t conflict with other tasks
• System resources adequate for task load
• Task documented with clear name and description

Troubleshooting Checklist

• Task not paused
• Cron expression valid
• Laravel scheduler running
• Queue worker running
• Target devices accessible
• Credentials current and correct
• System resources adequate
• No conflicting tasks at same time
• Logs reviewed for specific errors

Summary

Scheduled Tasks automate critical network management operations in rConfig, from routine configuration backups to policy compliance validation and system maintenance. Proper task configuration, monitoring, and maintenance ensure reliable automation that scales with your network infrastructure.

Key Takeaways

Comprehensive automation: Schedule configuration backups, compliance checks, snippet deployments, and system maintenance without manual intervention.

Flexible targeting: Tasks target individual devices, command groups (categories), tags, agents, or rule-based Smart Groups (V8.2.1+), providing granular control over automation scope — including AND/OR/NOT composition across device attributes via Smart Groups.

Reliable execution: Laravel’s scheduler and queue system ensure tasks execute reliably with automatic retry handling for transient failures.

Visibility and control: Monitor task execution through Horizon Queue Manager and application logs, with manual execution options for testing and on-demand operations.

Version awareness: V8 Core supports configuration download tasks only. V8 Pro and MSP editions support full task capabilities including compliance, snippets, integrations, and (from V8.2.1) Smart Group task types.

With properly configured scheduled tasks, rConfig provides automated, consistent network management operations that scale from small networks to enterprise environments with thousands of devices.