scheduled backup from standby

[skobus]

Let me first sketch what I try to do. I want one of my pc's to send a backup of certain files at night to my main pc. Both are running XP, the main pc is XP Pro, the other is XP Home. The left side is the disk on the XP Home, the right side (the XP Pro machine) is specified as UNC file location on the network.

To accomplish this I start the XP Pro pc from standby using the Windows scheduler by executing a nul batch file. After a few minutes I let the XP Home pc start from standby, also using the Windows scheduler (because the SFFS scheduler cannot wake-up from standby), again by executing a nul batch file. One of the things I tried was to start SFFS from this batch file but that did not work.
I then let SFFS start via its own scheduler (service). Furthermore I have provided network credentials for the UNC file location (the right side) in the Job tab of the profile.

Now this works as soon as someone is actually working on the XP Home. But as long is it only wakes up from standby without someone working on it, it fails.
It looks like it has to do something with the restricted network capabilities of the local system account used for the Window scheduler. I tried changing this in the task scheduler service (specifi\ying a user account instead of local system account), but then other tasks complain, so that is a nogo.

Has anyone a suggestion how to best to this?

[superflexible]

It looks like it has to do something with the restricted network capabilities of the local system account used for the Window scheduler.

That would surprise me. Since the Windows scheduler is only used for waking up the PCs, it should have no influence on any further activity.

I assume there is a permanent VPN connection via VPN routers?

What you could try is stopping and uninstalling the Superflexible service and installing it again, giving it a different user account.

Also try if the scheduled job runs OK if neither PCs have been to sleep.

It could be that Windows just doesn't realize that the VPN is up and doesn't see the other machine. Maybe you need to use some retry settings in the profile under "Access & Retries" -> "Waiting & Retrying".

Or you could call some batch file via Job -> "Execute before/after" to establish the VPN connection.

[skobus]

Success at last. I used the adminisrator account for the scheduler service, that helped. But crucial appeared to be that I had to keep the lid of the laptop (XP Home) open. WIth the lid closed the unit wakes up from standby but is limited in its network access. So the remedy was to keep the lid open during standby.