Command Scheduler (Kron)

• Finding Feature Information, page 1

• Restrictions for Command Scheduler, page 1
• Information About Command Scheduler (Kron), page 2
• How to Configure Command Scheduler (Kron), page 2
• Configuration Examples for Command Scheduler (Kron), page 5
• Additional References, page 6
• Feature Information for Command Scheduler (Kron) , page 7

Finding Feature Information

Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and
feature information, see Bug Search Tool and the release notes for your platform and software release. To
find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each
feature is supported, see the feature information table at the end of this module.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support.
To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to [Link]/go/cfn. An account on [Link] is not required.

Restrictions for Command Scheduler

The EXEC CLI specified in a Command Scheduler policy list must neither generate a prompt nor can it be
terminated using keystrokes. Command Scheduler is designed as a fully automated facility, and no manual
intervention is permitted.

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 Command Scheduler (Kron)
Information About Command Scheduler (Kron)

Information About Command Scheduler (Kron)

Command Scheduler
The Command Scheduler (KRON) Policy for System Startup feature enables support for the Command
Scheduler upon system startup.
The Command Scheduler allows customers to schedule fully-qualified EXEC mode CLI commands to run
once, at specified intervals, at specified calendar dates and times, or upon system startup. Originally designed
to work with Cisco Networking Services commands, Command Scheduler now has a broader application.
Using the Cisco Networking Services image agent feature, remote devices residing outside a firewall or using
Network Address Translation (NAT) addresses can use Command Scheduler to launch CLI at intervals, to
update the image running in the device.
Command Scheduler has two basic processes. A policy list is configured containing lines of fully-qualified
EXEC CLI commands to be run at the same time or same interval. One or more policy lists are then scheduled
to run after a specified interval of time, at a specified calendar date and time, or upon system startup. Each
scheduled occurrence can be set to run either once only or on a recurring basis.

How to Configure Command Scheduler (Kron)

Configuring Command Scheduler Policy Lists and Occurrences
An occurrence for Command Scheduler is defined as a scheduled event. Policy lists are configured to run
after a specified interval of time, at a specified calendar date and time, or upon system startup. Policy lists
can be run once, as a one-time event, or as recurring events over time.
Command Scheduler occurrences can be scheduled before the associated policy list has been configured, but
a warning will advise you to configure the policy list before it is scheduled to run.

Before You Begin

Perform this task to set up Command Scheduler policy lists of EXEC Cisco Networking Services commands
and configure a Command Scheduler occurrence to specify the time or interval after which the Cisco Networking
Services commands will run.
Command Scheduler Policy Lists
Policy lists consist of one or more lines of fully-qualified EXEC CLI commands. All commands in a policy
list are executed when the policy list is run by Command Scheduler using the kron occurrence command.
Use separate policy lists for CLI commands that are run at different times. No editor function is available,
and the policy list is run in the order in which it was configured. To delete an entry, use the no form of the
cli command followed by the appropriate EXEC command. If an existing policy list name is used, new entries
are added to the end of the policy list. To view entries in a policy list, use the show running-config command.
If a policy list is scheduled to run only once, it will not be displayed by the show running-config command
after it has run.
Policy lists can be configured after the policy list has been scheduled, but each policy list must be configured
before it is scheduled to run.
Command Scheduler Occurences

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Configuring Command Scheduler Policy Lists and Occurrences

The clock time must be set on the routing device before a Command Scheduler occurrence is scheduled to
run. If the clock time is not set, a warning message will appear on the console screen after the kron occurrence
command has been entered. Use the clock command or Network Time Protocol (NTP) to set the clock time.
The EXEC CLI to be run by Command Scheduler must be tested on the routing device to determine if it will
run without generating a prompt or allowing execution interruption by keystrokes. Initial testing is important
because Command Scheduler will delete the entire policy list if any CLI syntax fails. Removing the policy
list ensures that any CLI dependencies will not generate more errors.
If you use the conditional keyword with the kron policy-list command, execution of the commands will stop
when an error is encountered.

Note • No more than 31 policy lists can be scheduled to run at the same time.
• If a one-time occurrence is scheduled, the occurrence will not be displayed by the show
running-config command after the occurrence has run.

>

SUMMARY STEPS

1. enable
2. configure terminal
3. kron policy-list list-name [conditional]
4. cli command
5. exit
6. kron occurrence occurrence-name [user username] {in[[numdays:]numhours:]nummin| at
hours:min[[month] day-of-month] [day-of-week]} {oneshot| recurring| system-startup}
7. policy-list list-name
8. exit
9. show kron schedule

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action Purpose

Step 1 enable Enables privileged EXEC mode.
• Enter your password if prompted.
Example:
Device> enable

Step 2 configure terminal Enters global configuration mode.

Example:
Device# configure terminal

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Configuring Command Scheduler Policy Lists and Occurrences

Command or Action Purpose

Step 3 kron policy-list list-name [conditional] Specifies a name for a new or existing Command Scheduler policy list
and enters kron-policy configuration mode.
Example: • If the list-name is new, a new policy list structure is created.
Device(config)# kron policy-list
cns-weekly • If the list-name exists, the existing policy list structure is accessed.
The policy list is run in configured order with no editor function.
• If the optional conditional keyword is used, execution of the
commands stops when an error is encountered.

Step 4 cli command Specifies the fully-qualified EXEC command and associated syntax to be
added as an entry in the specified Command Scheduler policy list.
Example: • Each entry is added to the policy list in the order in which it is
Device(config-kron-policy)# cli cns configured.
image retrieve server
[Link] status • Repeat this step to add other EXEC CLI commands to a policy list
[Link] to be executed at the same time or interval.

Note EXEC commands that generate a prompt or can be terminated

using keystrokes will cause an error.
Step 5 exit Exits kron-policy configuration mode and returns the device to global
configuration mode.
Example:
Device(config-kron-policy)# exit

Step 6 kron occurrence occurrence-name [user Specifies a name and schedule for a new or existing Command Scheduler
username] occurrence and enters kron-occurrence configuration mode.
{in[[numdays:]numhours:]nummin| at
hours:min[[month] day-of-month] • Use the in keyword to specify a delta time interval with a timer that
starts when this command is configured.
[day-of-week]} {oneshot| recurring|
system-startup} • Use the at keyword to specify a calendar date and time.
• Choose either the oneshot or recurring keyword to schedule
Example:
Command Scheduler occurrence once or repeatedly. Add the optional
Device(config)# kron occurrence may system-startup keyword for the occurrence to be at system startup.
user sales at 6:30 may 20 oneshot

Step 7 policy-list list-name Specifies a Command Scheduler policy list.

• Each entry is added to the occurrence list in the order in which it is
Example: configured.
Device(config-kron-occurrence)#
policy-list sales-may Note If the CLI commands in a policy list generate a prompt or can be
terminated using keystrokes, an error will be generated and the
policy list will be deleted.

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 Command Scheduler (Kron)
Troubleshooting Tips

Command or Action Purpose

Step 8 exit Exits kron-occurrence configuration mode and returns the device to global
configuration mode.
Example: • Repeat this step to exit global configuration mode.
Device(config-kron-occurrence)# exit

Step 9 show kron schedule (Optional) Displays the status and schedule information of Command
Scheduler occurrences.
Example:
Device# show kron schedule

Examples
In the following example, output information is displayed about the status and schedule of all configured
Command Scheduler occurrences:

Device# show kron schedule

Kron Occurrence Schedule
cns-weekly inactive, will run again in 7 days [Link]
may inactive, will run once in 32 days [Link] at 6:30 on May 20

Troubleshooting Tips
Use the debug kron command in privileged EXEC mode to troubleshoot Command Scheduler command
operations. Use any debugging command with caution because the volume of output generated can slow or
stop the device's operations.

Configuration Examples for Command Scheduler (Kron)

Example: Command Scheduler Policy Lists and Occurrences
In the following example, a Command Scheduler policy named cns-weekly is configured to run two sets of
EXEC CLI involving Cisco Networking Services commands. The policy is then scheduled with two other
policies to run every seven days, one hour and thirty minutes.

kron policy-list cns-weekly

cli cns image retrieve server [Link] status [Link]
cli cns config retrieve page /testconfig/[Link] no-persist
exit
kron occurrence week in [Link] recurring
policy-list cns-weekly
policy-list itd-weekly
policy-list mkt-weekly

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 Command Scheduler (Kron)
Additional References

In the following example, a Command Scheduler policy named sales-may is configured to run a Cisco
Networking Services command to retrieve a specified image from a remote server. The policy is then scheduled
to run only once on May 20, at 6:30 a.m.

kron policy-list sales-may

cli cns image retrieve server [Link] status [Link]
exit
kron occurrence may at 6:30 May 20 oneshot
policy-list sales-may
In the following example, a Command Scheduler policy named image-sunday is configured to run a Cisco
Networking Services command to retrieve a specified image from a remote server. The policy is then scheduled
to run every Sunday at 7:30 a.m.

kron policy-list image-sunday

cli cns image retrieve server [Link] status [Link]
exit
kron occurrence sunday user sales at 7:30 sunday recurring
policy-list image-sunday
In the following example, a Command Scheduler policy named file-retrieval is configured to run a Cisco
Networking Services command to retrieve a specific file from a remote server. The policy is then scheduled
to run on system startup.

kron policy-list file-retrieval

cli cns image retrieve server [Link] status [Link]
exit
kron occurrence system-startup
policy-list file-retrieval

Additional References
Related Documents

Related Topic Document Title

Cisco IOS commands Cisco IOS Master Commands List,
All Releases

Cisco Networking Services commands: complete command syntax, Cisco IOS Cisco Networking
command mode, command history, defaults, usage guidelines, and Services Command Reference
examples.

Cisco Networking Services Configuration Engine Cisco CNS Configuration Engine

Administrator Guide, 1.3

Standards and RFCs

Standard/RFC Title
No new or modified standards/RFCs are supported --
by this feature, and support for existing
standards/RFCs has not been modified by this feature.

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 Command Scheduler (Kron)
Feature Information for Command Scheduler (Kron)

MIBs

MIB MIBs Link

No new or modified MIBs are supported by this To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms,
feature, and support for existing MIBs has not been Cisco software releases, and feature sets, use Cisco
modified by this feature. MIB Locator found at the following URL:
[Link]

Technical Assistance

Description Link
The Cisco Support and Documentation website [Link]
provides online resources to download documentation,
software, and tools. Use these resources to install and
configure the software and to troubleshoot and resolve
technical issues with Cisco products and technologies.
Access to most tools on the Cisco Support and
Documentation website requires a [Link] user ID
and password.

Feature Information for Command Scheduler (Kron)

The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This
table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release
train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support.
To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to [Link]/go/cfn. An account on [Link] is not required.

Table 1: Feature Information for Command Scheduler (Kron)

Feature Name Releases Feature Information

Command Scheduler (Kron) Cisco IOS XE Release 2.1 The Command Scheduler feature
provides the ability to schedule
12.3(1)
some EXEC CLI commands to run
12.2(33)SRA at specific times or at specified
12.2(33)SRC intervals.

12.2(33)SB The following commands were

introduced or modified by this
12.2(33)SXI feature: cli, debug kron, kron
12.2(50)SY occurrence, kron policy-list,
policy-list, show kron schedule.

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Feature Information for Command Scheduler (Kron)

Feature Name Releases Feature Information

Command Scheduler (Kron) Policy Cisco IOS XE Release 3.8S The Command Scheduler (Kron)
for System Startup Policy for System Startup feature
12.2(33)SRC
enables support for the Command
12.2(50)SY Scheduler feature upon system
12.2(33)SB startup.

12.4(15)T

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