Scheduled Tasks in rConfig V8 Core

After reading this page, I can schedule recurring configuration backups in rConfig V8 Core, target them by device, category, or tag, run them on demand, and monitor their execution through the queue manager and logs.

Scheduled Tasks automate recurring configuration backups so rConfig captures device configs at set intervals without manual intervention. In V8 Core, tasks centre on Config Download backups: you pick what to back up (individual devices, a category, or a tag), set when it runs with a cron schedule, and rConfig handles the rest in the background.

When to use this

Use Scheduled Tasks when you want consistent, hands-off configuration capture: nightly backups of your estate, hourly snapshots of critical infrastructure, or weekly captures of lab gear. If you only need a one-off backup, run the download manually from the device view instead of creating a schedule.

Prerequisites

Before creating a scheduled task, confirm the following:

• Devices are added and reachable in rConfig. See adding and managing devices.
• The Laravel scheduler cron entry is installed on the rConfig server (covered in the installation guide).
• The queue worker is running so queued tasks are processed. Check the Horizon Queue Manager.
• Categories or tags exist if you plan to target groups of devices rather than individual ones. See device tags.

What Scheduled Tasks provide in V8 Core

V8 Core scheduling focuses on configuration backups (Config Downloads). A task can target:

• Individual devices, for precise control over high-value infrastructure.
• A device category, so every device in that category is backed up together.
• A tag, so logically grouped devices (for example, all core routers) back up on one schedule.

Each task runs on a cron schedule, executes the commands configured for its target devices, and stores timestamped configuration files for versioning and comparison.

Other task types are a different edition

Task types such as Policy Compliance checks, snippet deployment, and integration synchronisation are part of the Pro, Enterprise, and Vector editions, not V8 Core. Those are documented separately at the rConfig Pro documentation. This page covers the configuration backup scheduling that V8 Core provides.

How tasks execute

rConfig uses Laravel’s task scheduler and queue system:

1. The scheduler evaluates task schedules every minute and queues any task that is due.
2. The queue system processes queued tasks through the Horizon queue manager, giving visibility into execution status.
3. Tasks run asynchronously in the background, so they never block the web interface.
4. Every execution is logged for audit trails and troubleshooting.

This design keeps task execution reliable during busy periods, with automatic retries for transient failures.

Open the Scheduled Tasks view

1. Navigate to Tasks → Scheduled Tasks.
2. Review the task list, which shows each task’s schedule, last execution time, and status.

Run a task on demand

Run any task immediately without waiting for its scheduled time:

1. Locate the task in the list.
2. Click Run Now next to it.
3. Watch progress and results in the Horizon Queue Manager, which shows real-time status, completion details, and failure information.

Manual runs are useful for testing newly created tasks, taking an on-demand backup before maintenance, or running outside the normal schedule.

Test before you rely on it

Use Run Now to verify a new task works before depending on its scheduled run. This surfaces configuration issues early.

Add a scheduled task

1. Click Add Task.
2. Select the task type (Config Downloads by device, category, or tag).
3. Configure the schedule using a cron expression or the visual scheduler.
4. Select the targets (devices, categories, or tags) for the task type you chose.
5. Configure any task-specific options.
6. Save and enable the task.
7. Click Run Now to confirm the task executes correctly before relying on the schedule.

Config Download task types

#	Task type	What it backs up	Configuration options
1	Config Downloads, Devices	Selected individual devices	Choose specific devices, set schedule
2	Config Downloads, Categories	Every device in a category	Choose categories, set schedule
3	Config Downloads, Tags	Every device carrying a tag	Choose tags, set schedule

For all three, rConfig runs the commands configured for the target devices and stores each configuration file with a timestamp for versioning. A practical pattern is hourly backups for critical devices, daily for standard infrastructure, and grouping by change frequency using tags. Stagger backup times to distribute system load.

Configure the schedule

Cron expression format

rConfig uses standard cron syntax:

* * * * *
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └─ 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

Scheduling best practices

• Stagger execution. Avoid scheduling several resource-intensive tasks at the same time, so you do not overload the server.
• Account for timezone. Schedules run in the rConfig server’s timezone. Allow for daylight saving changes where relevant.
• Match change windows. If changes typically happen during business hours, schedule evening backups to capture them.
• Allow time to finish. If a backup takes two hours, do not schedule it hourly.
• Verify the first runs. Monitor the first few scheduled executions to confirm tasks fire at the expected times.

Pause, edit, and delete tasks

Pause a task

Temporarily disable a task without deleting its configuration:

1. Navigate to Tasks → Scheduled Tasks.
2. Toggle the pause control on the task.
3. Toggle it again to resume on the normal schedule.

Pausing is useful during maintenance windows, while troubleshooting device connectivity, during major network changes (to avoid capturing transient configs), or when system resources are constrained.

Edit a task

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

Test significant changes with Run Now before relying on the schedule.

Delete a task

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

Common gotchas

• Deleting a task is permanent and cannot be undone. The execution history stays in the logs, but the task configuration is lost. Pause instead if you might need it again.
• Deleting a tag does not remove devices, but tasks targeting that tag will fail to find devices. Repoint or remove those tasks before deleting tags.
• Moving devices out of a category removes them from category-based tasks. Audit your tasks after restructuring categories.
• If the Laravel scheduler cron entry or the queue worker is not running, tasks will never fire or never complete even though they look correctly configured.

How device organisation changes affect tasks

• Tag deletion. Deleting tags does not affect devices directly, but tasks configured for those tags will fail to find targets. Before deleting a tag, update affected tasks to use a different tag, target devices or categories directly, or delete tasks that are no longer needed.
• Category changes. Devices moved out of a category are no longer captured by category-based tasks. Audit scheduled tasks after significant category restructuring.
• Device deactivation. Deactivated devices are excluded from scheduled tasks automatically, even if they remain in a targeted category or tag. This prevents tasks from attempting connections to unavailable devices.

Monitor task execution

Horizon Queue Manager

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

1. Open the queue manager from External Tools → System Queue Manager.
2. Review active, pending, and completed jobs.
3. Check job metrics: execution time, success rate, and failures.
4. Examine failed jobs for error details.

Horizon surfaces real-time job processing, detailed error messages, retry history, and queue performance metrics.

Application logs

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

Logs record execution timestamps, target devices or groups, success or failure status, error messages, and duration. For more detail, see application logs.

Task history

1. Navigate to Tasks → Scheduled Tasks.
2. Click a task to view its details.
3. Review the Last Run timestamp and status, and the Next Run scheduled time.

Troubleshoot scheduled tasks

Why isn’t my task running on schedule?

Confirm the task is not paused and the cron expression is correct, then verify the Laravel scheduler is active:

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

# It should look like:
* * * * * cd /var/www/html/rconfig && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

If the entry is missing, add it with crontab -e.

Why does my task fail during execution?

Tasks that queue but fail show up in Horizon as failed jobs. Check the Horizon error detail and application logs, then work through the common causes:

• Device connectivity. Test the device manually, confirm credentials are current, and check firewall rules.
• Command execution. Verify the commands exist in the device’s command groups and use the correct syntax for the device type.
• Resource constraints. Monitor CPU, memory, and disk during execution; reduce concurrency or add resources if the server is overloaded.

Why do tasks queue but never execute?

If the queue depth keeps growing, the queue worker is likely stopped:

# Check the queue worker and Horizon status
systemctl status rconfig-worker
php artisan horizon:status

Restart as needed:

systemctl restart rconfig-worker
php artisan horizon:terminate   # Supervisor restarts Horizon automatically

Why do tasks take too long or overlap?

Reduce the scope by splitting large tasks across fewer devices, adjust queue worker concurrency, optimise or trim commands, and stagger schedules so intensive tasks do not run at the same time.

Best practices

• Start conservative. Begin with longer intervals (daily) and shorten them only as capacity allows.
• Distribute load. Stagger tasks across the day rather than running everything at midnight.
• Name tasks clearly. Use descriptive names such as Daily-Backup-Core-Routers or Hourly-Backup-Critical-Infra.
• Group devices logically. Use categories and tags to simplify task configuration as the estate grows.
• Review regularly. Check application logs and Horizon weekly to catch failure patterns early.
• Keep credentials current. Tasks fail if device credentials change without being updated in rConfig.

What’s next

• Monitor and manage the queue with the Horizon Queue Manager to watch your scheduled backups run and diagnose failures.
• Review configuration backups to see and compare the configs your tasks capture.
• Organise devices with tags so you can target whole groups from a single scheduled task.