Using a Terminal Server Scheduler

The Scheduler tab page in the Terminal Servers view allows you to reboot or temporarily disable servers according to a schedule.

To create a new scheduler task or modify an existing one:

1. In the RAS Console, navigate to Farm / <server-name> / Terminal Servers.
2. In the right pane, click the Scheduler tab.
3. To create a new task, click Add in the Tasks drop-down menu and select a desired task from the following options:
   • Disable Server
   • Disable Server Group
   • Reboot Server
   • Reboot Server Group

   To modify an existing task, right-click it and select Properties in the context menu. To delete a task, right-click it and select Delete.

4. The schedule properties dialog will have slightly different options depending on the task type that you choose in the Tasks > Add drop-down menu. The differences are described in the following steps.
5. Select Enable Schedule to enable the task.
6. Specify the task name, target server (or server group if you've selected a group task), and an optional description.
7. Specify the start date and time, duration, and the scope (the Repeat property). If you select Never in the Repeat drop-down box, the task will run only once.
8. The Notify Users Message box allows you to type a message that will be sent to the users before the task is executed (you can select the time period using the Send message [ ] before action is triggered drop-down list).
9. The Options section will have different options depending on the task type:
   • If a task is Disable Server or Disable Server Group, the available option is On Disable. You can use it to specify how the active session states should be handled.
   • If a task is Reboot Server or Reboot Server Group, the available options are Enable Drain Mode and Force Server Reboot After (the options work together). If you enable the drain mode, the following will happen. When the task triggers, new connections to a server will be refused but active connections will continue to run. A server will be rebooted when all active users end their sessions or when it's time to force reboot it, whichever comes first. For active users not to lose their work, specify a message in the Notify Users Message box advising them to save their work and log off. Please also see the Terminal Server Drain Mode Examples subsection below.
10. Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.

Terminal Server Drain Mode Examples

Example 1: Scheduling a server group for reboot without the drain mode

A server group contains 3 servers: A, B, C

• Date: 7/24/2015
• Start Time: 10:45am
• Send Message: 2 minutes before

Users with active sessions are notified 2 minutes before the server rebooting task is triggered.

Example 2: Scheduling a server group for reboot with the drain mode enabled

A server group containing 3 servers: A, B, C

• Date: 7/24/2015
• Start Time: 10:45am
• Drain mode: enabled
• Force reboot after: 3 hours
• Send Message: 2 minutes before

The session users are notified 2 minutes before the server rebooting task is triggered.

When the task is triggered:

1. The drain mode is enabled on the servers.
2. Server A and B have no active or disconnected sessions, so they are restarted immediately.
3. Server C still has open/disconnected sessions, so it continues to run until all users end their sessions. If the server still has active sessions in three hours, the sessions are terminated and the server is restarted.

Note: Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Remote Desktop Services / Remote Desktop Session Host / Connection / Allow users to connect remotely using remote desktop services must be set to Not configured, otherwise it takes precedence.