Applicable version: v2.8.0
Description
SSP performs a number of background tasks to synchronize data, generate system emails and calculate statuses. The tasks are background jobs that SSP runs without any user interface to view the processes while executing. The status of the jobs and information about the latest execution are accessible via direct database access/query. Each of the tasks are configurable to run at various intervals and/or specific times. Many have related configuration that should be reviewed in order to achieve the desired results. An admin interface to view the primary background job details is new to v2.8 in the administrator's System Configuration folder as Background Jobs. The jobs are listed by the Job Name as described below, and a few can be executed by the administrator. It is extremely important to understand the impact of executing a job during peak hours before starting a job.
Task/Background Job Definitions and Schedule
| Config Name | Admin Background Job Name | Description | Default Value | Executable by Admin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
(none)
| directory person refresh | Executes the mv_directory_person refresh task which re-builds the view for Caseload, Watchlist and Person Search tabs. This runs automatically after the external person sync task. | Immediately following the external person sync and application startup | Yes |
| (none) | process caseload bulk add/reassignment | Processes and executes queued bulk actions from caseload | Every 5 minutes | No |
| (none) | send task reminders | Executes the send Task reminders job which notifies coaches/students if an Action Plan Task is due or overdue. Notification before due is in: "numberOfDaysPriorForTaskReminders". | 0 0 2 * * * (2 am daily) | Yes |
(none)
| sync coaches | uPortal user lookup criteria by attribute name/value pairs. (Currently these are anded.) Should be well-formed JSON that will parse to a Java Map<String,String>. | Every 5 minutes | No |
| cull_oauth1_nonces | cull oauth1 nonces | Culls expired Oauth1 Nonces | Every 2 hours after application startup | No |
| send_mail | send messages | Sends queued messages (email). | Every 2.5 minutes | No |
| task_bulk_job_queue_trigger | N/A | Bulk Job Queue Config: Drives the frequency of the cron job that executes bulk actions. Default is 'Every 15s, with a 30s initial delay'' | 15000/30000 | No |
| task_count_success_indicators_trigger | process success indicator count and alert | Executes the success indicator background task. This task examines Success Indicators that are Active and have one or both configurations set. Those configurations are: display a count of low and medium in Caseload/Watchlist/Search or Generate an Early Alert on Low. If one or both or those are set, this task runs against students inside of SSP. | 0 0 3 * * * (3 am daily) | Yes |
| task_external_person_sync_trigger | external person sync | Frequency with which the person and external person tables will be synchronized. This is resource intensive, so should be run during off hours. Specify a number to run the sync every x-many milliseconds. Or specify two numbers separated by a slash (60000/1000) to represent both a period and an initial offset. Or specify a cron expression. See http://www.manpagez.com/man/5/crontab/ for cron expression syntax. Default value means 'daily at 1AM, server-local time.' | 0 0 1 * * * (1 am daily) | Yes |
| task_message_queue_pruning_trigger | prune message queue | Message Queue pruning Config: Drives the frequency of the cron job that prunes and archives the message table | 0 0 22 * * * (10 pm daily) | Yes |
| task_scheduler_config_poll_trigger | N/A | Frequency with which execution schedules for background tasks will be checked for new configuration. Specify a number to run the sync every x-many milliseconds. Or specify two numbers separated by a slash (60000/1000) to represent both a period and an initial offset. Or specify a cron expression. See http://www.manpagez.com/man/5/crontab/ for cron expression syntax. Default value means 'every 15 minutes after an initial offset of 5 minutes.' | 900000/300000 (every 15 mins after app startup) | No |
| task_scheduler_early_alert_trigger | send early alert reminders | Early Alert Tasks Config: Drives the frequency of the cron job that will send out scheduled reminders. Currently, reminders to Coaches about outstanding Early Alerts. | 0 0 4 * * * (4 am daily) | Yes |
| task_scheduler_map_plan_status_calculation_trigger | map status calcualtion | Map Status Report Config: Drives the frequency of the cron job that will calculate status. Executes the MAP status calculation task which calculates On/Off Plan Status for students with active plans. | 0 0 3 * * * (3 am daily) | Yes |
| task_scheduler_oauth_nonce_cull_trigger | N/A | Oauth Nonce Cull Config: Drives the frequency of the cron job that will cull nonces from the oauth table. Default is every 2h (after a 5m delay). I.e. slightly longer than the 90m default timestamp/nonce expiry. **Do not disable this job unless you are sure you are not using LTI integrations.** | 7200000/300000 (every 2 hours) | No |
task_special_service_group_ email_course_withdrawal_trigger | ssg course withdraw notify | Frequency at which the job that sends an email to Advisors based on Special Service Groups and course withdrawals is run. Specify a number to run the job every x-many milliseconds. Or specify two numbers separated by a slash (60000/1000) to represent both a period and an initial offset. Or specify a cron expression. See http://www.manpagez.com/man/5/crontab/ for cron expression syntax. Default value means 'daily at 5AM, server-local time.' Executes the special service group course withdrawal notification to advisor task. This emails advisors if a student has withdrawn from a current course and is assigned to a configured SSG that has notify turned on. | 0 0 5 * * * (5 am daily) | Yes |
Considerations
- The person sync and MAP plan status calculation processes rely on external data. It is strongly recommended that the external data table load/refresh process be completed prior to the external person sync and MAP plan status calculations processes run.
- The background tasks may take considerable resources depending on the size of the request and number of records involved. It is strongly recommended to schedule the tasks during non-peak hours.