Scheduling a Blackout

Scheduler > Blackouts > Scheduling a Blackout

Scheduling a Blackout

The following procedure explains how to schedule an MSS blackout. All blackouts use properties on the Blackout Information page. Although you can create blackouts without first configuring tasks, blackouts require tasks in order to take effect. A single blackout can be used by several tasks at once.

For more information, see the subsections below:

To Configure a New Blackout
Blackout Examples
Blackout Properties

You can schedule tasks in conjunction with blackouts; for more information, see MSS Task References below or Scheduling a Task.

To Configure a New Blackout

Using CygNet Explorer, open the Master Scheduling Service (MSS).
In the Blackouts pane, right-click and select New Blackout. (If you want to use an existing blackout as a template for a new blackout, highlight the old blackout, right-click, then select New Blackout.)
On the Blackout Information property sheet, enter a Name for the task and a (optional) description.
In the Blackout Type area, select the blackout type you require, then specify the relevant blackout type option(s) that appear to the right of the type.
Optional: If you require, specify a time range by checking Use Time Range, then selecting from the time menus.
Click OK to save your settings and exit the blackout.

Blackout Examples

The following examples illustrate two basic, common ways to configure a blackout. For simplicity, neither example shows MSS task or GNS address references.

Day of the Week Example

The following configured blackout, if applied to one or more references, executes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 5:00:00 PM to 8:00:00 AM for an undefined duration. If this blackout were referenced by an MSS task and/or GNS address, the respective references would appear in the two fields at the bottom of the Blackout Information property sheet.

Blackout Information

Seasonal Dates Example

The following configured blackout, if applied to one or more references, executes on every date specified from 5:00:00 PM to 8:00:00 PM until the latest date specified has passed. If this blackout were referenced by an MSS task and/or GNS address, the respective references would appear in the two fields at the bottom of the Blackout Information property sheet.

Seasonal Dates

Blackout Properties

The following table lists and describes properties of the Blackout Information page.

Property	Description
Job Information
Name	The user-defined name of the blackout.
Active	Check to select/clear the Active status of the task.
Desc	A description of the blackout. This parameter is optional.
Blackout Type
Day of the week…	Select this option to configure a blackout for certain days of the week. Use in conjunction with Use Time Range to specify times during which to apply blackouts.
Date Range	Select this option to configure a blackout for a specific date range. Use in conjunction with Use Time Range to specify times during which to apply blackouts.
List of Days…	Select this option to configure a blackout for a list of specific dates. Use the date drop-down menu to Add dates to the list. Use in conjunction with Use Time Range to specify times during which to apply blackouts.
Other Options
Use Time Range	Check this option to apply a specific time range to the dates selected in the Blackout Type area. Select the desired time ranges from the From and to controls. Note: CygNet stores data in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), also known as Greenwich Mean Time or GMT. The MSS blackout time range settings (in UTC) correspond to UTC times after a region changes to Daylight Saving Time (DST) and must be manually adjusted by one hour to match the non-DST time ranges.
MSS Task References	If this blackout has been assigned to one or more MSS tasks, the task name(s) appear here. For more information, see Blackouts.
GNS Address References	If this blackout has been assigned to one or more GNS addresses, the address name(s) appear here. For more information, see Notifications.