Creating and Managing Server Schedules

Running a smooth Minecraft server shouldn't take up all your time. With our built-in Schedules feature, you can run server reboots, and in-game announcements automatically, on a set timeframe.

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Overview

The Schedules feature enables you to automate tasks on a set schedule. A single schedule can contain one or multiple consecutive Tasks, such as:

• Restarting the Server to clear RAM and prevent performance degradation
• Broadcasting Warnings or Messages to players before a scheduled reboot
• Executing Console Commands (e.g., saving the world via save-all or clearing lag)

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Creating a New Schedule

1. Log into BaoHost and select your Minecraft server.
2. In the left sidebar under the MANAGEMENT section, click on Schedules.
3. Click the Create Schedule button in the top right.

Schedule Settings Breakdown:

• Schedule Name: Give your schedule a recognizable title (e.g., Daily Automated Backup or 6-Hour Server Restart).
• Cron Expression (Time Interval): Set when the schedule should trigger using the 5 cron fields (Minute, Hour, Day of Month, Month, Day of Week).
  • As you type, the panel displays a human-readable summary directly below the input boxes (e.g., Every 5 minutes, every hour, every day).
  • Click the Crontab Guru button inside the menu to open an online editor if you need help designing custom time intervals.
• Timezone Information: Pay attention to the timezone alert box. Times run based on the Server Timezone, which may differ from your local timezone.
• Only When Server Is Online: Toggle this ON if the task should only run while the server is active (recommended for backups and in-game commands).
• Schedule Enabled: Toggle this ON so the schedule executes automatically on your set timeline.

4. Click Create schedule to save your schedule settings.

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Useful Cron Expression Examples

| Schedule Goal | Cron Expression | Fields (Min Hour Dom Mon Dow) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Every Day at 3:00 AM | 0 3 * * * | 0 3 * * * | | Every 6 Hours | 0 */6 * * * | 0 */6 * * * | | Every 12 Hours | 0 */12 * * * | 0 */12 * * * | | Every Sunday at Midnight | 0 0 * * 0 | 0 0 * * 0 | | Every 30 Minutes | */30 * * * * | */30 * * * |

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Adding Tasks to Your Schedule

After creating a schedule, add one or more Tasks to specify what the server should do when the schedule runs.

1. From the Schedules page, click on the schedule you just created.

2. Click the New Task button.

3. Configure the task details:

   • Action: Choose what action to execute:
     • Send Command: Executes a command in the server console.
     • Power Action: Triggers Start, Restart, Stop, or Terminate.
   • Payload:
     • If Send Command is selected: Enter the exact console command to run (e.g., say Server restarting in 5 minutes!).
   • Time Offset (Seconds): Set a delay before this specific task runs after the schedule triggers.

4. Click Save Changes.

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Example: Setting Up an Automated Restart with Player Warning

This is a simple example on how to restart your server automatically every 12 hours while warning players in advance:

1. Create a schedule named 12-Hour Automatic Restart.
2. Set the cron expression to 0 */12 * * *.
3. Click into the schedule and create a new Task:
   • Action: Send Command
   • Payload: say [Server] Scheduled restart in 5 minutes! Save your progress!
   • Time Offset: 0 seconds
4. Create another task by clicking on New Task:
   • Action: Send Command
   • Payload: save-all
   • Time Offset: 240 seconds (runs 4 minutes after Task 1)
5. Create another task by clicking on New Task:
   • Action: Power Action -> Restart
   • Time Offset: 300 seconds (runs 5 minutes after Task 1)

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Best Practices for Schedules

• Avoid Heavy Tasks: Avoid running heavy world saves simultaneously across multiple schedules.
• Respect Server Timezones: Double-check the Server Timezone shown in the schedule panel to make sure reboots don't happen during peak playing hours.
• Test Schedules Manually: You can click the Run Now button inside any schedule to trigger it immediately and test if your tasks run correctly.