Backup Schedule Time Discrepancy and UI Feedback

[Lonnie]

I am writing to report a potential bug I have encountered in Proxmox version 7.4-15.

My issue pertains to the backup scheduling feature. I have set a backup schedule as follows: "mon,tue,wed,thu,fri 18:15" (please refer to the attached screenshot). However, in the display of the next run time, the system indicates that it is set for 23:15 instead of the configured time of 18:15.



I am unsure whether this is simply a display error or whether my backup will indeed commence at the later time indicated. In either case, I wanted to bring this issue to your attention as it could potentially cause confusion or misconfiguration.

While I have your attention, I'd like to take a moment to share some feedback on the recent design changes of this module. In previous versions, the backup configuration was a separate process where the days of the week and the time were configured using individual inputs. This approach was user-friendly and intuitive, particularly for those of us who prefer not to use command-line inputs.

The current design integrates both parameters into a single dropdown menu, which, in my view, feels somewhat overloaded. While I am generally a fan of Proxmox's design enhancements, this one stands out as a step back from the user-friendliness we've come to enjoy.

Despite this, I remain a satisfied Proxmox user, and I appreciate your team's constant efforts to improve the software. I believe that constructive feedback is key to the continuous improvement process, and I hope that my observations will be taken into consideration in future updates.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to your response.

 

[Lonnie]

Upon further investigation, I suspect that the discrepancy in the backup scheduling time might be related to a mismatch between the timezone of my web browser and the Proxmox server. This could very well be the root cause of the confusion in the displayed time.

I would prefer that the "Next Run" time be based on the timezone of the Proxmox server to ensure consistency with my prescribed settings, rather than adapting to my web browser's timezone. Either way, it would be beneficial if the timezone were explicitly indicated, especially when there's a difference between the web browser's timezone and that of the Proxmox server. Such an indication would certainly help avoid confusion in the future.

 

[Lonnie]

Bug Report:
https://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=4906

 

[Dunuin]

I would prefer that the "Next Run" time be based on the timezone of the Proxmox server to ensure consistency with my prescribed settings, rather than adapting to my web browser's timezone.

Not a great option with bigger environments where multiple people of different countries, or even continents, manage a PVE/PBS cluster.

Either way, it would be beneficial if the timezone were explicitly indicated, especially when there's a difference between the web browser's timezone and that of the Proxmox server.

Yes, that wouldn't hurt, except maybe readability when there is even more data in the tables. I guess a tooltip showing the timezone would be a compromise, but then probably most people wouldn't see that there is actually a tooltip (like with the date of the last verirfy of a backup snapshot in PBS, which is more like an esteregg ).
Maybe a timezone option in the users "My Settings" menu which defaults to "by browser"?

 

[Lonnie]

Yes, the timezone would be even more pertinent information to larger environments managed from multiple timezones.

I find both the server's timezone and the web browser's time zone pertinent. In the OP screenshot, both are being used on the same page (compared in red) without any explicit indication of the timezones involved.

I'd probably compare the server timezone to the browser timezone, and only indicate the timezone on "Next Run" when the two differ. @Dunuin