A schedule per location, and locations backed up one after the other

Off, once a day or every N hours from a time, each in its own time zone. Existing locations
keep the time that held for all of them. A backup that has to wait shows as queued, and its
restore point has the time it really began.

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -19,8 +19,15 @@ shown under 1.0.0. The git tag of a release candidate goes after the date.
 - A note on a restore point that you can change afterwards, on the restore page or with
   `occ backup:note`. Pins and notes are stored encrypted on the location, so a new server sees them.
   An older version of NG Backup can still read the location, but drops them when it writes to it.
+- A schedule per location: off, once a day, or every N hours from a given time, on the page under
+  Backups or with `occ backup:target:schedule`. After the update every location keeps the time that
+  held for all of them; a new location starts with the schedule of the first one.
 
 ### Changed
+- Locations are backed up one after the other: a backup that has to wait shows as queued. A restore
+  point has the time its backup really began, not the time it was queued.
+- Choosing a time no longer starts a backup right away when that time has already passed today.
+- A location without a schedule no longer gets the notification that it has had no recent backup.
 - A file or folder that is left out because of its name now gets a notification of its own, in the
   log and in `occ backup:run`. It says the item is missing from the backup, gives example paths and
   asks to rename it; before, it was reported as unreadable, with advice about permissions.

PLAN.md

@@ -579,6 +579,10 @@ in README "Known limitations":
   mappen in de backup ontbreken, geeft voorbeelden van de paden en vraagt ze te hernoemen; de volgende
   backup neemt ze mee. Alleen als Nextcloud-melding: de app mailt niet zelf, of meldingen gemaild worden
   is de keuze van de beheerder (besluit 2026-11-06).
+  **Stand op branch `1.1.0` (2026-11-07):** klaar: betere melding, punten 4, 5, 6 en 8. Pin en notitie staan
+  in de catalogus, met een kopie in de database voor de lijsten. Een moment van vóór het instellen van
+  een schema start niets. Geen schema is een keuze: dan ook geen melding "geen recente backup". Nog niet
+  getest: de update vanaf 1.0.3, de pagina in een browser, de tekst van de nieuwe melding in beeld.
   1. `backup:key:import` zonder kit: de sleutel-slots van de locatie (`config`) lezen, met de kit
      als reserve als `config` ontbreekt of niet opent. Vergt een andere volgorde van
      `target:add` en sleutelimport (het gevoeligste pad), daarom niet in rc1. Daarna de

README.md

@@ -329,6 +329,7 @@ On the backlog; know them before you rely on NG Backup:
 | `backup:key:init`, `backup:key:kit`, `backup:key:confirm` | create the key, recovery kit, confirmation |
 | `backup:key:slots`, `backup:key:slot:add/replace/remove` | passphrase slots |
 | `backup:target:backends/add/edit/list/remove/append-only` | backup locations |
+| `backup:target:schedule` | when a location is backed up: off, daily, or every N hours |
 | `backup:run`, `backup:status`, `backup:list` | back up, status (runs of the last 7 days; `--all` for all), restore points |
 | `backup:cancel <run>` | stop a running backup |
 | `backup:browse`, `backup:restore` | browse and restore |

appinfo/info.xml

@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ you need help with restoring a backup after a crash.]]></description>
         <command>OCA\NgBackup\Command\TargetAppendOnly</command>
         <command>OCA\NgBackup\Command\TargetTrustCurrent</command>
         <command>OCA\NgBackup\Command\TargetLimit</command>
+        <command>OCA\NgBackup\Command\TargetSchedule</command>
         <command>OCA\NgBackup\Command\Trash</command>
         <command>OCA\NgBackup\Command\TrashRestore</command>
         <command>OCA\NgBackup\Command\KeySlots</command>

appinfo/routes.php

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ return [
 		['name' => 'AdminApi#setTargetLimit', 'url' => '/api/targets/{id}/limit', 'verb' => 'PUT'],
 		['name' => 'AdminApi#startBackup', 'url' => '/api/backups', 'verb' => 'POST'],
 		['name' => 'AdminApi#tick', 'url' => '/api/tick', 'verb' => 'POST'],
-		['name' => 'AdminApi#setSchedule', 'url' => '/api/schedule', 'verb' => 'PUT'],
+		['name' => 'AdminApi#setTargetSchedule', 'url' => '/api/targets/{id}/schedule', 'verb' => 'PUT'],
 		['name' => 'AdminApi#snapshots', 'url' => '/api/targets/{targetId}/snapshots', 'verb' => 'GET'],
 		['name' => 'AdminApi#setSnapshotNote', 'url' => '/api/targets/{targetId}/snapshots/{snapshotId}/note', 'verb' => 'PUT'],
 		['name' => 'AdminApi#setSnapshotPinned', 'url' => '/api/targets/{targetId}/snapshots/{snapshotId}/pin', 'verb' => 'PUT'],

docs/HOWTO.md

@@ -79,7 +79,9 @@ occ backup:list
 Later runs upload only changed data. An unchanged run uploads (almost) nothing; the output shows
 the number of uploaded bytes, so check that value when you test incremental behaviour.
 
-Schedule `occ backup:run` from system cron (or use the Administration settings, if you prefer).
+Set when each location is backed up in the Administration settings, or with
+`occ backup:target:schedule offsite 02:00` (once a day), `02:00/6` (every 6 hours from 02:00) or `off`.
+Locations are backed up one after the other.
 
 ## 4. Check the backup regularly
 

lib/BackgroundJob/BackupJob.php

@@ -43,17 +43,16 @@ final class BackupJob extends TimedJob {
 		$this->setTimeSensitivity(IJob::TIME_SENSITIVE);
 	}
 
-	private const MAX_DAILY_ATTEMPTS = 3;
-
 	protected function run($argument): void {
 		$budget = PHP_SAPI === 'cli' ? 240.0 : 20.0;
 		$deadline = microtime(true) + $budget;
 		$this->startScheduled();
-		foreach ($this->runs->findRunning(null, BackupService::KIND_FULL) as $run) {
+		// One after the other: runs that read the same disks at the same time are not faster together.
+		foreach ($this->backups->runsInTurn() as $run) {
 			while (microtime(true) < $deadline && $run->getStatus() === 'running') {
 				$next = $this->backups->step($run, min($deadline, microtime(true) + $budget));
 				if ($next === $run) {
-					break; // step() hands back the same object when another process holds the run's lease
+					break 2; // step() hands back the same object when another process holds the run's lease
 				}
 				$run = $next;
 			}
@@ -102,21 +101,18 @@ final class BackupJob extends TimedJob {
 		$this->appConfig->setValueString(Application::APP_ID, 'last_prune_week', $due);
 	}
 
-	/** Daily schedule: "HH:MM" in the schedule's time zone (see Schedule); empty = no schedule. */
+	/** Start the backups the schedules of the locations ask for; they run in turn (see LocationSchedule). */
 	private function startScheduled(): void {
-		$todayAt = $this->schedule->todayAt();
-		if ($todayAt === null || time() < $todayAt) {
-			return;
-		}
+		$now = time();
 		foreach ($this->targets->list() as $t) {
-			$last = $this->runs->lastFinished($t->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL);
-			if ($this->runs->findRunning($t->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL) !== [] || ($last !== null && $last->getStartedAt() >= $todayAt)) {
+			$moment = \OCA\NgBackup\Service\LocationSchedule::lastMoment((string)$t->getSchedule(), $this->schedule->zoneOr($t->getScheduleZone()), $now);
+			if ($moment === null || $this->runs->findRunning($t->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL) !== []) {
 				continue;
 			}
-			// After a failure: retry at most MAX_DAILY_ATTEMPTS times a day, an hour apart, instead
-			// of starting (and notifying about) a new full run every five minutes all day.
-			$today = $this->runs->startedSince($t->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL, $todayAt);
-			if (count($today) >= self::MAX_DAILY_ATTEMPTS || ($today !== [] && time() - (int)$today[0]->getFinishedAt() < 3600)) {
+			$attempts = $this->runs->startedSince($t->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL, $moment);
+			if (!\OCA\NgBackup\Service\LocationSchedule::isDue($moment, (int)$t->getScheduleSince(),
+				$this->runs->lastFinished($t->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL)?->getStartedAt(),
+				count($attempts), ($attempts[0] ?? null)?->getFinishedAt(), $now)) {
 				continue;
 			}
 			try {

lib/Command/Status.php

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ final class Status extends Command {
 		private VerifyService $verify,
 		private Schedule $schedule,
 		private CronHealth $cron,
+		private \OCA\NgBackup\Service\BackupService $backups,
 	) {
 		parent::__construct();
 	}
@@ -61,9 +62,11 @@ final class Status extends Command {
 		$rows = [];
 		$all = (bool)$input->getOption('all');
 		$shown = $this->runs->findShown($all ? null : time() - self::RECENT_DAYS * 86400);
+		$queued = array_map(static fn (\OCA\NgBackup\Db\Run $r): int => $r->getId(), array_slice($this->backups->runsInTurn(), 1));
 		foreach ($shown as $r) {
 			$s = json_decode($r->getStats() ?? '{}', true)['files'] ?? [];
-			$rows[] = [$r->getId(), $names[$r->getTargetId()] ?? '#' . $r->getTargetId(), $r->getKind(), $r->getStatus() === 'running' ? self::runningStatus($r) : $r->getStatus(),
+			$rows[] = [$r->getId(), $names[$r->getTargetId()] ?? '#' . $r->getTargetId(), $r->getKind(),
+				in_array($r->getId(), $queued, true) ? 'queued' : ($r->getStatus() === 'running' ? self::runningStatus($r) : $r->getStatus()),
 				Format::time($r->getStartedAt(), $zone), $r->getFinishedAt() ? Format::duration($r->getFinishedAt() - $r->getStartedAt()) : '',
 				$s['files'] ?? '', isset($s['bytes']) ? self::size((int)$s['bytes']) : '',
 				isset($s['uploaded']) ? self::size((int)$s['uploaded']) : '', mb_strimwidth((string)$r->getError(), 0, 50, '…')];

lib/Command/TargetList.php

@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@ final class TargetList extends Base {
 		$rows = [];
 		foreach ($this->targets->list() as $t) {
 			$row = ['id' => $t->getId(), 'name' => $t->getName(), 'backend' => $t->getBackend(), 'path' => $t->getBasePath(),
-				'repository' => $t->getRepositoryId(), 'added' => date('Y-m-d H:i', $t->getCreatedAt())];
+				'repository' => $t->getRepositoryId(), 'added' => date('Y-m-d H:i', $t->getCreatedAt()),
+				'schedule' => (string)$t->getSchedule() !== '' ? $t->getSchedule() : 'off'];
 			if ($input->getOption('test')) {
 				try {
 					$repo = $this->targets->repository($t);

lib/Command/TargetSchedule.php

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Dillard Blom
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+namespace OCA\NgBackup\Command;
+
+use OCA\NgBackup\Service\Schedule;
+use OCA\NgBackup\Service\TargetService;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Command\Command;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputArgument;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputInterface;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputOption;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Output\OutputInterface;
+
+final class TargetSchedule extends Command {
+	public function __construct(
+		private TargetService $targets,
+		private Schedule $schedule,
+	) {
+		parent::__construct();
+	}
+
+	protected function configure(): void {
+		$this->setName('backup:target:schedule')
+			->setDescription('Show or set when a location is backed up')
+			->addArgument('target', InputArgument::REQUIRED, 'Location name or id')
+			->addArgument('schedule', InputArgument::OPTIONAL, '"off", HH:MM for once a day, or HH:MM/N for every N hours from HH:MM; omit to show the current one')
+			->addOption('timezone', null, InputOption::VALUE_REQUIRED, 'Time zone of the time, e.g. Europe/Amsterdam');
+	}
+
+	protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int {
+		$t = $this->targets->get($input->getArgument('target'));
+		$schedule = $input->getArgument('schedule');
+		$zone = $input->getOption('timezone') ?? $this->schedule->zoneOr($t->getScheduleZone());
+		if ($schedule !== null) {
+			try {
+				$t = $this->targets->setSchedule($t, $schedule, (string)$zone);
+			} catch (\InvalidArgumentException $e) {
+				$output->writeln('<error>' . $e->getMessage() . '</error>');
+				return 1;
+			}
+		}
+		$current = (string)$t->getSchedule();
+		$output->writeln($t->getName() . ': ' . ($current === '' ? 'off' : $current . ' (' . $zone . ')'));
+		return 0;
+	}
+}

lib/Controller/AdminApiController.php

@@ -59,10 +59,12 @@ final class AdminApiController extends Controller {
 		foreach ($this->targets->list() as $t) {
 			$targets[] = ['id' => $t->getId(), 'name' => $t->getName(), 'backend' => $t->getBackend(), 'path' => $t->getBasePath(),
 				'repositoryId' => $t->getRepositoryId(), 'createdAt' => $t->getCreatedAt(), 'appendOnly' => (bool)$t->getAppendOnly(),
-				'maxBytes' => $t->getMaxBytes(), 'storedBytes' => $this->alerts->lastStoredBytes($t)];
+				'maxBytes' => $t->getMaxBytes(), 'storedBytes' => $this->alerts->lastStoredBytes($t),
+				'schedule' => (string)$t->getSchedule(), 'scheduleZone' => $this->schedule->zoneOr($t->getScheduleZone())];
 		}
 		$shown = $this->runs->findShown($allRuns ? null : time() - \OCA\NgBackup\Command\Status::RECENT_DAYS * 86400);
-		$runs = array_map(fn (Run $r) => $this->runJson($r), $shown);
+		$queued = array_flip(array_map(static fn (Run $r): int => $r->getId(), array_slice($this->backups->runsInTurn(), 1)));
+		$runs = array_map(fn (Run $r) => $this->runJson($r) + ['queued' => isset($queued[$r->getId()])], $shown);
 		return new JSONResponse([
 			'key' => ['initialized' => $this->keys->isInitialized(), 'fingerprint' => $this->keys->fingerprint(),
 				'confirmation' => $this->keys->recoveryKitConfirmation(), 'everConfirmed' => $this->keys->isInitialized() && $this->keys->everConfirmed(),
@@ -74,8 +76,6 @@ final class AdminApiController extends Controller {
 			'runs' => $runs,
 			'olderRuns' => $allRuns ? 0 : $this->runs->countAll() - count($shown),
 			'recentDays' => \OCA\NgBackup\Command\Status::RECENT_DAYS,
-			'schedule' => $this->schedule->get()['time'],
-			'scheduleTimezone' => $this->schedule->get()['timezone'],
 			'cron' => $this->cron->check(),
 		]);
 	}
@@ -97,16 +97,16 @@ final class AdminApiController extends Controller {
 		}
 		$deadline = microtime(true) + self::TICK_SECONDS;
 		$stepped = 0;
-		$running = $this->runs->findRunning(null, BackupService::KIND_FULL);
-		// Longest wait first: a run that takes all of a tick does not keep another from its turn.
-		usort($running, static fn ($a, $b) => $a->getUpdatedAt() <=> $b->getUpdatedAt());
-		foreach ($running as $run) {
+		foreach ($this->backups->runsInTurn() as $run) {
 			if (microtime(true) >= $deadline) {
 				break;
 			}
 			// step() returns at once when the background job (or another tab) holds the run.
-			$this->backups->step($run, $deadline);
+			$next = $this->backups->step($run, $deadline);
 			$stepped++;
+			if ($next->getStatus() === Run::RUNNING) {
+				break; // not finished: the next one waits for its turn
+			}
 		}
 		return new JSONResponse(['stepped' => $stepped]);
 	}
@@ -278,14 +278,14 @@ final class AdminApiController extends Controller {
 		return new JSONResponse($this->runJson($run));
 	}
 
-	/** @param string $timezone the administrator's zone (the browser's); empty: keep the current one */
-	public function setSchedule(string $time, string $timezone = ''): JSONResponse {
+	/** @param string $timezone the administrator's zone (the browser's); empty: the default one */
+	public function setTargetSchedule(int $id, string $schedule, string $timezone = ''): JSONResponse {
 		try {
-			$this->schedule->set($time, $timezone !== '' ? $timezone : $this->schedule->get()['timezone']);
-		} catch (\InvalidArgumentException $e) {
+			$t = $this->targets->setSchedule($this->targets->get((string)$id), $schedule, $timezone !== '' ? $timezone : $this->schedule->get()['timezone']);
+		} catch (\Throwable $e) {
 			return new JSONResponse(['error' => $e->getMessage()], Http::STATUS_BAD_REQUEST);
 		}
-		return new JSONResponse(['schedule' => $time, 'scheduleTimezone' => $this->schedule->get()['timezone']]);
+		return new JSONResponse(['schedule' => $t->getSchedule(), 'scheduleZone' => $t->getScheduleZone()]);
 	}
 
 	public function snapshots(int $targetId): JSONResponse {

lib/Db/Target.php

@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ use OCP\AppFramework\Db\Entity;
  * @method void setMaxBytes(?int $v)
  * @method int getCreatedAt()
  * @method void setCreatedAt(int $v)
+ * @method string|null getSchedule()
+ * @method void setSchedule(?string $v)
+ * @method string|null getScheduleZone()
+ * @method void setScheduleZone(?string $v)
+ * @method int|null getScheduleSince()
+ * @method void setScheduleSince(?int $v)
  */
 final class Target extends Entity {
 	protected string $name = '';
@@ -39,8 +45,12 @@ final class Target extends Entity {
 	protected int $createdAt = 0;
 	protected ?bool $appendOnly = null;
 	protected ?int $maxBytes = null;
+	protected ?string $schedule = null;
+	protected ?string $scheduleZone = null;
+	protected ?int $scheduleSince = null;
 
 	public function __construct() {
+		$this->addType('scheduleSince', 'integer');
 		$this->addType('createdAt', 'integer');
 		$this->addType('appendOnly', 'boolean');
 		$this->addType('maxBytes', 'integer');

lib/Migration/Version000008Date20261107010000.php

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Dillard Blom
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+namespace OCA\NgBackup\Migration;
+
+use Closure;
+use OCA\NgBackup\Service\LocationSchedule;
+use OCA\NgBackup\Service\Schedule;
+use OCP\DB\ISchemaWrapper;
+use OCP\DB\Types;
+use OCP\IDBConnection;
+use OCP\Migration\IOutput;
+use OCP\Migration\SimpleMigrationStep;
+
+/** A schedule per location. Each existing location gets the daily time that held for all of them. */
+final class Version000008Date20261107010000 extends SimpleMigrationStep {
+	public function __construct(
+		private IDBConnection $db,
+		private Schedule $schedule,
+	) {
+	}
+
+	public function changeSchema(IOutput $output, Closure $schemaClosure, array $options): ?ISchemaWrapper {
+		/** @var ISchemaWrapper $schema */
+		$schema = $schemaClosure();
+		$t = $schema->getTable('ngb_targets');
+		if ($t->hasColumn('schedule')) {
+			return null;
+		}
+		$t->addColumn('schedule', Types::STRING, ['notnull' => false, 'length' => 16]);
+		$t->addColumn('schedule_zone', Types::STRING, ['notnull' => false, 'length' => 64]);
+		$t->addColumn('schedule_since', Types::BIGINT, ['notnull' => false, 'unsigned' => true]);
+		return $schema;
+	}
+
+	public function postSchemaChange(IOutput $output, Closure $schemaClosure, array $options): void {
+		['time' => $time, 'timezone' => $zone] = $this->schedule->get();
+		$qb = $this->db->getQueryBuilder();
+		$qb->update('ngb_targets')
+			->set('schedule', $qb->createNamedParameter(Schedule::validTime($time) ? LocationSchedule::normalize($time) : ''))
+			->set('schedule_zone', $qb->createNamedParameter($zone))
+			->where($qb->expr()->isNull('schedule'));
+		$qb->executeStatement();
+	}
+}

lib/Service/AlertService.php

@@ -103,7 +103,10 @@ final class AlertService {
 
 	/** At most one notification per location per day. */
 	public function checkStale(Target $target): void {
-		$last = $this->runs->lastFinished($target->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL);
+		if ((string)$target->getSchedule() === '') {
+			return; // no schedule is a choice, as for a location that is only connected now and then
+		}
+		$last =$this->runs->lastFinished($target->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL);
 		$lastTime = $last?->getFinishedAt() ?? $target->getCreatedAt();
 		if (time() - $lastTime < self::STALE_AFTER || $this->runs->findRunning($target->getId(), BackupService::KIND_FULL) !== []) {
 			return;

lib/Service/BackupService.php

@@ -58,6 +58,18 @@ final class BackupService {
 		$this->openedWith = $opened;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * The running backups in the order they get their turn: first come, first served. The first one
+	 * runs, the others are queued; only one at a time reads the disks.
+	 *
+	 * @return list<Run>
+	 */
+	public function runsInTurn(): array {
+		$running = $this->runs->findRunning(null, self::KIND_FULL);
+		usort($running, static fn (Run $a, Run $b): int => [$a->getStartedAt(), $a->getId()] <=> [$b->getStartedAt(), $b->getId()]);
+		return $running;
+	}
+
 	public function start(Target $target, string $label = ''): Run {
 		$label = trim($label);
 		if (mb_strlen($label) > self::LABEL_MAX) {
@@ -210,6 +222,10 @@ final class BackupService {
 			$state = json_decode($run->getState(), true, 512, JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR);
 
 			if ($run->getPhase() === 'db') {
+				if (!isset($state['dump'])) {
+					// It may have been queued for hours: the restore point has the time of its data.
+					$state['files']['started'] = gmdate('c');
+				}
 				$dumper = new DbDumper($this->db->getInner(), $this->config->getSystemValueString('dbtableprefix', 'oc_'));
 				$dbStats = $state['dbStats'] ?? [];
 				// With system cron the whole dump usually fits in one step (one transaction, fully

lib/Service/LocationSchedule.php

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Dillard Blom
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+namespace OCA\NgBackup\Service;
+
+/**
+ * When a location is backed up: "" (off), "HH:MM" (daily) or "HH:MM/N" (from HH:MM every N hours,
+ * starting over at HH:MM the next day), in the location's time zone.
+ */
+final class LocationSchedule {
+	/** Attempts per moment after a failure, an hour apart, instead of one every few minutes. */
+	public const MAX_ATTEMPTS = 3;
+	public const RETRY_AFTER = 3600;
+
+	/** @throws \InvalidArgumentException */
+	public static function normalize(string $schedule): string {
+		$schedule = trim($schedule);
+		if ($schedule === '' || strtolower($schedule) === 'off') {
+			return '';
+		}
+		if (preg_match('/^(([01]\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\d)(?:\/(\d{1,2}))?$/', $schedule, $m) !== 1) {
+			throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Use "off", HH:MM for once a day, or HH:MM/N for every N hours from HH:MM');
+		}
+		$hours = (int)($m[3] ?? 24);
+		if ($hours < 1 || $hours > 24) {
+			throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Every 1 to 24 hours');
+		}
+		return $hours === 24 ? $m[1] : $m[1] . '/' . $hours;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * The most recent scheduled moment at or before $now; null without a schedule.
+	 *
+	 * @param non-empty-string $zone
+	 */
+	public static function lastMoment(string $schedule, string $zone, int $now): ?int {
+		if ($schedule === '') {
+			return null;
+		}
+		$tz = new \DateTimeZone($zone);
+		$today = (new \DateTimeImmutable('@' . $now))->setTimezone($tz);
+		$moments = array_merge(self::moments($schedule, $today->modify('-1 day'), $tz), self::moments($schedule, $today, $tz));
+		$last = null;
+		foreach ($moments as $moment) {
+			if ($moment <= $now && ($last === null || $moment > $last)) {
+				$last = $moment;
+			}
+		}
+		return $last;
+	}
+
+	/** @return list<int> the moments of one day */
+	private static function moments(string $schedule, \DateTimeImmutable $day, \DateTimeZone $tz): array {
+		[$time, $every] = array_pad(explode('/', $schedule), 2, '24');
+		[$hour, $minute] = array_map('intval', explode(':', $time));
+		$moments = [];
+		for ($h = $hour; $h < 24; $h += (int)$every) {
+			$moments[] = (new \DateTimeImmutable($day->format('Y-m-d') . sprintf(' %02d:%02d', $h, $minute), $tz))->getTimestamp();
+		}
+		return $moments;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Whether a backup has to start for $moment. One that was made since then is enough, also when
+	 * several moments went by during a long backup. A moment from before the schedule was set does
+	 * not count: choosing a time must not start a backup right away.
+	 */
+	public static function isDue(int $moment, int $since, ?int $lastDoneStarted, int $attempts, ?int $lastAttemptFinished, int $now): bool {
+		if ($moment < $since || ($lastDoneStarted !== null && $lastDoneStarted >= $moment) || $attempts >= self::MAX_ATTEMPTS) {
+			return false;
+		}
+		return $attempts === 0 || $now - (int)$lastAttemptFinished >= self::RETRY_AFTER;
+	}
+}

lib/Service/Schedule.php

@@ -13,10 +13,11 @@ use OCP\IConfig;
 use OCP\IGroupManager;
 
 /**
- * The daily backup time: "HH:MM" in a time zone. Nextcloud runs PHP in UTC, so a time without a
- * zone meant UTC (issue #19: 03:00 ran at 05:00 in Berlin). A time saved before there was a zone
- * is converted once to the zone of the server or of an administrator, at today's offset: it then
- * shows as it effectively ran (02:30 UTC becomes 04:30 Europe/Berlin in summer).
+ * The time zone times are shown in, and the daily time from before each location had its own
+ * schedule (see LocationSchedule). Nextcloud runs PHP in UTC, so a time without a zone meant UTC
+ * (issue #19: 03:00 ran at 05:00 in Berlin). A time saved before there was a zone is converted once
+ * to the zone of the server or of an administrator, at today's offset: it then shows as it
+ * effectively ran (02:30 UTC becomes 04:30 Europe/Berlin in summer).
  */
 final class Schedule {
 	public const TIME_KEY = 'schedule_time';
@@ -44,27 +45,9 @@ final class Schedule {
 		return ['time' => $time, 'timezone' => $zone];
 	}
 
-	/** @throws \InvalidArgumentException for a malformed time or an unknown zone */
-	public function set(string $time, string $zone): void {
-		if ($time !== '' && !self::validTime($time)) {
-			throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Use HH:MM or empty');
-		}
-		if (!self::validZone($zone)) {
-			throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Unknown time zone: ' . $zone);
-		}
-		$this->appConfig->setValueString(Application::APP_ID, self::ZONE_KEY, $zone);
-		$this->appConfig->setValueString(Application::APP_ID, self::TIME_KEY, $time);
-	}
-
-	/** Today's scheduled moment as a Unix time, in the schedule's zone; null without a schedule. */
-	public function todayAt(?int $now = null): ?int {
-		['time' => $time, 'timezone' => $zone] = $this->get();
-		if ($time === '' || !self::validTime($time)) {
-			return null;
-		}
-		$tz = new \DateTimeZone($zone);
-		$day = (new \DateTimeImmutable('@' . ($now ?? time())))->setTimezone($tz)->format('Y-m-d');
-		return (new \DateTimeImmutable($day . ' ' . $time, $tz))->getTimestamp();
+	/** @return non-empty-string the zone of a location's schedule, or else this one */
+	public function zoneOr(?string $zone): string {
+		return $zone !== null && self::validZone($zone) ? $zone : $this->get()['timezone'];
 	}
 
 	/**

lib/Service/TargetService.php

@@ -78,6 +78,11 @@ final class TargetService {
 		$target->setBasePath(trim($basePath, '/'));
 		$target->setRepositoryId($repo->id());
 		$target->setCreatedAt(time());
+		// Like the location before it: a backup scheme is usually one scheme.
+		$first = $this->mapper->findAll()[0] ?? null;
+		$target->setSchedule($first?->getSchedule() ?? '');
+		$target->setScheduleZone($first?->getScheduleZone());
+		$target->setScheduleSince(time());
 		$target = $this->mapper->insert($target);
 		if (!$created) {
 			// Disaster recovery: occ backup:list reads this local cache, not the repository
@@ -268,6 +273,20 @@ final class TargetService {
 	}
 
 	/** Size limit for the data stored on this location (null = none). */
+	/**
+	 * @param string $schedule see LocationSchedule
+	 * @throws \InvalidArgumentException
+	 */
+	public function setSchedule(Target $target, string $schedule, string $zone): Target {
+		if (!Schedule::validZone($zone)) {
+			throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Unknown time zone: ' . $zone);
+		}
+		$target->setSchedule(LocationSchedule::normalize($schedule));
+		$target->setScheduleZone($zone);
+		$target->setScheduleSince(time());
+		return $this->mapper->update($target);
+	}
+
 	public function setMaxBytes(Target $target, ?int $maxBytes): Target {
 		$target->setMaxBytes($maxBytes);
 		return $this->mapper->update($target);

psalm-baseline.xml

@@ -300,6 +300,14 @@
       <code><![CDATA[$t]]></code>
     </UndefinedDocblockClass>
   </file>
+  <file src="lib/Migration/Version000008Date20261107010000.php">
+    <UndefinedDocblockClass>
+      <code><![CDATA[$t]]></code>
+      <code><![CDATA[$t]]></code>
+      <code><![CDATA[$t]]></code>
+      <code><![CDATA[$t]]></code>
+    </UndefinedDocblockClass>
+  </file>
   <file src="lib/Migration/Version000007Date20261107000000.php">
     <UndefinedDocblockClass>
       <code><![CDATA[$t]]></code>

src/api.js

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export default {
 	setTargetLimit: (id, maxGb) => call('put', `/targets/${id}/limit`, { maxGb }),
 	startBackup: (targetId, label) => call('post', '/backups', { targetId, label }),
 	tick: () => call('post', '/tick'),
-	setSchedule: (time, timezone) => call('put', '/schedule', { time, timezone }),
+	setTargetSchedule: (id, schedule, timezone) => call('put', `/targets/${id}/schedule`, { schedule, timezone }),
 	snapshots: (targetId) => call('get', `/targets/${targetId}/snapshots`),
 	setSnapshotNote: (targetId, snapshotId, note) => call('put', `/targets/${targetId}/snapshots/${snapshotId}/note`, { note }),
 	setSnapshotPinned: (targetId, snapshotId, pinned) => call('put', `/targets/${targetId}/snapshots/${snapshotId}/pin`, { pinned }),

src/components/Backups.vue

@@ -5,10 +5,7 @@
 <template>
 	<NcSettingsSection :name="t('ng_backup', 'Backups')"
 		:description="t('ng_backup', 'Backups run in the background through Nextcloud\'s cron. Unchanged files are not read again; only new data is uploaded.')">
-		<div class="ngb-row">
-			<NcTextField v-model="schedule" class="ngb-time" :label="t('ng_backup', 'Daily at (HH:MM, {zone}, empty = off)', { zone: browserZone })" />
-			<NcButton :disabled="schedule === status.schedule && browserZone === status.scheduleTimezone" @click="saveSchedule">{{ t('ng_backup', 'Save') }}</NcButton>
-		</div>
+		<LocationScheduleRow v-for="target in status.targets" :key="target.id" :target="target" @changed="emit('changed')" @error="error = $event" />
 		<div class="ngb-row">
 			<NcTextField v-model="label" class="ngb-label" :maxlength="100" :label="t('ng_backup', 'Label (optional)')"
 				:placeholder="t('ng_backup', 'e.g. before the upgrade to Nextcloud 35')" />
@@ -60,24 +57,19 @@
 </template>
 
 <script setup>
-import { ref, watch } from 'vue'
+import { ref } from 'vue'
 import { n, t } from '@nextcloud/l10n'
 import NcButton from '@nextcloud/vue/components/NcButton'
 import NcNoteCard from '@nextcloud/vue/components/NcNoteCard'
 import NcSettingsSection from '@nextcloud/vue/components/NcSettingsSection'
 import NcTextField from '@nextcloud/vue/components/NcTextField'
+import LocationScheduleRow from './LocationScheduleRow.vue'
 import api from '../api.js'
-import { formatDateTime, formatSize, toZone } from '../format.js'
+import { formatDateTime, formatSize } from '../format.js'
 
 const props = defineProps({ status: { type: Object, required: true }, allRuns: { type: Boolean, default: false } })
 const emit = defineEmits(['changed', 'show-all-runs'])
-// The time is saved in the administrator's own zone (the browser's); a schedule saved in another
-// zone is shown in this one, so it reads as the moment it runs here.
-const browserZone = Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().timeZone || 'UTC'
-const shown = (s) => (s && props.status.scheduleTimezone && props.status.scheduleTimezone !== browserZone) ? toZone(s, props.status.scheduleTimezone, browserZone) : s
-const schedule = ref(shown(props.status.schedule))
 const error = ref('')
-watch(() => [props.status.schedule, props.status.scheduleTimezone], ([s]) => { schedule.value = shown(s) })
 
 const label = ref('')
 
@@ -97,6 +89,9 @@ const runStatus = (run) => {
 	if (run.status !== 'running') {
 		return run.status
 	}
+	if (run.queued) {
+		return t('ng_backup', 'queued, after the backup that is running now')
+	}
 	const detail = run.phase + percent(run)
 	if (run.waitingFor) {
 		return t('ng_backup', 'waiting for background jobs ({detail}, last step {minutes} min ago)', { detail, minutes: Math.floor(run.waitingFor / 60) })
@@ -116,21 +111,10 @@ async function start(target) {
 		error.value = e.message
 	}
 }
-
-async function saveSchedule() {
-	error.value = ''
-	try {
-		await api.setSchedule(schedule.value.trim(), browserZone)
-		emit('changed')
-	} catch (e) {
-		error.value = e.message
-	}
-}
 </script>
 
 <style scoped>
 .ngb-row { display: flex; gap: 8px; align-items: flex-end; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-bottom: 12px; }
-.ngb-time { max-width: 260px; }
 .ngb-label { max-width: 360px; }
 .ngb-table-wrap { overflow-x: auto; }
 .ngb-table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; }

src/components/LocationScheduleRow.vue

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+<!--
+  - SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Dillard Blom
+  - SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+-->
+<template>
+	<div class="ngb-row">
+		<strong class="ngb-name">{{ target.name }}</strong>
+		<NcSelect v-model="kind" :options="kinds" label="label" :input-label="t('ng_backup', 'Schedule')" :clearable="false" />
+		<NcTextField v-if="kind.id !== 'off'" v-model="time" class="ngb-time" :label="kind.id === 'daily' ? t('ng_backup', 'At (HH:MM, {zone})', { zone: browserZone }) : t('ng_backup', 'From (HH:MM, {zone})', { zone: browserZone })" />
+		<NcTextField v-if="kind.id === 'hours'" v-model="hours" class="ngb-hours" type="number" min="1" max="23" :label="t('ng_backup', 'Every … hours')" />
+		<NcButton :disabled="busy || wanted === current" @click="save">{{ t('ng_backup', 'Save') }}</NcButton>
+	</div>
+</template>
+
+<script setup>
+import { computed, ref, watch } from 'vue'
+import { t } from '@nextcloud/l10n'
+import NcButton from '@nextcloud/vue/components/NcButton'
+import NcSelect from '@nextcloud/vue/components/NcSelect'
+import NcTextField from '@nextcloud/vue/components/NcTextField'
+import api from '../api.js'
+import { toZone } from '../format.js'
+
+const props = defineProps({ target: { type: Object, required: true } })
+const emit = defineEmits(['changed', 'error'])
+
+const kinds = [
+	{ id: 'off', label: t('ng_backup', 'Off') },
+	{ id: 'daily', label: t('ng_backup', 'Once a day') },
+	{ id: 'hours', label: t('ng_backup', 'Every few hours') },
+]
+// The time is saved in the administrator's own zone (the browser's); a schedule saved in another
+// zone is shown in this one, so it reads as the moment it runs here.
+const browserZone = Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().timeZone || 'UTC'
+const kind = ref(kinds[0])
+const time = ref('02:00')
+const hours = ref('6')
+const busy = ref(false)
+
+const current = computed(() => {
+	const [at, every] = props.target.schedule.split('/')
+	return at === '' ? '' : (props.target.scheduleZone !== browserZone ? toZone(at, props.target.scheduleZone, browserZone) : at) + (every ? '/' + every : '')
+})
+const wanted = computed(() => {
+	if (kind.value.id === 'off') {
+		return ''
+	}
+	return time.value.trim() + (kind.value.id === 'hours' ? '/' + String(hours.value).trim() : '')
+})
+
+watch(current, (schedule) => {
+	const [at, every] = schedule.split('/')
+	kind.value = kinds[at === '' ? 0 : (every ? 2 : 1)]
+	time.value = at === '' ? time.value : at
+	hours.value = every ?? hours.value
+}, { immediate: true })
+
+async function save() {
+	busy.value = true
+	emit('error', '')
+	try {
+		await api.setTargetSchedule(props.target.id, wanted.value, browserZone)
+		emit('changed')
+	} catch (e) {
+		emit('error', e.message)
+	} finally {
+		busy.value = false
+	}
+}
+</script>
+
+<style scoped>
+.ngb-row { display: flex; gap: 8px; align-items: flex-end; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-bottom: 12px; }
+.ngb-name { min-width: 120px; align-self: center; }
+.ngb-time { max-width: 220px; }
+.ngb-hours { max-width: 120px; }
+</style>

tests/Unit/Service/LocationScheduleTest.php

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace OCA\NgBackup\Tests\Unit\Service;
+
+use OCA\NgBackup\Service\LocationSchedule as S;
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+
+class LocationScheduleTest extends TestCase {
+	private const BERLIN = 'Europe/Berlin';
+
+	private static function at(string $time): int {
+		return (int)strtotime($time);
+	}
+
+	public function testWhatCanBeSaved(): void {
+		$this->assertSame('', S::normalize('off'));
+		$this->assertSame('', S::normalize(' '));
+		$this->assertSame('02:30', S::normalize('02:30'));
+		$this->assertSame('02:30', S::normalize('02:30/24'));
+		$this->assertSame('00:00/6', S::normalize('00:00/6'));
+		foreach (['2:30', '24:00', '02:30/0', '02:30/25', 'daily', '02:30/x'] as $bad) {
+			try {
+				S::normalize($bad);
+				$this->fail("$bad accepted");
+			} catch (\InvalidArgumentException) {
+				$this->addToAssertionCount(1);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	public function testOffHasNoMoment(): void {
+		$this->assertNull(S::lastMoment('', self::BERLIN, self::at('2026-11-10 12:00 UTC')));
+	}
+
+	public function testDailyIsInTheZoneOfTheLocation(): void {
+		$this->assertSame(self::at('2026-11-10 02:00 UTC'), S::lastMoment('03:00', self::BERLIN, self::at('2026-11-10 12:00 UTC')));
+		$this->assertSame(self::at('2026-11-09 02:00 UTC'), S::lastMoment('03:00', self::BERLIN, self::at('2026-11-10 01:00 UTC')), 'not yet today');
+	}
+
+	public function testEveryNHoursStartsOverTheNextDay(): void {
+		$zone = 'UTC';
+		$this->assertSame(self::at('2026-11-10 12:00 UTC'), S::lastMoment('02:00/5', $zone, self::at('2026-11-10 13:00 UTC')));
+		$this->assertSame(self::at('2026-11-09 22:00 UTC'), S::lastMoment('02:00/5', $zone, self::at('2026-11-10 01:59 UTC')), '02, 07, 12, 17, 22, then 02 again');
+		$this->assertSame(self::at('2026-11-10 02:00 UTC'), S::lastMoment('02:00/5', $zone, self::at('2026-11-10 02:00 UTC')), 'at the moment itself');
+	}
+
+	public function testAClockChangeInTheNightStillGivesOneMoment(): void {
+		$this->assertSame(self::at('2026-03-29 01:30 UTC'), S::lastMoment('02:30', self::BERLIN, self::at('2026-03-29 12:00 UTC')), '02:30 does not exist that night');
+		$this->assertNotNull(S::lastMoment('02:30', self::BERLIN, self::at('2026-10-25 12:00 UTC')));
+	}
+
+	public function testChoosingATimeDoesNotStartABackup(): void {
+		$moment = self::at('2026-11-10 02:00 UTC');
+		$this->assertFalse(S::isDue($moment, $moment + 1, null, 0, null, $moment + 3600));
+		$this->assertTrue(S::isDue($moment, $moment - 1, null, 0, null, $moment + 3600));
+		$this->assertTrue(S::isDue($moment, 0, null, 0, null, $moment), 'a location from before schedules per location');
+	}
+
+	public function testABackupSinceTheMomentIsEnough(): void {
+		$moment = 1000000;
+		$this->assertFalse(S::isDue($moment, 0, $moment, 1, $moment + 10, $moment + 20));
+		$this->assertTrue(S::isDue($moment, 0, $moment - 1, 0, null, $moment + 20), 'it started before this moment: one more');
+	}
+
+	public function testAfterAFailureOnlyAFewAttemptsAnHourApart(): void {
+		$moment = 1000000;
+		$finished = $moment + 60;
+		$this->assertFalse(S::isDue($moment, 0, null, 1, $finished, $finished + S::RETRY_AFTER - 1));
+		$this->assertTrue(S::isDue($moment, 0, null, 1, $finished, $finished + S::RETRY_AFTER));
+		$this->assertFalse(S::isDue($moment, 0, null, S::MAX_ATTEMPTS, $finished, $finished + 86400));
+	}
+}

tests/Unit/Service/ScheduleTest.php

@@ -57,15 +57,4 @@ class ScheduleTest extends TestCase {
 		$this->assertSame(['time' => '02:30', 'timezone' => 'UTC'], $this->schedule()->get());
 	}
 
-	public function testTodayAtIsTheMomentInTheSchedulesZone(): void {
-		$this->values = [Schedule::TIME_KEY => '03:00', Schedule::ZONE_KEY => 'Europe/Berlin'];
-		$at = $this->schedule()->todayAt(strtotime('2026-10-22 12:00 UTC'));
-		$this->assertSame(strtotime('2026-10-22 01:00 UTC'), $at, '03:00 in Berlin (summer time) is 01:00 UTC');
-	}
-
-	public function testAnUnknownZoneOrABadTimeIsRefused(): void {
-		$s = $this->schedule();
-		$this->expectException(\InvalidArgumentException::class);
-		$s->set('03:00', 'Mars/Olympus');
-	}
 }

tests/integration/roundtrip.sh

@@ -101,6 +101,24 @@ ok "without system cron: warning in backup:status and the API, backup finished b
 # The Bin reads in parts, as the page does (what is in the parts: CatalogTest)
 api "$API/targets/$TID/trash" | php -r '$p = json_decode(stream_get_contents(STDIN), true); exit(is_int($p["total"] ?? null) && is_array($p["items"] ?? null) && count($p["items"]) <= $p["total"] ? 0 : 1);' || fail "the Bin API does not give a total and items"
 ok "the Bin API reads in parts, with a total"
+# Locations are backed up one after the other: the second one started is queued until the first is done.
+for L in 2 3; do
+  $X sh -c "mkdir -p /tmp/ngb-rt-target$L"
+  occ backup:target:add ci$L local -a null::null -o datadir=/tmp/ngb-rt-target$L --path=repo >/dev/null || fail "target add ci$L"
+done
+IDS=$(api "$API/status" | php -r 'foreach (json_decode(stream_get_contents(STDIN), true)["targets"] as $t) { if ($t["name"] === "ci2" || $t["name"] === "ci3") { echo $t["id"], " "; } }')
+for ID in $IDS; do api -X POST -d "{\"targetId\": $ID, \"label\": \"turn\"}" "$API/backups" >/dev/null || fail "start a backup to location $ID"; done
+occ backup:status | grep "queued" >/dev/null || fail "the second backup is not queued"
+QUEUED=$(api "$API/status" | php -r 'echo count(array_filter(json_decode(stream_get_contents(STDIN), true)["runs"], fn ($r) => $r["queued"]));')
+[ "$QUEUED" = 1 ] || fail "$QUEUED backups queued instead of 1"
+for i in $(seq 1 60); do
+  api -X POST "$API/tick" >/dev/null || fail "tick"
+  RUNNING=$(api "$API/status" | php -r 'echo count(array_filter(json_decode(stream_get_contents(STDIN), true)["runs"], fn ($r) => $r["status"] === "running"));')
+  [ "$RUNNING" != 0 ] || break
+done
+[ "$RUNNING" = 0 ] || fail "the queued backups did not finish"
+occ backup:list ci3 | grep " turn " >/dev/null || fail "the queued backup made no snapshot"
+ok "locations in turn: the second backup queued, and done after the first"
 occ background:cron >/dev/null
 $X php -f /var/www/html/cron.php >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
 occ backup:status | grep "system cron" >/dev/null && fail "backup:status still warns after cron ran"
@@ -109,6 +127,26 @@ api "$API/status" | php -r 'exit(json_decode(stream_get_contents(STDIN), true)["
 ok "with a system cron that ran: no warning in backup:status or the API"
 occ user:delete "$ADM" >/dev/null
 
+# A schedule per location. Choosing a time starts nothing; the moment itself does, and only there.
+JOB=$(occ background-job:list --class='OCA\NgBackup\BackgroundJob\BackupJob' --output=json | php -r 'echo json_decode(stream_get_contents(STDIN), true)[0]["id"];')
+job() { occ background-job:execute "$JOB" --force-execute >/dev/null; }
+occ backup:target:schedule ci off >/dev/null
+occ backup:target:schedule ci3 off >/dev/null
+occ backup:target:schedule ci2 00:00 --timezone=UTC >/dev/null || fail "set a schedule"
+occ backup:target:schedule ci2 | grep "00:00 (UTC)" >/dev/null || fail "schedule not shown"
+job
+[ "$(occ backup:list ci2 | grep -c ' scheduled ')" = 0 ] || fail "choosing a time started a backup"
+occ backup:target:schedule ci2 "$($X date -u -d '+1 minute' +%H:%M)/6" --timezone=UTC >/dev/null || fail "set every 6 hours"
+sleep 65
+job
+occ backup:list ci2 | grep " scheduled " >/dev/null || fail "the scheduled moment started no backup"
+[ "$(occ backup:list ci3 | grep -c ' scheduled ')" = 0 ] || fail "a location that is off was backed up"
+job
+[ "$(occ backup:list ci2 | grep -c ' scheduled ')" = 1 ] || fail "one moment started more than one backup"
+occ backup:target:schedule ci2 nonsense >/dev/null 2>&1 && fail "a bad schedule was accepted"
+for L in 2 3; do occ backup:target:remove ci$L >/dev/null || fail "target remove ci$L"; done
+ok "schedule per location: nothing on choosing a time, one backup at the moment, none when off"
+
 # Checksum audit: shallow (index presence) and deep (download, decrypt, verify every blob).
 occ backup:verify ci "$SNAP" | grep "^OK$" >/dev/null || fail "shallow verify"
 occ backup:verify ci "$SNAP" --deep | grep "^OK$" >/dev/null || fail "deep verify"