Copy a file every 10 seconds using a batch script - only once - windows

Question

I'm trying to find a way to run a batch script on Windows that backs up my project directory to our local network file share server.
Example of what I would usually run:
robocopy /mir "C:\PROJECT_FOLDER_PATH" "\\NETWORK_FOLDER_PATH"
But, every now and then, my IT admin approaches me about a massive copy operation that is slowing down the network.
As my projects folder grows over time, this becomes more of an annoyance. I try to run the script only while signing off later in the day to minimize the number of people affected in the office but, I was trying to come up with a better solution.
I've written a script that uses 7zip to create a 7zip archive and splits it into volumes of 250MB. So now I have a folder that just contains several smaller files and no folders to worry about. But, if I batch copy all of these to the server, I'm concerned I'm still running into the same problem.
So my initial idea was to run copy one file at a time every 5-10sec. rather than all at once. But I would only want the script to run once. I know I could write a loop and rely on robocopy's /mir tag to skip files that have already been backed up, but I don't want to have to monitor the script once I start it.
I want to run the script when I'm ready to do a backup and then have it copy the files up to the network at intervals to avoid over taxing our small network.

Answer 1

Robocopy has a special option to throttle data traffic while copying.
/ipg:n - Specifies the inter-packet gap to free bandwidth on slow lines.
The number n is the number of milliseconds for Robocopy to wait after each block of 64 KB.
The higher the number, the slower Robocopy gets, but also: the less likely you will run into a conflict with your IT admin.
Example:
robocopy /mir /ipg:50 "C:\PROJECT_FOLDER_PATH" "\\NETWORK_FOLDER_PATH"
On a file of 1 GB (about 16,000 blocks of 64 KB each), this will increase the time it takes to copy the file with 800 seconds (16,000 x 50 ms).
Suppose it normally takes 80 seconds to copy this file; this might well be the case on a 100 Mbit connection.
Then the total time becomes 80 + 800 = 880 seconds (almost 15 minutes).
The bandwidth used is 8000 Mbit / 880 sec = 9.1 Mbit/s.
This leaves more than 90 Mbit/s of bandwidth for other processes to use.
Other options you may find useful:
/rh:hhmm-hhmm - Specifies run times when new copies may be started.
/pf - Checks run times on a per-file (not per-pass) basis.
Source:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc733145(v=ws.11).aspx
http://www.zeda.nl/index.php/en/copy-files-on-slow-links
http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/robocopy-over-network