Installation guide

Working with Tasks and Events 23
The topics in this section describe vSphere tasks and events and provide information on how to work with
them.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Managing Tasks,” on page 285
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“Managing Events,” on page 291
Managing Tasks
Tasks represent system activities that do not complete immediately, such as migrating a virtual machine. They
are initiated by high-level activities you perform with the vSphere Client in real-time and those you schedule
to occur at a later time or on a recurring basis.
For example, powering off a virtual machine is a task. You can perform this task manually every evening, or
you can set up a scheduled task to power off the virtual machine every evening for you.
NOTE The functionality available in the vSphere Client depends on whether the vSphere Client is connected
to a vCenter Server system or an ESX/ESXi host. Unless indicated, the process, task, or description applies to
both kinds of vSphere Client connections. When the vSphere Client is connected to an ESX/ESXi host, the
Tasks option is not available; however, you can view recent tasks in the Status Bar at the bottom of the
vSphere Client.
Viewing Tasks
You can view tasks that are associated with a single object or all objects in the vSphere Client inventory. The
Tasks & Events tab lists completed tasks and tasks that are currently running.
By default, the tasks list for an object also includes tasks performed on its child objects. You can filter the list
by removing tasks performed on child objects and by using keywords to search for tasks.
If you are logged in to a vCenter Server system that is part of a Connected Group, a column in the task list
displays the name of the vCenter Server system on which the task was performed.
View All Tasks
You view completed tasks and running tasks on the vSphere Client Tasks & Events tab.
Procedure
1 Display the object in the inventory.
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