6.0

Managing Tasks 5
Tasks represent system activities that do not complete immediately, such as migrating a virtual machine.
They are initiated by high-level activities that you perform with the vSphere Client in real time and activities
that 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 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 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.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Viewing Tasks,” on page 51
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“Cancel a Task,” on page 53
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“Schedule Tasks,” on page 53
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“Policy Rules for Task Operations,” on page 57
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.
View All Tasks
You view completed tasks and running tasks in the vSphere Client Tasks & Events tab.
Prerequisites
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Open a vSphere Client session to a vCenter Server.
Procedure
1 In the vSphere Client, select the object in the inventory.
VMware, Inc.
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