How to Schedule Tasks in VMware vCenter Server

Being a sysadmin often means doing the same dull stuff every day. PowerCLI can save you from a lot of that — and honestly, every vSphere admin should learn it sooner or later. But even without diving into scripts, vCenter’s built-in scheduler lets you automate a good chunk of tasks through the GUI.

This article breaks down what you can schedule, how to do it, and a few handy use cases to save you some clicks and sanity.

What Can You Actually Schedule?

Here’s a breakdown of the tasks available for scheduling in vCenter. Some require vSphere Update Manager or VMware Tools — noted where relevant.

What It Looks Like in the UI

Scheduling is tied to the object you select. Here’s what you’ll typically find in the Schedule a New Task dropdown:

• vCenter: Just “Scan for Updates” in most cases.
• Datacenter/Cluster: VM creation, host addition, and update scans.
• Host: VM creation and update scans.
• VMs: The full list of power operations, snapshotting, migration, etc.

Let’s walk through a couple of the more useful ones.

Automating VM Snapshots

1. Select the VM.
2. Go to Monitor → Tasks & Events → Scheduled Tasks.
3. Hit Schedule a New Task and pick Take Snapshot.
4. Enter a name and (optional) description.
5. Under Change, set how often and when the snapshot should run.
6. Hit OK — you’re done.

Once scheduled, it’ll show up in the task list, and later in history once it runs. You can run the task manually with the “Run” button, edit it, or delete it if plans change.

Pro tip: Name your tasks clearly. “Nightly Snapshot – Web01” beats “Task_14” every time.

Scheduling a New VM Creation

1. Select a cluster, host, or datacenter.
2. Choose New Virtual Machine from the Schedule a New Task dropdown.
3. The wizard kicks off like normal — set the VM config, OS type, storage, etc.
4. When you get to Scheduling Options, pick when and how often to run it.
5. Save the task.

Now, this task will appear under Scheduled Tasks, and once executed, you’ll see a shiny new VM and the job listed under history with its status.

Extra Use Cases That Actually Save You Time

Here are a few real-world examples where vCenter scheduling helps:

• Snapshot before patch window – Schedule daily or weekly snapshots before automated updates run.
• Recurring test VMs – Spin up temp VMs every Monday, delete them Friday.
• Off-hours migrations – Move VMs at night to avoid impacting users.
• Resource tweaks – Schedule CPU/mem limit changes ahead of resource-heavy tasks.

Not every action needs a script — some just need a few clicks at the right time.

What You Can’t Schedule (But Probably Wish You Could)

vCenter’s GUI scheduler is decent, but not all-powerful. Here’s what’s missing:

• No scheduled snapshot deletion — cleanup has to be manual or scripted.
• No built-in email alerts for task failures — use vCenter alarms or monitoring tools instead.
• No VM backups — that’s backup software territory.
• No support for guest-level tasks — OS-level stuff still needs cron or Task Scheduler.

So yeah, PowerCLI or tools like vRealize Orchestrator (vRO) are still your best bet for complex, chained, or conditional tasks.

Running Without vCenter?

If you’re managing standalone ESXi hosts, you’re limited to:

• Guest OS scheduling (cron, Task Scheduler)
• Remote tools (PowerCLI or SSH scripts)

You’ll hit limits fast — so if your environment is growing, vCenter or some sort of orchestration layer becomes essential.

Quick Tips for Scheduling Like a Pro

• Don’t schedule too many snapshots at once — it’ll hammer your storage.
• Use meaningful names for tasks. Future-you will be grateful.
• Keep a shared change log if you’re not the only one scheduling stuff.
• Stick to maintenance windows when possible.

Wrapping Up

If you’re stuck doing the same VM tasks over and over, vCenter’s task scheduler can take a few off your plate — no scripting needed. It’s not a full-blown automation engine, but it’s great for the basics.

And when you’re ready to go deeper, that’s when PowerCLI really starts to shine.