Task Scheduler Service

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

The Task Scheduler service enables you to perform automated tasks on a computer. With this service, you can schedule any program to run at any time or when a specific event occurs. The Task Scheduler monitors the time or event criteria that you choose and then executes the task when those criteria are met.

The Task Scheduler service controls when tasks are activated, and hosts the tasks that are started by the service. By default, the Task Scheduler service is started when the operating system starts up.

Managed Entities

The following is a list of the managed entities that are included in this managed entity:

Name Description

Task Scheduler Tasks

A task is the scheduled work that the Task Scheduler service performs. A task is composed of different components, but a task must contain a trigger that the Task Scheduler uses to start the task and an action that describes what work the Task Scheduler will perform.

Task Scheduler Engine

A Task Scheduler engine performs the actions scheduled through the Task Scheduler.

Task Scheduler Backward Compatibility Module

Task Scheduler 1.0 is used in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows 2000 operating systems. Task Scheduler 1.0 tasks can be converted to Task Scheduler 2.0 tasks and used on the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems. This conversion is performed through the Task Scheduler backward compatibility module. 

Aspects

The following is a list of all aspects that are part of this managed entity:

Name Description

Task Scheduler Service Quotas

The Task Scheduler service manages a queue of tasks that are scheduled to run. A task is put in the queue when the service determines the task should run. The Task Scheduler task queue has a quota that defines the number of tasks allowed in the queue. The quota is defined in a registry key value.

Task Scheduler Service Status

The Task Scheduler service enables you to perform automated tasks on a local or remote computer. With this service, you can schedule any program to run at any time or when a specific event occurs.

The Task Scheduler service is automatically started by Service Control Manager (SCM). The Task Scheduler service cannot be stopped or disabled by administrators using the Services Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in user interface, unless special permissions are added to the administrator token. The Task Scheduler service uses the Component Object Model (COM) service, the Windows Event Log service, and the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service; all of these services must be started for the Task Scheduler service to run correctly.

Management Infrastructure