Tasks
The Tasks section displays automated or manually triggered processes within the system – for example, creating a VM, rolling out an event, or sending emails.
Here you can monitor running tasks, identify errors, and trace completed processes.
Difference between Tasks and SubTasks
A Task represents a higher-level process, such as "creating a VM" or "sending an email".
A SubTask is an individual step within that process – for example, cloning a VM template or updating a database.
Multiple SubTasks can belong to a single Task and together form the complete workflow.
- Tasks provide an overview and tracking of the entire process.
- SubTasks enable detailed analysis of individual steps, including error handling and retries.
- If a SubTask fails, it can be retried individually without restarting the entire Task.
Where can I find this section?
Via main menu: System → Tasks
Alternatively accessible via: Linked from notifications or the detail view of objects
Features at a glance
- Display of all running, scheduled, and completed tasks in the system
- Filtering by status, user, or time period
- Review of error logs and system messages
- Monitoring the progress of individual processes
- Automatic refresh of running tasks
Important fields at a glance
- Task
- SubTask
| Field name | Description |
|---|---|
Created at | (Standard field) Time at which the task was created. |
Created by | (Standard field) User who created the task. |
Event | (Optional) Assigned event that triggered this task. |
ID | Unique identifier of the task. Automatically assigned and used for tracking individual processes. |
Name | Label or type of the task, e.g., "Create VM" or "Send email". Facilitates identification in the task log. |
Status | Current status of the task, e.g., *running*, *queued*, *failed*, or *success*. |
Updated at | (Standard field) Time at which the task was completed or last updated. |
| Field name | Description |
|---|---|
Action | Action performed as part of the SubTask. |
Attempt | Counter indicating how many times the SubTask has been executed. Automatically incremented with each retry. |
Created at | (Standard field) Time at which the SubTask was created. |
Created by | (Standard field) User who created the SubTask. |
ID | Unique identifier of the SubTask. Automatically assigned and used for tracking individual processes. |
Job ID | Internal reference ID of the background job (RQ job) associated with the SubTask. |
Name | Label or type of the SubTask, e.g., "Create VM" or "Send email". Facilitates identification in the task log. |
Object ID | Unique identifier (UUID) of the object that the SubTask refers to. |
Object type | Type of the object that the SubTask refers to, e.g., **vm**, **template**, **event**, or **mail**. |
Parent task | Unique identifier of the parent task to which this SubTask belongs. |
Response code | Response code of the SubTask after completing the action, e.g., HTTP status code or system-specific return value. |
Response message | Output or error message generated during the execution of the SubTask. Used for traceability and error analysis. |
Status | Current status of the SubTask, e.g., *running*, *queued*, *failed*, or *success*. |
Updated at | (Standard field) Time at which the SubTask was completed or last updated. |
Viewing a Task / SubTask
- Open the System → Tasks section from the main menu.
- Search the list for the desired task.
- Click on the desired task to display its details.
- In the detail view, you can see the status, description, and associated SubTasks.
Retrying a SubTask
- Open the System → Tasks section from the main menu.
- Search the list for the desired task and open it.
- Switch to the SubTasks tab and open the desired SubTask.
- Click Retry.
- Confirm the action in the displayed dialog.
- The SubTask will now be executed again.
Currently, only SubTasks that are no older than 24 hours can be retried.
If downstream tasks could not be executed due to a failed SubTask, successfully retrying the SubTask will trigger the execution of those dependent tasks.
Example or use case
An administrator starts the creation of multiple virtual machines. In the System → Tasks section, she sees that the task "Create VM" is running and part of it has already been completed. In case of an error, she could open the log to directly identify the cause (e.g., insufficient resources) and resolve it.
Notes / Special considerations
- Tasks are automatically created by the system when a process is started.
- In case of system errors, the status is set to failed; details can be found in the task log.
- Tasks with the status queued are waiting for available resources or dependent processes.
- Completed tasks remain viewable for a limited time and are then automatically deleted.
- The display refreshes regularly as long as the section is open.
Relationships with other objects
Many objects in OpenVLE are related to other elements within the system. The following overview shows which relationships exist and whether they trigger certain automations.
| Object | Description | Automatic behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Connections | Any number of tasks can be assigned to a connection. | Tasks are automatically created for certain actions of the connection. |
| Emails | Any number of tasks can be assigned to an email. | Tasks are automatically created for certain actions of the email. |
| Events | Any number of tasks can be assigned to an event. | Tasks are automatically created for certain actions of the event. |
| SubTasks | Exactly one task can be assigned to a SubTask. | Tasks & SubTasks are automatically created for certain actions. |
| Tasks | Any number of SubTasks can be assigned to a task. | Tasks & SubTasks are automatically created for certain actions. |
| VM templates | Any number of tasks can be assigned to a VM template. | Tasks are automatically created for certain actions of the VM template. |
| VMs | Any number of tasks can be assigned to a VM. | Tasks are automatically created for certain actions of the VM. |
Required permissions
The permissions required for actions can be assigned via roles or individually. If you lack certain rights, the corresponding functions in the user interface are hidden or disabled.
| Action | Required permission | Path | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| View tasks | tasks_read | / | |
| View subtasks | sub_tasks_read | / |