Manually starting and shutting down cloud desktops is error-prone and leaves pay-as-you-go instances running unnecessarily. Scheduled tasks automate power management on a recurring weekly cycle, reducing costs and simplifying administration.
Task types
| Task type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Scheduled startup, shutdown, and restart | Automates power-on, power-off, and restart on a weekly cycle. For pay-as-you-go cloud desktops, scheduled shutdowns stop billing when desktops are not in use. |
| Scheduled reset | Resets the system disk (drive C by default) to its initial state on a recurring schedule. Suitable for education and training environments where desktops must be returned to a clean state after each session. Data on the data disk (drive D by default) is not affected. |
| Scheduled task for idle instances | Shuts down or hibernates a cloud desktop after it has been idle for a specified duration. Effective for pay-as-you-go desktops where users may leave sessions open without actively working. |
| Scheduled task for disconnected instances | Shuts down or hibernates a cloud desktop after it has been disconnected for a specified duration. Prevents unnecessary billing when users forget to shut down after disconnecting. |
| Scheduled disconnect task | Puts the cloud desktop into maintenance mode for a defined time window. End users cannot connect during this period. The desktop exits maintenance mode automatically when the window ends. |
Limits and prerequisites
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Max scheduled tasks per account | 20 |
| Idle task — Windows cloud desktop | Adaptive Streaming Protocol (ASP), image version 1.0.4 or later |
| Idle task — Linux cloud desktop | ASP, image version 2.0.0 or later |
| Smart judgment (idle detection) | Image version 2.5.0 or later |
| Process whitelist (idle task) | Image version 2.6.0 or later |
Create a scheduled task
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Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
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In the left-side navigation pane, choose Operation & Maintenance > Scheduled Tasks.
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On the Scheduled Tasks page, click Create Scheduled Task.
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On the Create Scheduled Task page, configure the following settings.
ImportantBack up any important files before enabling Initialize Data Disk.
ImportantIf you select Stopped or Restarted, unsaved data on the cloud desktop will be lost.
ImportantIf you select Stopped, unsaved data on the cloud desktop will be lost.
Basic information
Parameter Description Scheduled Task Name A custom name. Must be 2–128 characters. Must start with an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, or a Chinese character. Cannot start with http://orhttps://. Can contain digits, colons (:), underscores (_), and hyphens (-).Description Must be 2–256 characters. Cannot start with http://orhttps://. Can contain digits, punctuation marks, and spaces.Scheduled start
Parameter Description Scheduled Start Enable to configure an automatic startup schedule. Requires a cycle and start time. Cycle Days of the week on which the task runs. Start At Time at which the task runs. Cloud Computer Wake-up If enabled, the cloud desktop wakes from hibernation when the scheduled startup task runs. Scheduled stop
Parameter Description Scheduled Stop Enable to configure an automatic shutdown schedule. Requires a cycle and stop time. Cycle Days of the week on which the task runs. Stop At Time at which the task runs. Forcibly Execute By default, the task is skipped if a user is connected or the cloud desktop is in hibernation, and is postponed to the next scheduled time. Enable this option to force execution regardless of connection status. Scheduled restart
Parameter Description Scheduled Restart Enable to configure an automatic restart schedule. Requires a cycle and restart time. Cycle Days of the week on which the task runs. Restart At Time at which the task runs. Forcibly Execute Same behavior as for Scheduled Stop. Enable to force restart even when a user is connected or the desktop is in hibernation. Scheduled reset
Parameter Description Scheduled Reset Enable to reset the system disk on a recurring schedule. A reset re-images the system disk (drive C by default) from the currently associated image. Installed software and personal data on the system disk are removed. Data on the data disk (drive D by default) is not affected. Cycle Days of the week on which the task runs. Reset At Time at which the task runs. Forcibly Execute Enable to force the reset even when a user is connected or the desktop is in hibernation. Initialize Data Disk If selected, the data disk is also reset along with the system disk. Scheduled task upon inactivity
Parameter Description Scheduled Task upon Inactivity Enable to automatically act on the cloud desktop after it has been idle for a specified duration. Determine The method used to detect idleness. Based on keyboard and mouse activity: triggers the task when no keyboard or mouse input is detected, regardless of whether programs are running, videos are playing, or video conferences are in progress. Smart judgment: triggers the task only when no keyboard or mouse activity, audio or video conferencing, or file uploads and downloads are detected. Requires image version 2.5.0 or later. Whitelist Add process names to prevent the task from running while those applications are active. If a whitelisted process is running, the task is suspended until the process ends. Requires image version 2.6.0 or later. To add a process: find its name in Windows Task Manager (right-click the app and select Go To Details), click Add Process, enter the process name without the .exesuffix, and click OK.If end users do not perform any <Duration> The idle duration threshold that triggers the task. Then the cloud computer <Task Type> Tasks The action to take after the idle duration is reached. Options: Stopped, Restarted, Hibernated, or Disconnected. Scheduled task upon disconnection
Parameter Description Scheduled Task upon Disconnection Enable to automatically act on the cloud desktop after it has been disconnected for a specified duration. Effective Rule Task Configured by End User: end users control this setting from the client. Task Configured by Administrator: the settings you configure here take effect, and end users cannot change them. If you select this option, configure the disconnection duration and the scheduled task type. For end user instructions, see Configure a scheduled policy for a cloud computer. When a cloud computer has been disconnected for <Duration> The disconnection duration threshold that triggers the task. Then the cloud computer executes <Task Type> Tasks The action to take after the disconnection duration is reached. Options: Stopped or Hibernated. If the cloud desktop does not support hibernation, the hibernation task is automatically replaced with a shutdown. Scheduled disconnect task
Parameter Description Scheduled Disconnect Task When this task runs, the cloud desktop enters maintenance mode. End users cannot connect until the task period ends, at which point the desktop automatically exits maintenance mode. Execution Time Zone The time zone used to evaluate the schedule. Cycle Days of the week on which the task runs. Execution Time The time period during which maintenance mode is active. Forcibly Execute If enabled, connected end users are forcibly disconnected when the task starts. The desktop then enters maintenance mode and rejects new connection requests. -
Click Confirm.
Associate a scheduled task with resources
A scheduled task must be associated with one or more cloud desktops or resource groups before it takes effect.
Associate resources from the scheduled task
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Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
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In the left-side navigation pane, choose Operation & Maintenance > Scheduled Tasks.
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On the Scheduled Tasks page, find the target task and click Associated Resources in the Actions column.
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In the Associated Resources panel, associate resources using one of the following methods:
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On the View Cloud Computers tab, click Associate Cloud Computer. In the dialog box, select one or more cloud desktops and click OK.
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On the Associated Resource Groups tab, click Associate Resource Group. In the dialog box, select one or more resource groups and click OK.
NoteWhen you associate a resource group, the scheduled task applies to all cloud desktops in that group and overrides any individual scheduled tasks previously associated with those desktops.
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Associate a scheduled task from a cloud desktop
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Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
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In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources > Cloud Computers.
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In the top navigation bar, select a region.
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On the Cloud Computers page, click the ID of the target cloud desktop.
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On the details page, click the Scheduled Tasks tab, then click Associate with Scheduled Task.
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In the Associate with Scheduled Task panel, select a scheduled task and click OK.
Associate a scheduled task from a resource group
When you associate a scheduled task with a resource group, the task applies to all cloud desktops in that group. Any scheduled tasks previously associated with individual desktops in the group will expire.
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Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
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In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources > Resource Groups.
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On the Resource Groups page, find the target resource group, click the icon in the Actions column, and select Associate with Scheduled Task.
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In the Associate with Scheduled Task panel, select a scheduled task and click Confirm.
Change or remove a scheduled task
Change the scheduled task for a cloud desktop
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Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
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In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources > Cloud Computers.
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In the top navigation bar, select a region.
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On the Cloud Computers page, perform one of the following operations.
Single cloud desktop
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From the cloud desktop list: Find the target cloud desktop and click Change Scheduled Task in the Actions column. In the Change Scheduled Task panel, click Disassociate to remove the task, or go to Operation & Maintenance > Scheduled Tasks to select a different task.
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From the cloud desktop details page: Click the desktop ID. On the details page, click the Scheduled Tasks tab. Next to Scheduled Task ID, click Change Scheduled Task. In the panel, select a new task and click OK.
Batch operation
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Select multiple cloud desktops, then choose More > Change Scheduled Task at the bottom of the page.
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In the Change Scheduled Task panel:
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To assign a different task: In the Set Scheduled Task section, select Bind Scheduled Task, choose a task from the list, and click OK.
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To remove the task: In the Set Scheduled Task section, select Unbind and click OK.
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Change the scheduled task for a resource group
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Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
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In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources > Resource Groups.
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On the Resource Groups page, find the target resource group, click the icon in the Actions column, and select Associate with Scheduled Task.
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In the Associate with Scheduled Task panel, select a scheduled task and click Confirm.
Manage scheduled tasks
After creating and associating scheduled tasks, manage them from the Scheduled Tasks page:
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Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
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In the left-side navigation pane, choose Operation & Maintenance > Scheduled Tasks.
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Find the target task and perform any of the following operations:
Operation Steps View execution records Click View Execution Records in the Actions column. Execution history is available for the last 30 days. Edit the task Click Modify in the Actions column, make your changes, and click OK. Delete the task Click Delete in the Actions column, then click Confirm.