About task scope

The scope of a task is the set of devices on which the task is performed. The types of scope are as follows:

For a local task, the scope is the device itself.
For an Administration Server task, the scope is the Administration Server.
For a group task, the scope is the list of devices included in the group.

When creating a global task, you can use the following methods to specify its scope:

Specifying certain devices manually.
You can use an IP address (or IP range) or DNS name as the device address. You can also select networked devices detected by Administration Server.
Importing a list of devices from a .txt file with the device addresses to be added (each address must be placed on an individual line).
If you import a list of devices from a file or create a list manually, and if devices are identified by their names, the list can only contain devices for which information has already been entered into the Administration Server database. Moreover, the information must have been entered when those devices were connected or during device discovery.
Specifying a device selection.
Over time, the scope of a task changes as the set of devices included in the selection change. A selection of devices can be made on the basis of device attributes, including software installed on a device, and on the basis of tags assigned to devices. Device selection is the most flexible way to specify the scope of a task.

Tasks for device selections are always run on a schedule by the Administration Server. These tasks cannot be run on devices that lack connection to the Administration Server. Tasks whose scope is specified by using other methods are run directly on devices and therefore do not depend on the device connection to the Administration Server.

Tasks for device selections are not run on the local time of a device; instead, they are run on the local time of the Administration Server. Tasks whose scope is specified by using other methods are run on the local time of a device.