Managing the application using tasks

You can manage the operation of Kaspersky Security for Virtualization 5.2 Light Agent by using tasks centrally through Kaspersky Security Center or locally on protected virtual machines (through the local interface of Light Agent for Windows or by using the command line for Light Agent for Linux).

If a Kaspersky Security Center policy is applied on a virtual machine, management of local tasks through the local interface of Light Agent for Windows and from the command line is disabled by default.

You can enable management of local tasks in the Light Agent for Windows policy (Advanced settings subsection in the Other settings) section.

Manage tasks via Kaspersky Security Center

Administration Console or Web Console can be used to work with tasks in Kaspersky Security Center. Using the Web Console, you can manage all tasks, except for the Change application components task, which is executed on protected virtual machines with the Light Agent for Windows component installed. Use the Administration Console to manage the Change application components task.

This section describes how to work with tasks in Kaspersky Security Center using the Administration Console. For basic information about managing tasks in Kaspersky Security Center using the Web Console, refer to the Managing tasks in Web Console section. For more information about Web Console, refer to the Kaspersky Security Center help.

You can use the following tasks to manage Kaspersky Security using Kaspersky Security Center:

• Tasks running on the SVM:
  • Application activation. Kaspersky Security Center adds a license key to SVMs to activate the application or renew the license.
  • Database update. The Protection Server component automatically downloads application database update packages and installs them on SVMs.
  • Application module update on an SVM. The Protection Server component installs application module updates on SVMs.
  • Database update rollback. The Protection Server component rolls back the last application database update on SVMs.
• Tasks running on protected virtual machines with the Light Agent for Windows component installed:
  • Inventory. Kaspersky Security searches for information about all application executable files on protected virtual machines. Getting information about applications installed on protected virtual machines can be useful, for example, for creating optimal application startup control rules.
  • Virus scan. Kaspersky Security performs a virus scan of the areas of the protected virtual machine that are specified in the task settings.
  • Change application components. Kaspersky Security installs or removes Light Agent functional components on protected virtual machines.

    The Change application components task cannot be managed in the Web Console. Use the Administration Console to manage the task.

  • Baseline update. Kaspersky Security creates or updates a previously created baseline that is used when running a System Integrity Check.
  • System Integrity check. Kaspersky Security compares the current state of the system on selected virtual machines with the previously created baseline system state to detect possibly modifications in the selected objects being monitored.
  • System integrity status reset. Kaspersky Security cancels the Critical and Warning statuses received from the System Integrity Monitoring component for virtual machines.
• Virus scan task that runs on protected virtual machines with the Light Agent for Linux component installed. Kaspersky Security performs a virus scan of the areas of the protected virtual machine that are specified in the task settings.

You can use the tasks of the following types to manage Kaspersky Security using Kaspersky Security Center:

• Group task – a task that is performed on the client devices of the selected administration group. In relation to Kaspersky Security, group tasks are performed on SVMs or protected virtual machines that belong to administration groups.
• Task for sets of devices – a task for one or several SVMs or protected virtual machines included or not included in administration groups.

You can perform the following task management operations in Kaspersky Security Center:

• Create and delete tasks
• Edit task settings
• Start and stop tasks
• View task execution results

Kaspersky Security sends information about all events occurring during performance of tasks to the Administration Server of Kaspersky Security Center.

For more information about managing tasks, see Kaspersky Security Center help.

Manage tasks via Light Agent for Windows local interface

In addition to the tasks that can be configured through Kaspersky Security Center for managing Kaspersky Security for Virtualization 5.2 Light Agent, you can also use tasks that can be configured through the local interface of Light Agent for Windows on a protected virtual machine, provided that the display of local tasks and their management are not prohibited by the Light Agent for Windows policy.

You can use the following tasks to manage the application via the local interface of Light Agent for Windows:

• Full Scan. Kaspersky Security thoroughly scans the operating system of the protected virtual machine, including kernel memory, running processes and startup objects, boot sectors, backup storage of the operating system, and all hard drives and removable drives.
• Custom Scan. Kaspersky Security scans user-specified objects on the protected virtual machine.
• Critical Areas Scan. Kaspersky Security scans the protected virtual machine’s kernel memory, running processes and startup objects, boot sectors and objects vulnerable to rootkit infection.
• Update. Light Agent downloads an application module and database update package from the SVM and installs the updates on a protected virtual machine.
• Baseline update. Kaspersky Security creates or updates a previously created baseline that is used when running a System Integrity Check.
• System Integrity check. Kaspersky Security compares the current state of the system on a protected virtual machine with the previously created baseline system state snapshot to detect possibly modifications in the selected objects being monitored.

You can perform the following actions with tasks in the local interface:

• Edit task settings
• Start and stop tasks
• View the results of the task execution

Information about scan results and about all events that occurred during the performance of tasks is written to Kaspersky Security reports.

Managing Light Agent for Linux tasks from the command line

Tasks of the following types are available for managing Light Agent for Linux from the command line:

• Full Scan. Kaspersky Security performs a thorough scan of the protected virtual machine’s operating system, including system memory, startup objects, boot sectors, and all hard drives, removable drives and network drives.
• Custom Scan. Kaspersky Security scans user-specified objects on the protected virtual machine.
• Update. Light Agent downloads an application module and database update package from the SVM and installs the updates on a protected virtual machine.

You can perform the following task management operations:

• Edit task settings
• Start and stop tasks
• View the results of the task execution

Creating tasks

In Kaspersky Security Center, you can create tasks that allow you to centrally manage the Kaspersky Security application. There is no need to create tasks that allow you to manage the application locally on protected virtual machines; such tasks are created automatically. You can configure the local tasks settings in the Light Agent for Windows local interface and using the command line.

To create a task in the Administration Console:

1. Open Kaspersky Security Center Administration Console.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To create a task for SVMs or virtual machines within the selected administration group, select the folder with the name of this administration group in the console tree and in the workspace select the Tasks tab.
   • To create a task for one or more SVMs or virtual machines (tasks for a set of devices), select the Tasks folder in the console tree.
3. Click the New task button to start the New Task Wizard.
4. At the first step of the wizard, select the Kaspersky Security management MMC plug-in for which you want to create a task and the type of task.

   Proceed to the next step of the New Task Wizard.

5. If you started the New Task Wizard from the Tasks folder, specify the method of selecting SVMs or virtual machines for which you are creating the task. You can select SVMs or virtual machines from the list of devices detected by the Administration Server, manually specify the addresses of SVMs or virtual machines, import the list of SVMs or virtual machines from a file, or specify a previously configured selection of devices (for details, refer to the Kaspersky Security Center help). Depending on the specified method of selecting SVMs or virtual machines, perform one of the following operations in the window that opens:
   • In the list of detected devices, specify SVMs or virtual machines for which you want to create the task. To do so, select the check boxes in the list, on the left of the device names.
   • Click the Add or Add IP range button and specify the addresses of SVMs or virtual machines manually.
   • Click the Import button, and in the window that opens select a TXT file with the list of addresses of SVMs or virtual machines.
   • Click Browse and in the window that opens specify the name of the selection containing SVMs or virtual machines for which you want to create the task.

   Proceed to the next step of the New Task Wizard.

6. Configure the available task settings following the instructions of the New Task Wizard.

   If you want the task to start as soon as the wizard finishes, at the last step of the wizard, select the Run task when the wizard is complete check box.

7. Finish the wizard.

Modifying task settings

Modifying the task settings in the Kaspersky Security Center Administration Console

To modify the task settings in the Administration Console:

1. Open Kaspersky Security Center Administration Console.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To modify the settings of a task created for SVMs or virtual machines within the selected administration group, select the folder with the name of this administration group in the console tree and in the workspace select the Tasks tab.
   • To modify the settings of a task created for one or more SVMs or virtual machines (tasks for a set of devices), select the Tasks folder in the console tree.
3. In the list of tasks, select the required task and double-click it to open the Settings: <Task name> window.

   You can also open the task properties window using the Settings item of the task context menu.

4. Modify the task settings.
5. Click the Apply button or the OK button in the Settings: <Task name> window to save the changes.

Modifying the task settings in the Light Agent for Windows local interface

To modify the task settings in the local interface:

1. On the protected virtual machine, open the application settings window.
2. In the left part of the window, in the Scheduled tasks section, select the section with the name of the relevant task.

   The right part of the window displays the settings of the selected task.

   If some tasks are absent from the section, this means that the display and management of local tasks is denied by the policy for all protected virtual machines of the administration group. You can enable or disable the display and management of local tasks in the Light Agent for Windows policy (Advanced settings subsection in the Other settings) section.

3. Configure the task settings.
4. To save changes, click the Save button.

Starting and stopping tasks

Starting and stopping tasks in the Kaspersky Security Center Administration Console

In Kaspersky Security Center, you can start or stop the task at any time irrespective of the selected task run mode.

To start or stop a task in the Administration Console:

1. Open Kaspersky Security Center Administration Console.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To start or stop a task created for SVMs or virtual machines within the selected administration group, select the folder with the name of this administration group in the console tree and in the workspace select the Tasks tab.
   • To start or stop a task created for one or more SVMs or virtual machines (tasks for a set of devices), select the Tasks folder in the console tree.
3. In the list of tasks, select the required task, open the context menu of the task, and select the action you want to perform.

For the Virus scan task, the Pause and Resume actions are available in addition to starting and stopping. On the virtual machines with Light Agent for Windows installed, automatic pause of the task execution at the specified time is also available.

Starting and stopping tasks in the Light Agent for Windows local interface

In the local interface, you can start or stop a task at any time irrespective of the selected task run mode if the display of local tasks and management of those tasks is not blocked by the Light Agent for Windows policy.

The Virus scan task can be started or stopped in Kaspersky Security Center.

To start or stop a task in the local interface:

1. On the protected virtual machine, open the main application window.
2. Select the Protection and Control tab.
3. Open the Manage tasks section.

   If some tasks are absent from the section, this means that the display and management of local tasks is denied by the policy for all protected virtual machines of the administration group. You can enable or disable the display and management of local tasks in the Light Agent for Windows policy (Advanced settings subsection in the Other settings) section.

4. Select the task you want to start or stop, open the task context menu and select the desired action.

   If you have started a task, the task progress status that is displayed on the right of the name of the task changes to Running.

   If you have stopped a task, the task progress status changes to Stopped.

You can configure the task to be automatically paused at a specified time.

You can also run a custom scan of any file by selecting Scan for viruses in the Windows context menu.

Configuring automatic pausing of scan tasks

Automatic pausing of the Virus scan task can be configured only on virtual machines with Light Agent for Windows installed.

Configuring automatic pausing of the Virus Scan task in Kaspersky Security Center Administration Console

You can configure the Virus scan task to be automatically paused at a specified time.

To configure automatic pausing of the Virus scan task in the Administration Console:

1. Open Kaspersky Security Center Administration Console.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To configure the settings of a task created for the virtual machines within the selected administration group, select the folder with the name of this administration group in the console tree and in the workspace select the Tasks tab.
   • To configure the settings of a task created for one or more virtual machines (tasks for a set of devices), select the Tasks folder in the console tree.
3. In the list of tasks, select the required virus scan task for Light Agent for Windows and open the Settings: <Task name> window by double-clicking it.
4. In the properties window of the task, select the Settings section in the list on the left.
5. In the right part of the window, in the Security level section, click the Settings button.
6. In the Virus scan window that opens, on the Additional tab, in the Pause operation section, select the By schedule check box and click the Schedule button.
7. In the Pause operation window that opens, in the Pause task at and Resume task at fields, specify the time (in HH:MM format) of the beginning and end of the period during which the Virus scan task will be paused.
8. Click OK in the Pause operation window.
9. Click OK in the Virus scan window.
10. To save changes, click the Apply button.

Configuring automatic pausing of scan tasks in the Light Agent for Windows local interface

For scan tasks, you can configure a task to be automatically paused at the specified time.

To configure automatic pausing of a scan task in the local interface:

1. On the protected virtual machine, open the application settings window.
2. In the left part of the window, in the Scheduled tasks section, select the subsection with the name of the relevant scan task (Full Scan, Critical Areas Scan or Custom Scan).

   If some of the scan tasks do not appear in the section, this means that the policy prohibits configuration of the settings of these scan tasks for all protected virtual machines in the administration group.

3. In the right part of the window, in the Security level section, click the Settings button.

   A window with the name of the selected scan task opens.

4. In the opened window, on the Additional tab, in the Pause operation section, select the By schedule check box and click the Schedule button.

   The window opens.

5. In the Pause operation window that opens, in the Pause task at and Resume task at fields, specify the time (in HH:MM format) of the beginning and end of the period during which the scan task will be paused.
6. Click OK in the Pause operation window.
7. In the window with the scan task name, click OK.
8. To save changes, click the Save button.

Viewing information on the progress and results of task execution

Viewing information on the progress and results of task execution in the Administration Console

You can view information on the progress and results of tasks in the Administration Console of Kaspersky Security Center in one of the following ways:

• In the Task results window. The window can be opened using the Results item in the task context menu.
• In the list of events that Kaspersky Security sends to the Kaspersky Security Center Administration Server. You can view the lists of events on the Events tab in the workspace of the Administration Server <Server name> node. Information on the Events tab is displayed as a set of event selections. Each selection includes only the events of a certain type. The list displays events from the selection that is currently specified in the Event selections drop-down list. To display a list of the selection events, use the Run selection button. To refresh the list, use the Refresh link.

Viewing information on the progress and results of task execution in Light Agent for Windows local interface

The task execution progress is displayed in the field next to the name of the task, in the Manage tasks section on the Protection and Control tab of the main application window.

Information about scan results and about all events that occurred during the performance of tasks is written to Kaspersky Security reports.