Notify non-Patch Users

How to use notification bots with non-Patch users

Notifications are typically part of an Advanced Strategy that has some other purpose, such as patching all clients in a Business Unit, and the notification is a report on whether that purpose was accomplished. But what if the notification is the purpose? For instance, you need to share a list of all patches completed in a given week to team members who do not have access to OneSite Patch.

The solution for this is to create an Advanced Strategy that has the sole purpose of sending a notification.

Send Notifications to non-Patch users

When you need a list of patches sent to users who do not have access to OneSite Patch, you can create a notification that runs on a cadence that works for you. The following steps show you how to create an Advanced Strategy where its only purpose is to send notifications. This particular strategy also introduces some safeguards so you or a coworker cannot accidentally trigger patching. Because this requires an Advanced Strategy, you have to first create several objects to plug into the strategy.

Workflow object

1. Select Workflows > Designer from the side navigation.

2. Under Patching Workflows > Patching Processes, right-click Patching Process - Immediate Deployment No Approval and click Save As. This creates a copy of the workflow.

3. Name the copy: "Patching Process - Do Nothing", and then click Save As. This opens the Workflow Designer.

4. (Optional) Click the Format button on the side toolbar so you can see the entire workflow on one screen.

5. Edit the workflow to delete everything except the Complete Success activity.

   

   Workflow showing the objects to be deleted

   

   Patching Process - Do Nothing workflow
6. Click More, and the click Save and Deploy.

7. Make no changes to the logging screen, and then click OK.

Patching Process object

1. Select Advanced Settings > Intent Schema > Strategy > Patching Processes from the side navigation.

2. Next to Patching Processes, click the ellipsis (...), and then click Create Folder. Name the folder: "Custom".

3. Select the new Custom folder, and then click + New.

4. Next to Name, type “Patching Process - Do Nothing”.

5. Next to Patching Process Workflow, click Browse, and then select the new Patching Process - Do Nothing workflow you created in the previous step.

6. Click OK, and then click Save.

Role object

1. Click the gear, and then select Settings > Security > Roles from the dropdown menus.

2. Click the root folder for Patch Roles, and then click + New.

3. Next to Role Name, type “Notify Submission of Patches”.

4. Next to Direct Administrators, click + Browse, and then add yourself or whoever you want to receive notifications to the role.

5. Click OK, and then click Save.

Notification Chain object

1. Select Advanced Settings > Intent Schema > Chains > Notification Chains from the side navigation.

2. Click + New.

3. Next to Name, type “Notify Submission of Patches Chain”.

4. Next to Roles To Notify, click + Browse.

5. Click Patch Roles and select the “Notify Submission of Patches” role you just created.

6. Click OK, and then click Save.

Notification bot

1. Select Advanced Settings > Intent Schema > Bots > Patch Notification Bots from the side navigation.

2. Click the root folder, and then click + New.

3. Next to Name, type “Notify Submission of New Patches”.

4. (Optional) Set filter conditions, for instance if you want to only see critical patches. For critical patches only, use the operator OR and add an Operating Condition.

5. Next to Bot Settings, make sure the radio button for Notification Settings is selected.

6. Next to Urgency, leave it set to the default of Low. Make a note of this for the upcoming strategy. Note that if you change the urgency setting here, the urgency setting in the upcoming strategy must match.

7. Next to Output Expression, the default is to list the patch names, so you can add some text after if you want additional context. For demo purposes, I wrote: “ patch submitted all Business Units”. Enter the double quotes first, and then add the text between the quotes. The bottom of the text box will display your text if it is formatted correctly, else it will give you an error.

8. Next to Communication Providers, click + Browse. And then select HTMLEmailCommunicationProvider.

9. Click OK, and then click Save.

If this is your first time setting up an email communication provider to work with OneSite Patch, you will first need to configure the SMTP settings.

Now, all the objects are in place for you to create a strategy.

Create a Strategy to string together all the objects

1. Select Strategies from the side navigation.

2. Select the dropdown arrow next to New Strategy, and then click Advanced Strategy.

3. Next to Name, type “Notification Only – All Endpoints All Products”

4. In the Products section, flip the toggle to Include All Products.

5. In the Deployment Settings section, next to Deployment Wave, click Browse.

6. Select Single Wave – All Clients, and then click OK.

7. Next to Deployment Bot Runtimes, click + Create Deployment Bot Runtime.

8. Next to Patch Deployment Bot, click Browse.

9. Select Mandatory Install (All), and then click OK.

10. Next to Patching Process, click Browse.

11. Select the Patching Process – Do Nothing process you created earlier, and then click OK.

12. Next to Include All Business Units, flip the toggle to on, and then click Create Deployment Bot Runtime.

13. Patching Processes rely on a schedule, so you will need to give this one a schedule even though you don't technically want this one to use it. Click the (...) three dots next to Patching Process - Do Nothing, and then click Edit Process Setting.

14. Next to Execution Schedules, click + Browse, and then click + Create new Schedule.

15. Next to Name, type “Manual Activation”.

16. Next to Schedule Repeat, select Not Recurring”, and then for Start Time select a date far into the future (say 2050).

    

    Schedule Settings detail screen
17. Click Save & Deploy, and then click OK. The "Do Nothing" process workflow is a way to protect your clients in case someone triggers this strategy.

18. In the Notifications section, next to Notification Chain, click Browse.

19. Select the Notify Submission of Patches Chain that you created earlier, and then click OK.

20. Next to Patch Notification Bots, click + Browse and then find the Notify Submission of New Patches bot that you created earlier. Click OK.

21. Next to Notification Settings, click + Create Notification Setting.

22. Next to Notification Urgency, make sure to match the urgency to what you chose above. If you followed these instructions, then select Low.

23. Next to Execution Schedules, click + Browse, and then select a weekly cadence. Click OK.

24. Next to Notify Patching Strategy Chains, flip the toggle to on.

25. Next to Notification Cycle Workflow, click Browse, and then select Default Notification Cycle Workflow.

26. Click OK, and then click Create Notification Setting.

27. Click Save & Enable. You’ll see a list of patches that are applicable. If you get an error message, there's a chance that you enabled this strategy as you were building it. In this case, click Save instead of Save & Enable. Click OK.

Notification email

Now that it’s all set up, you should get your first notification email. If you followed the steps above, you should have a notification email within the hour. If you made modifications as you created the strategy, then email will arrive at the cadence you specified.

Flex controls

Your new notification strategy will show up in Advanced Settings > Flex Controls > Cycle Operations > Patching Cycles. No rollout cycles will be triggered, but if you run it, it will change from Waiting to History.