KACE Systems Management Appliance 14.1 Common Documents - KACE Service Desk Administrator Guide

Configure Linux package upgrade schedules

You can create and configure Linux package upgrade schedules and set a time for them to run.

Log in to the appliance Administrator Console, https://appliance_hostname/admin. Or, if the Show organization menu in admin header option is enabled in the appliance General Settings, select an organization in the drop-down list in the top-right corner of the page next to the login information.

On the left navigation bar, click Security, then click Linux Package Upgrades.

On the Linux Package Upgrades Management panel, click Detect missing package upgrades in the Schedules section.

On the Linux Package Upgrade Schedules list page, do one of the following:

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To create a new Linux package upgrade schedule, click Choose Action > New.

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To edit an existing schedule, click the schedule name in the list, then on the Linux Package Upgrade Summary page that appears, click Edit.

The Schedule Detail page appears.

In the Schedule Detail wizard, on the General Information page, configure general information about the schedule:

Option	Description
Name	A name that identifies the schedule. This name appears on the Linux Package Upgrade Schedules list page.
Description	A brief description of the Linux package upgrade schedule.

On the Action tab, complete the following steps:

Under Action, select one of the following actions.

The results of the selected action depends on whether your managed Linux devices are associated with their applicable package repository. To select all applicable devices, ensure that each of your managed devices is using the appropriate package repository.

NOTE: The appliance only scans for the packages that include security updates, that are identified such in each Linux repository, except Linux Raspbian. It does not attempt to detect or upgrade all packages, or to upgrade the entire OS on managed devices to the latest version. The Linux Raspbian repository, however, does not make a distinction between regular and security updates. Detecting and upgrading packages for managed Raspbian devices results in all updated packages being installed on those devices.

Action	Description
Detect All	Scans for all Linux package upgrades that include security updates.
Detect and Upgrade All	Scans for all Linux package upgrades that include security updates, downloads the applicable files, and deploys the upgrade to the selected devices.

Under Detect All, select the amount of time for the detect action to complete.

Detect and Upgrade All actions only. Under Upgrade All, select the amount of time for the upgrade action to complete.

Click Next.

On the Devices tab, specify the devices you want to associate with this schedule.

These options are identical to the ones appearing in patch scheduling actions. For instructions, see Configure patch schedules.

Action

Description

All Devices

To apply this schedule to all managed devices, select this option. Clear the check box to limit the patch action to specific labels or devices.

Device Labels

Restrict the action to the feature updates using the associated labels that you select. This is the most commonly used option.

Click Manage Associated Labels.

In the Select Labels dialog box that appears, drag one or more labels (as applicable) to the Limit Run to area, then click OK.

To use this option, you must already have Smart Labels for the feature updates. See Using Smart Labels for patching.

Devices

Run patch actions on the devices that you select. The list that appears shows only applicable Linux devices.

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To search for devices, begin typing in the field.

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To remove all specified devices and start again, click Remove All.

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Scoped users can see only those devices that are associated with their role, when the role is assigned a label. For more information about user roles, see Add or edit User Roles.

Operating Systems

Select the operating systems of the devices that you want to upgrade. Only applicable Linux operating systems appear in the dialog box. The default is all operating systems. When this option is configured, the schedule only applies to devices with the selected operating systems.

Click Manage Operating Systems.

In the Operating Systems dialog box that appears, select the OS versions in the navigation tree, as applicable.

You have an option to select OS versions by their family, product, architecture, release ID, or build version. You can choose a specific build version, or a parent node, as needed. Selecting a parent node in the tree automatically selects the associated child nodes. This behavior allows you to select any future OS versions, as devices are added or upgraded in your managed environment. For example, to select all build current and future versions associated with the Linux Ubuntu x86_64 architecture, under Linux > Ubuntu, select x64.

Click Next.

In the Schedule tab, specify the applicable options for the schedule.

These options are identical to the ones appearing in patch scheduling actions. For instructions, see Configure patch schedules.

Action

Description

None

Run in combination with an event rather than on a specific date or at a specific time. This option is useful if you want to patch servers manually, or perform patch actions that you do not want to run on a schedule.

Every _ hours

Run at a specified interval.

Every day/specific day at HH:MM

Run daily at a specified time, or run on a designated day of the week at a specified time.

Run on the nth of every month/specific month at HH:MM

Run on the nth day every month, (for example, the first or the second) day of every month, or a specific month, at the specified time.

Run on the nth weekday of every month/specific month at HH:MM

Run on the specific weekday of every month, or a specific month, at the specified time.

Custom

Run according to a custom schedule.

Use standard 5-field cron format (extended cron format is not supported):

Use the following when specifying values:

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Spaces ( ): Separate each field with a space.

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Asterisks (*): Include the entire range of values in a field with an asterisk. For example, an asterisk in the hour field indicates every hour.

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Commas (,): Separate multiple values in a field with a comma. For example, 0,6 in the day of the week field indicates Sunday and Saturday.

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Hyphens (-): Indicate a range of values in a field with a hyphen. For example, 1-5 in the day of the week field is equivalent to 1,2,3,4,5, which indicates Monday through Friday.

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Slashes (/): Specify the intervals at which to repeat an action with a slash. For example, */3 in the hour field is equivalent to 0,3,6,9,12,15,18,21. The asterisk (*) specifies every hour, but /3 restricts this to hours divisible by 3.

Examples:

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15 * * * * Run 15 minutes after every hour every day

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0 22 * * * Run at 22:00 every day

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0 0 1 1,6 * Run at 00:00 on January 1 and June 1

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30 8,12 * * 1-5 Run weekdays at 08:30 and 12:30

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0 2 */2 * * Run every other day at 02:00

View Task Schedule

Click to view the task schedule. The Task Schedule dialog box displays a list of scheduled. Click a task to review the task details. For more information, see View task schedules.

Run on next connection if offline

Run the action the next time the managed device connects to the appliance, if the device is currently offline. This option is useful for the devices that are periodically offline. If this option is not selected, and the device is offline, the action does not run again until the next scheduled time.

Click Save.

The Linux Upgrade Package Schedule Summary page appears, displaying the newly created or updated schedule. For more information about this page, see Review Linux package upgrade schedule details. If you added any devices that match the Smart Label criteria, they are automatically included in the upgrade schedule.

Review Linux package upgrade schedule details

When you configure a Linux package upgrade schedule, this page displays details about the schedule configuration and its status.

Go to the Linux Package Upgrade Schedule Summary page:

On the left navigation bar, click Security, then click Linux Package Upgrades.

On the Linux Package Upgrades Management panel, click Detect missing package upgrades in the Schedules section.

Click the name of a Linux package upgrade schedule.

Review the Devices Targeted field. This number specifies the number of Linux devices that are selected for upgrade, as specified in the schedule.

Review the contents of the Configuration tab.

Option

Description

Devices Targeted

the number of Linux devices that are selected for upgrade,

Created

The date and time the schedule is created.

Modified

The date and time the schedule is last modified.

Last Run

The date and time the schedule is last run.

Name

A name that identifies the schedule. This name appears on the Linux Package Upgrade Schedules list page.

Action

The action associated with the schedule:

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Detect All: Scans for all Linux package upgrades.

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Detect and Upgrade All: Scans for all Linux package upgrades, downloads the applicable files, and deploys them update to the selected devices.

Description

A brief description of the Linux package upgrade schedule.

Devices

This field only appears when the schedule is configured to apply to all devices.

Device Label

One or more Smart Labels associated with the devices against which the schedule runs. For more information, see Using Smart Labels for patching. This field only appears when the schedule is configured to apply to selected devices.

Device Name

One or more selected devices against which the schedule runs. This field only appears when the schedule is configured to apply to selected devices.

Schedule

The selected update schedule. Click View Task Schedule to see a detailed task scheduler. In the dialog box that appears, click a task to review the task details. For more information, see View task schedules.

Run on Next Connection if Offline

Indicates if the schedule runs the action the next time the managed device connects to the appliance, if the device is currently offline.

Delay Run After Reconnect

If configured, this option indicates the amount of time the schedule is delayed for. The time delay period begins when the update action is scheduled to run.

End After

If configured, this option indicates the maximum amount of time the schedule can run for. When this time limit is reached, any update tasks that are in progress are suspended.

In the Schedule Status tab, review the overall patch schedule status on any of the following tabs:

Tab	Contents
By Machine	Devices selected for upgrading. Each entry displays the device name, its IP address, the upgrade status, upgrade results, and the date the upgrade completed, if applicable. You can expand a device node to view additional information about each package, such as the package name, version, compatible OS name, whether the package is installed on the device, and the date it is detected.
By Package	Upgrades selected for detection and installation. Each entry displays the package name, its version, compatible OS name, package ID, and indicates if the package is installed.
Needs Upgrade	Upgrades that can be installed on devices. Each entry displays the package name, version, and the compatible OS name. You can expand an update node to view the devices on which the update is to be installed.
Deploy Failures	Incomplete updates that resulted in a deployment failure. Each entry displays the update ID, associated Knowledge Base, update name, and the associated error code (see Error codes caused by patching and scripting). You can expand an update node to view the devices on which the failure is encountered.

Optional. After reviewing the schedule details, you can perform any of the following actions:

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To edit the schedule, click Edit. For more information, see Configure Windows Feature Update schedules.

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To run the schedule, click Run Now.

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To make a copy of the schedule, click Duplicate.

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To delete the schedule, click Delete.

Review Linux package upgrades

As you run the Detect All action, the appliance generates a list of packages that are available for upgrade.

Use the Packages list page to see the latest Linux packages that are available for upgrade, and installed on managed devices. Start by selecting a specific Linux OS, and review contents of the list to get an overall estimate of the device pool that requires an update.

For each package, the list shows the numbers of devices on which the package is installed or not installed, and the percent of the devices that are running the latest version.

Go to the Packages list page:

On the left navigation bar, click Security, then click Linux Package Upgrades.

On the Linux Package Upgrades Management panel, click Package Upgrade.

In the Packages list page, click View By, and select a Linux OS. For example, RHEL or Ubuntu.

The list refreshes, showing the packages detected for the selected OS.

Review the contents of the list. The following columns are available:

Column	Description
Package Name	The name of the detected package.
Version	The latest package version.
Installed	The number of managed Linux devices running the selected Linux OS on which the package is installed. Click the number in this column to display a list of these devices in the Devices list page.
Needs Upgrade	The number of managed Linux devices running the selected Linux OS that have an earlier version of this package and are candidates for an upgrade. Click the number in this column to display a list of these devices in the Devices list page.
Completion	The percentage of all devices that have this package installed.

Manage quarantined file attachments

The appliance includes a malware scanning feature for Service Desk file attachments. An automated process on the appliance ensures that the virus definition lists are updated on a regular basis. Any files attached to Service Desk tickets, and also any attachments to ticket-related email are scanned before they are added to the tickets.

Quarantined files are listed on the Antivirus Quarantine page. Use this page to review and manage quarantined Service Desk attachments. A notification appears when a threat is detected, with a link to the device associated with the file. You can also create notifications when specific kinds of threats are detected, or based on their status change.

Go to the Antivirus Quarantine page:

On the left navigation bar, click Security, then click Antivirus Quarantine.

By default, the Antivirus Quarantine page displays new threats that have not been rejected or released from the quarantine. These items are always included in the appliance backup. You can filter this list using the View By menu, as required.

Review the list of files and perform applicable actions.

For each quarantined file, the list displays its name, the time the file was first and last seen, the name of the malware variant, and additional information about the file's release or rejection, as applicable.

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To enable access to a quarantined file in the associated Service Desk ticket, select it in the list and click Choose Action > Release.

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To block access to a quarantined file in the Service Desk ticket, select it in the list and click Choose Action > Reject.

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To delete a quarantined file from the Service Desk ticket, select it in the list and click Choose Action > Delete

The Choose Action menu also allows you to export the list, or to create a report.