Policies - Settings tab - Patch Procedure Schedule

NAVIGATION  Policy Management > Policies > Settings tab > Patch Procedure Schedule checkbox

The Patch Procedure Schedule category schedules two tasks that can be assigned to a policy.

• Patch Scan - Schedules scans to search for missing patches on each managed machine. Scanning takes very little resources and can be safely scheduled to run at any time of day. The scanning operation does not impact users at all.
• Automatic Update - Schedules an update of managed machines with Microsoft patches on a recurring basis. Automatic Update obeys both the Patch Approval Policy and the Policies - Settings tab - Patch Reboot Action policy.

Patch Scan and Automatic Update each display the same three options and can be set separately within the same policy.

• Edit Schedule - Edits an existing task schedule. Schedule a task once or periodically. Each type of recurrence—Once, Minutes, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly—displays additional options appropriate for that type of recurrence. Periodic scheduling includes setting start and end dates for the recurrence. Options can include:
  • Schedule will be based on the timezone of the agent (rather than server) - If checked, time settings set in the Scheduler dialog reference the local time on the agent machine to determine when to run this task. If blank, time settings reference server time, based on the server time option selected in System > Preferences. Defaults from the System > Default Settings page.
  • Distribution Window - Reschedules the task to a randomly selected time no later than the number of periods specified, to spread network traffic and server loading. For example, if the scheduled time for a task is 3:00 AM, and the distribution window is 1 hour, then the task schedule will be changed to run at a random time between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM. Distribution Window must be greater than or equal to the Recurrence Interval.
  • Skip if offline - If checked and the machine is offline, skip and run the next scheduled period and time. If blank and the machine is offline, run the task as soon as the machine is online again. Applies only to recurring schedules, a 'Once' schedule always executes the next time the agent is online.
  • Power up if offline - Windows only. If checked, powers up the machine if offline. Requires Wake-On-network or vPro and another managed system on the same network.
  • Exclude the following time range - Applies only to the distribution window. If checked, specifies a time range to exclude the scheduling of a task within the distribution window. Specifying a time range outside of the distribution window is ignored by the scheduler.
• Reset - A schedule for this task is not set for this policy. If this same task has a schedule defined in a lower priority policy it is allowed to take effect.
• None - A schedule for this task is not set for this policy. If this same task has a schedule defined in a lower priority policy it is not allowed to take effect.