Patching Process: Bulletins and Updates Report, status information is not accurate

[Pablo Llorente]

Hello,

I have detected that the "Bulletins and Updates" report is showing some Software Update policies as "enabled" being the policy disabled. Has someone else noticed the same?

For us is important because I have some sheets where I gather all information and bosed of that Im controlling the different Software Updates policies.

As you can see below, the reports returns that the bulletin is enable but the policy is disabled. Maybe what the report is referring to is not about the policy but about the bulletin itself but I would not have sense for me... 

Thanks a lot for clarify.

[Dmitri Gornev]

Hi Pablo,

You're right - this column displays the status of bulletin (whether it's enabled for distribution or not), not policy.
It would be problematic to display the status of policy in this report as updates from specific bulletins could be included into numerous policies, only part of updates could be included, etc.

Thanks,
Dmitri.

[Pablo Llorente]

Hello,

Thanks for the quick reply. One last, why the report shows such information? What does exactly means that column? the bulletin is enabled??

Thanks for the clarification.

[J. Armstrong]

Pablo,

There are two distinct items you are dealing with on this.

1: Software Bulletin/Update (Software/Patch, actual software binaries to be installed on a device)
2: Policy

The Software Bulletin is showing 'Enabled' indicating it's availability for deployment because it has been downloaded and now in your repository. So it's ready to be deployed if there is an associated policy defining how it is to be deployed or installed, thus the 'Enabled' status on the software/patch alone.

Policy is just the instruction set on how the software/patch is to be installed (and all that goes with that, etc).

You can't have a successful deployment without both... Enabled = Software/Patch is downloaded and in the repository on the NS.

-John

[Dmitri Gornev]

> The Software Bulletin is showing 'Enabled' indicating it's availability for deployment because it has been downloaded

Minor clarification - bulletin becomes "Enabled" not when you download its updates but when you create a policy with them included.
Note that it may also become "Partial" when you include not all of its updates into policy during its creation.

Another possible value in this column is "Disabled". Bulletin becomes "Disabled" when its updates are either disabled in policies that include them or removed from them (when you right click enabled bulletin and select Disable in pop up menu you will be presented with a choice whether remove bulletin's update from the policies or just disable them there).
Bulletin may also become "Disabled" automatically if you configure to disable or delete superseded updates in Patch Data import configuration.

[Chris Farrell]

The column is also useful to see where cleanup of patch package files is possible when wanting to clean-up space on your NS and Package Servers, though see the below KB on the complete set of steps needed to fully clean-up.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/173589/