EV Reach - Executing Process Automations
Once you have configured a Process Automations object, it is ready to be executed. You must run a Process Automation at least once for data to be generated or actions to be taken. You can also Schedule a Process Automation to execute periodically. Process Automations uses a push technology that gives you results immediately.
Executing a Process Automation
1. Select the Process Automations object to be executed.
2. Right-click on the mouse and select Run from the menu.
If you have previously executed a Process Automation and need to run it again, use the down arrow below the Run button in the Ribbon Bar to access additional options:
| Run | Erase previously generated report data and re-run the Process Automation on the full scope. |
| Run As | Erase previously generated report data and re-run the Process Automation on the full scope using a different set of credentials (see Executing a Process Automation using Alternate Credentials). |
| Re-Run Failed Objects Only | Preserve already generated report data and re-run the Process Automation only on the objects which failed during the last execution. If new report data is generated, it is merged with the existing data set. This mode is useful if you configure a Process Automation to execute tasks (like installing an MSI package) and not all machines were successfully processed during the last execution. |
| Re-Run Merge Data | Re-run the Process Automation on the full scope and merge the resulting report data with the existing one. New data for previously failed nodes is added to the existing data set. New data for previously succeeded nodes is updated in the existing data set. Existing data for currently failed nodes is preserved. This mode is useful to generate an asset management data set. Create a Process Automation which reports on the required information, schedule it to execute periodically using this mode of operation. |
Executing a Process Automation using Alternate Credentials
1. Select an action from the Process Automations view.
2. Right-click the mouse and select Run As.
3. When prompted, enter the desired credentials to run the Process Automation and click on OK.
Specifying Domain Account Credentials To specify domain account credentials, enter the UNC user account name and password.
Specifying Local Account Credentials
If the Process Automation targets computer objects and you need to use a local account as alternate credentials, set the Authority field to '.' (single period, no quotes), and enter the local account name and password in the respective fields.
Execution Modes
Ready Mode
The Process Automations execution window initially opens in Ready Mode as shown in the figure below.
Process Automation Information
Displays the Process Automation's name, description, the scope and the report output file path.
Execution Speed
This slider controls the speed at which the Process Automation will execute. It represents the actual number of simultaneous active nodes. An active node is a target object currently being processed by the Process Automation.
- HIGHER execution speed will result in a HIGHER consumption of available network bandwidth.
- LOWER execution speed will result in a LOWER consumption of available network bandwidth.
For more information, see Understanding Execution Speed and Resources Used.
Running Mode
Click on the Start button to begin executing the Process Automation. This triggers the Execution window to expand and display execution information. While the Process Automation is running, you can Pause / Resume or Abort the execution at any time. Aborting the execution simply completes the Process Automation with the already processed nodes and abandons all remaining nodes.
Execution Status - The execution of a Process Automation contains multiple phases. The current phase is reported above the progress bar. For example, the figure above shows the phrase "Processing nodes...". The animated icon in the upper left corner also changes depending on the phase being executed.
The Progress Bar displays the global status of the execution. The percent completed is displayed at the bottom right corner of the progress bar.
Active, Processed and Remaining Nodes which are displayed under the progress bar, are the number of active, processed and remaining nodes.
Active Nodes - The active nodes are the nodes currently being processed by the Process Automation. The actual names of these nodes are displayed. The number of active nodes is dependent on the execution speed.
A higher execution speed means a larger number of simultaneously active nodes, as well as higher network bandwidth usage. You can modify the execution speed at any time during the execution of the Process Automation.
Console Window - The console window displays real-time information, warnings, and errors during the execution of the Process Automation. Observe this window to detect potential problems with specific nodes. This is particularly useful during a pilot test.
During the execution of a Process Automation, an execution icon is displayed in the tray area of Windows. You can use the tray icon to view the progress and status of the execution or to minimize / maximize the execution window to and from the tray.
- Place the mouse cursor over the execution icon to view the status of the execution.
- Right click on the mouse over the execution icon to show or hide the execution window. You can also double-click on the icon to toggle the show/hide functions. Making the execution window visible will allow you to control its execution (pause, abort, etc.).
Completed Mode
Once the execution is completed or aborted, the execution window displays a new set of controls which allow you to view the output report and the output log. Click on the View Report button to see the output report or click on the View Log button to see the problems encountered during the execution. If the Process Automation was configured to automatically generate output report and close after execution, it will be done in this completion phase.
Viewing Failed Objects
Once you have executed a Process Automation, you should open the Process Automations Log to view which objects failed to be processed and why. You can open the Process Automations Log at any time by selecting the Process Automation object and clicking on the View Last Run's Failed Objects button in the Ribbon Bar.
Sorting or Grouping Information
The log can be quite extensive since it lists the actual actions which failed to execute as well as the error description returned for each failed node. To analyze the data more easily, you can either sort the information or group the data by any column.
Grouping Data
- Right-click on the header for the column you wish to group by and select Show in groups.
- Once grouping is active, simply click on any column to group by this column.
- Once a column has been select for grouping, click on the column header to set the focus on a group.
Sorting Data
If you have a large number of entries, the grouping features may be too slow to be practical. Enable sorting instead.
- Right-click on the header of the column which is enabled for grouping and remove the check under Show in groups.
- Click on the header of the column you wish to sort by.
Opening the Execution Console Log
Click on the View Execution Log link to view the contents of the console log. The console log was generated during the execution and contains information, statistics, warning and error messages.
Viewing the Results
Once a Process Automation has been executed, you can view the execution results at any time.
The Process Automations view of the EV Reach Management Console has a Last Run column. If a Process Automation has never been executed, this column is empty.
View Last Run's Summary - Displays the last run's execution statistics and information. For instance: how many nodes were processed and failed, the execution time and duration, etc.
Execution Status and History - Displays the history of the performance of a Process Automation.
View Report - Select this option to view the generated report (see: Viewing a Report).
Last Run's Failed Objects- Select this option to view the information about the nodes which were not processed successfully (see: Viewing Process Automation Failed Nodes).
Export Result Set as a file - If the selected Process Automation was configured to detect objects, select this option to export the resulting object list to a text file.
Open Definition Directory - Select this menu item to open the directory where the Process Automation definition (.gsa) file is stored.
Open Report Directory - Select this menu item to open the directory where the Process Automation output data files are stored. This allows you to quickly gain access to the output XML data file as well as any generated report formats.