Blackout Windows and Maintenance Windows

Overview

Blackout windows are meant to represent environment-wide ranges of time where changes should not be made. An example is a holiday blackout window with several entries inside to represent the holidays in which changes are not to be made.

Maintenance windows define the period during which maintenance activities can be scheduled for a configuration item (CI). If this is not specified, there will be no restrictions placed on when maintenance can be performed on the CI.

When someone from the change advisory board (CAB) tries to schedule a maintenance activity on a change ticket, the Maintenance Activity screen will pull in any relevant blackout windows that have been created for your environment, as well as any maintenance windows that are associated with the Assets/CIs on the ticket.

Configuring Blackout Windows

This feature appears in the TDNext application. Configure a new Blackout Windows following the steps below: 

• TDNext > Application Menu > Ticket Application > Gear Icon > New Blackout Window
• Name the Blackout Window.
• Mark the Window as Active.
• Choose a Time Zone.
• Add a Description if necessary.
• Save the New Blackout Window.

Once the Blackout Window is created, you'll need to add entries to configure the date windows. Follow the steps below to add the time entries: 

• TDNext > Application Menu > Ticket Application > Gear Icon > Blackout Windows > Select Blackout Window
• Click 'Edit' on the Blackout Window.
• Choose 'Add Entry'.
• Name the Entry.
• Choose an Occurrence.
• Specify the Entry Date and Start/End Time.
• If the window is an all day event, select the 'All Day' box.
• Save the Entry.
• Repeat steps if you need multiple entries.
• Once all of the entries have been added, press save on the Edit Blackout Window screen. 

Configuring Maintenance Windows

Maintenance Windows reside in the Asset/CIs application. Configure a new Maintenance Window by following the steps below: 

• TDNext > Application Menu > Asset/CIs > Maintenance Windows > New > Maintenance Window
• On the New Maintenance Window screen, Choose a name for the new window. 
• Mark the window as active. 
• Choose the desired Time Zone. 
• Add a Description.
• Save the New Maintenance Window. 

Once the Maintenance Window is created, you'll need to add entries to configure the dates. Follow the steps below to add the time entries: 

• TDNext > Application Menu > Asset/CIs > Maintenance Windows > Select Maintenance Window > Edit
• Choose 'Add Entry'.
• Name the Entry.
• Choose an Occurrence.
• Specify the Entry Date and Start/End Time.
• If the window is an all day event, select the 'All Day' box.
• Save the Entry.
• Repeat steps if you need multiple entries.
• Once all of the entries have been added, press save on the Edit Maintenance Window screen.