Create reboot maintenance window

Maintenance windows are programmed periods of time where devices with agents installed can be configured to automatically complete tasks for a number of N-able N-central features to a defined schedule. Once configured, the reboot maintenance window remains in effect for four hours from when it is initiated. You can configure the maintenance window to warn the user of an impending reboot, that the user may delay, should they be in the middle of important work. If there is no delay imposed, the reboot of the device will occur at the end of the four hour countdown.

When running a Hyper-V host/guest, schedule reboots of virtual machines first, then hosts an hour later. This ensures that when including patching maintenance windows, the virtual machines can fully restart before the host reboots.

  1. Click Views > All Devices.
  2. Click the name of a device.
  3. Click the Settings tab, then Maintenance Windows.
  4. Click Add > Scheduled Reboot.
  5. Enter a Name.
  6. Select Allow user to delay the reboot to provide the user with the option to delay the re-start process.

    7. The option Allow user to postpone reboot beyond the maintenance window, means that the end-user can continually delay the reboot. Once past the four hour time frame, the reboot request is ignored.

  7. Select Place device in downtime during reboot to transition the selected devices to a Downtime state while it is being re-started.
  8. For Force device out of downtime specify the maximum number of minutes the device can remain in downtime before restarting if the agent has not checked in.

    9. This option enables N-able N-central to alert you if the reboot has failed or otherwise taken longer than expected. If the reboot fails, the device will remain in downtime the maximum time that you specify. After the maximum time elapses, the device will come out of downtime and if the agent has not checked in, notifications will be triggered.

    This is not a scheduled downtime. This is just a safe-guard for the reboot feature.

  9. Set a message that appears on the user's screen to inform them that a reboot will occur, to give them time to save their work. For example, this message appears to prompt for a reboot for a patch install update:

  10. Set the schedule when the maintenance window occurs.
  11. Click Save.

N-able N-central saves the reboot maintenance window. At the scheduled time, N-able N-central agents perform the work scheduled reboot.