Policies define configuration rules that apply consistently to groups of devices. Instead of configuring settings individually on each asset, you define rules and associate it with one or more tags. N-sight then applies those settings to all assets with those tags.
Why policies matter
By using policies, you can:
- Centralize configuration management.
- Reduce conflicting settings.
- Ensure consistent configuration across devices.
- See how configurations are defined and applied.
The sections that follow explain how policies work, including policy types, permissions, targeting, and priority.
How policies work
Before you create or deploy policies, review the following information to understand how policies are scoped, applied, and resolved.
Access to policy management requires an N-able user account that is linked to N-able SSO.
Policy types
A policy type defines the service a policy controls, such as Monitoring, Backup, or Patch.
Currently, Patch is the only available policy type. Support for additional policy types will be added in future releases.
Permissions and access
Your ability to manage policies depends on your assigned permissions. For each policy type, you can have one of the following access levels:
- Write: Create, edit, deploy, and delete policies.
- Read: View policies but not modify them.
- No access: Can’t view or manage policies of that type.
Policy permissions are separate from permissions for the underlying service. Manage access to policies using User Management and User Roles in N-sight.
Tags and targeting
Tag targeting determines which devices receive a policy.
When you create a policy, you target one or more tags. After the policy is deployed, its settings apply to all assets that have the targeted tags. To understand tags, and to create tags, see Tag Management (New).
-
Policies target tags, therefore, you must create tags before you can complete policy configuration. We recommend setting up your tagging structure first, then creating policies that target those tags.
-
A tag can target only one policy of a given type at a time. If you target a tag that already targets a policy of the same type, you’re prompted to replace the existing policy.
Policy priority and conflict resolution
Each policy has a priority order. When policies conflict, the policy with the highest priority is applied.
An asset can be associated with multiple tags. If more than one of those tags targets a policy of the same type, the system automatically resolves the conflict.
If a policy is withdrawn or deleted, the next highest-priority policy, if available, is applied automatically.
After you understand how policies work, see Work with policies to create, deploy, edit, and delete policies.