---
title: "Scheduling Configuration Updates for Servers"
canonical: "https://docs.infoblox.com/space/BloxOneInfrastructure/184583817/Scheduling%20Configuration%20Updates%20for%20Servers"
format: markdown
---
<span style="color: #000000">Infoblox provides the ability for you to schedule or defer configuration updates, apply object-specific tags to NIOS-X servers, as well as apply the updates immediately for selected servers. Scheduled or deferred configuration updates will take place only at the time and date specified and will only occur within the time window specified. When scheduling configuration updates for servers, the configuration update applies to all servers residing within the account for a customer-specified duration. </span>

> ⚠️ ### Note
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ <span style="color: #000000">You cannot schedule or defer configuration updates if there are no servers configured in your environment. Configuration updates are automatically applied to the environment without the possibility of deferral.</span>

<span style="color: #000000">You can schedule or defer multiple configuration updates for different days and times. You can configure up to a total of 50 scheduled and deferred configuration updates, which means you have the flexibility to create up to 50 update groups across different servers when you create applicable tags.</span>

> ⚠️ ### Note
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ <span style="color: #000000">Configuration updates include changes made to any parameters in a configuration such as DNS or DHCP. Enabling and/or disabling a service is not considered a configuration change.</span>

# <span style="color: #000000">Scheduling Configuration Changes</span>

<span style="color: #000000">To manually schedule configuration changes, complete the following: </span>

1. <span style="color: #000000">From the Infoblox Portal, click </span><span style="color: #000000">**Network > Services & Servers > Servers**</span><span style="color: #000000">.</span>
2. <span style="color: #000000">Choose the servers on which you want to perform configuration updates</span>
3. <span style="color: #000000">Click </span>the ellipses icon (**...**)<span style="color: #000000"> on the top menu > </span><span style="color: #000000">**Schedule Configuration Updates**</span><span style="color: #000000">.</span>
4. <span style="color: #000000">On the </span><span style="color: #000000">**Schedule Configuration Updates**</span><span style="color: #000000"> page, perform the following:</span>
5. **Schedule Updates**:
  - **Schedule Name**: Enter a unique name to identify the software update schedule.
  - **Type**: Select the type of schedule from the drop-down.
    - **Run immediately**: Select this option to apply the software updates immediately.
    - **Run on specific day: **Select this option to apply the software updates on a specific day.
      - **Day & Time**: Select a day of the week and a time to perform the scheduled updates. Note that the time is based on the server’s timezone. If no timezone is set, UTC is used by default server. All updates will occur on the day and time specified.
      - **Duration**: Select the duration period for performing software management updates. The duration can range from 4 to 10 hours, and during this time window, the updates will be applied. If the updates fall outside the duration period, they will not be applied.
    - Select **Update servers one at a time** to apply configuration updates sequentially to the servers within a scheduled configuration update window. Updates are applied to one server at a time. The order in which servers are updated is randomized for each update cycle. The update for the subsequent server begins only after the previous server has been updated successfully.
    - **Choose server by tags**:<span style="color: #000000"> You can use tags to associate the scheduled updates with specific servers. For example, you can create a tag called "scheduled config group" and enter a value of "DNS" to remind yourself that this tag can be used to schedule configuration updates for servers running DNS service. When you assign this tag to applicable servers, you have created a configuration update group with servers that will get the scheduled configuration updates. Note that the scheduled updates apply only to servers that have the matching tag you created for the scheduled updates. For more information about tags, see </span><span style="color: #000000">*[Managing Tags](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/BloxOneCloud/pages/35397076)*</span><span style="color: #000000">.</span>
  - <span style="color: #000000">**View Scheduled Servers**</span><span style="color: #000000">: Click the </span><span style="color: #000000">**View Scheduled Servers**</span><span style="color: #000000"> button to view a list of servers that will be scheduled for updates based on the associated tags. If no tags are specified, the entire list of servers is displayed.        </span>
6. <span style="color: #000000">Optionally, to schedule multiple configuration updates, click </span><span style="color: #000000">**Add Schedule**</span><span style="color: #000000"> to configure another scheduled configuration update. You can configure up to 50 scheduled and deferred updates, which means you have the flexibility to create up to 50 update groups across different servers when you create applicable tags.</span>  
<span style="color: #000000">You can also perform the following before saving your configuration:</span>
  - <span style="color: #000000">Remove a scheduled update that is no longer applicable by clicking </span><span style="color: #000000">**Delete**</span><span style="color: #000000"> for the selected scheduled update.</span>
  - <span style="color: #000000">View details of a scheduled update by clicking the down arrow key of the selected scheduled update.</span>
7. <span style="color: #000000">Click </span><span style="color: #000000">**Save & Close**</span><span style="color: #000000"> to save your scheduled configuration updates configuration.</span>

<span style="color: #000000">You can add or delete any scheduled updates that are not applicable any more. </span>

# <span style="color: #000000">Configuring </span>Blackout Window <span style="color: #000000">for Configuration Updates</span>

<span style="color: #000000">Configuration management updates can be </span><span style="color: #172b4d">deferred for up to four weeks.</span><span style="color: #000000"> </span><span style="color: #172b4d">Using this feature, the </span><span style="color: #000000">**configuration **</span><span style="color: #172b4d">updates for all servers residing in the account will be deferred for the period specified. The </span><span style="color: #000000">**configuration **</span><span style="color: #172b4d">updates will not be applied during the period specified. The deferral window can be disabled at any time. Deferred updating per individual server is unavailable except when the server or servers are associated with a tag. Deferral supersedes the Automatic and Scheduled Updates settings. </span>

<span style="color: #000000">To defer configuration management updates, complete the following:</span>

1. <span style="color: #000000">From the Infoblox Portal, click </span><span style="color: #000000">**Network > Services & Servers > Servers**</span><span style="color: #000000">.</span>
2. <span style="color: #000000">Choose the servers on which you want to perform configuration updates</span>
3. <span style="color: #000000">Click </span>the ellipses icon (**...**)<span style="color: #000000"> on the top menu > </span><span style="color: #000000">**Schedule Configuration Updates**</span><span style="color: #000000">.</span>
4. <span style="color: #000000">On the </span><span style="color: #000000">**Schedule Configuration Updates**</span><span style="color: #000000"> page, perform the following:</span>
5. **Blackout Window**:
  - <span style="color: #000000">**Disabled/enabled switch**</span><span style="color: #000000">: Toggle the Disabled/Enabled switch to the enabled position to enable update deferrals. Update deferments can be delayed for up to four weeks. Once this deferment period has expired, the latest update will be applied. </span>
  - <span style="color: #000000">**Start/End calendar object**</span><span style="color: #000000">: Select a start date and an end date for the update deferral. The deferral time is based on your account and takes place in the server’s time zone. When updates have been successfully deferred, you will see a small icon appear to the right of the calendar object indicating the update deferral status.</span>
6. **Choose server by tags**<span style="color: #000000">: You can use tags to associate the deferred updates with specific servers. For example, you can create a tag called "deferred config group" and enter a value of "DFP" to remind yourself that this tag can be used to defer configuration updates for servers running the DNS forwarding proxy (DFP) service. When you assign this tag to applicable servers, you have created a configuration update group with servers that will get the deferred configuration updates. Note that deferred updates apply only to  servers that have the matching tag you created in the deferred updates. For more information about tags, see </span><span style="color: #000000">*[Managing Tags](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/BloxOneCloud/pages/35397076)*</span><span style="color: #000000">.</span>

<span style="color: #000000">Optionally, to defer multiple configuration updates, click </span><span style="color: #000000">**Add Schedule**</span><span style="color: #000000"> to configure another deferred configuration update. You can configure up to 50 scheduled and deferred updates, which means you have the flexibility to create up to 50 update groups across different servers when you create applicable tags.</span>  
<span style="color: #000000">You can also perform the following before saving your configuration:</span>

- <span style="color: #000000">Remove a deferred update that is no longer applicable by clicking </span><span style="color: #000000">**Delete**</span><span style="color: #000000"> for the selected update.</span>
  - <span style="color: #000000">View details of a deferred update by clicking the down arrow key of the selected update.</span>
- <span style="color: #000000">Click </span><span style="color: #000000">**Save & Close**</span><span style="color: #000000"> to save your scheduled configuration updates configuration.</span>
- <span style="color: #000000">Click </span><span style="color: #000000">**Confirm**</span><span style="color: #000000"> on the prompt screen to complete the configuration update deferral process. </span>

<span style="color: #000000">When visiting the </span><span style="color: #000000">*Schedule Configuration Updates*</span><span style="color: #000000"> page after initially saving and closing the deferral configuration, the UI will display one of the following deferral statuses:</span>

- <span style="color: #000000">**Scheduled**</span><span style="color: #000000">: The deferral date has been set up and the start date has not yet begun. </span>
- <span style="color: #000000">**In Progress**</span><span style="color: #000000">: The deferral start date has begun and the deferral period is active.</span>
- <span style="color: #000000">**Expired**</span><span style="color: #000000">: The deferral start and end date has expired and the updates are implemented according to the users preference of </span><span style="color: #000000">*Automatic*</span><span style="color: #000000"> or </span><span style="color: #000000">*Scheduled*</span><span style="color: #000000">.</span>

# <span style="color: #000000">Applying Configuration Updates Immediately</span>

<span style="color: #000000">In addition to scheduling configuration updates, you can apply the latest configuration updates of any applications that are enabled on a server.</span>

<span style="color: #000000">To apply configuration updates immediately, complete the following:</span>

1. <span style="color: #000000">From the Infoblox Portal, click </span><span style="color: #000000">**Network > Services & Servers > Servers**</span><span style="color: #000000">.</span>
2. <span style="color: #000000">Choose the server on which you want to perform configuration updates.</span>
3. <span style="color: #000000">Click </span>the ellipses icon (**...**)<span style="color: #000000"> next to the server > </span><span style="color: #000000">**Apply config updates now**</span><span style="color: #000000">. The configuration updates are applied to the server immediately.</span>

> ⚠️ ### Note
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ <span style="color: #000000">The </span><span style="color: #000000">**Apply config updates now**</span><span style="color: #000000"> option is not applicable to servers that are in the </span><span style="color: #000000">**Pending**</span><span style="color: #000000"> state.</span>