This article plans to cover:

• What is Quarantine Management?
• How is Quarantine Management set?
• How does Quarantine Management Work?

Quarantine management helps identifying items that no longer report any inventory data to the Inventory Server. After a configured number of days of inactivity, the item is placed in quarantine and the status is changed from Active to Quarantined mode. If the item starts reporting inventory data while in quarantine, its status is automatically changed back to Active mode and the counter is reset. Quarantine management is by default enabled for computers and mobile devices. It has to be actively enabled for users and devices which is done in Snow Management and Configuration Center.
 

• It is possible to configure a quarantine period for the items. This means that they stay in quarantine for another number of days, and after that they are deleted from the system. For computers and mobile devices, an additional setting can be used to specify what will happen after the expiry of the quarantine period. Either the computer/mobile device is instantly deleted from the system, archived or the status is set to inactive. The default setting is to delete the computer.

A brief overview of the differences between actions available:

1. Quarantine - When enabled by default after 30 days no contact from a computer the status is changed to Quarantined. You can change the date range in the Snow Management and Configuration Center (SMACC) as explained more below. The Quarantined status is there as a flag to identify computers out of contact. Software on this computer will be used against your compliance position. Later, if the computer reports back in it will automatically revert back to Active.

2. Inactive - After an additional 60 days(default) the status can be changed to either Inactive or the computer can automatically be Deleted. Once the status of a computer is set to Inactive the software on that computer is not used to calculate your compliance, but still consumes a Snow License Manager license. Inactive computers that later are actively reporting back in is a standard Alert on the default Snowboard and the Computer Overview.  You then either have to manually change it back to Active, Delete or Archive the computer.

3. Delete - It is possible instead of using the Inactive option to automatically Delete a computer from the system based on 60 days(default) after Quarantine (that is a total of 90 days). If the computer starts reporting in again after it has been deleted then it will come into Snow as a new computer.

4. Archive -  Archiving means a snapshot is taken of that computer, placed in a separate table and then deleted.  It is possible to report on archived computers through the archived computers report.  Archived computers and Deleted computers, do not impact your compliance or snow license count.

SMACC Console

All settings for quarantine management are listed in Basic Settings in SMACC.

What are the Quarantine Settings?

Quarantine_active: when checked means it is active and will change the status of the computer during the Daily Update Job according to the quarantine values you set.

Quarantine_Days: if a computer does not scan in for x days (i.e. 30) from present, then set computer status to quarantined.

Quarantine_DELETE: Number of days after the computer is quarantined (based on quarantined date not current date) that a computer will move to an inactive or be deleted. In this case it would be 60 days.

*If a computer is in quarantined you can actually see the projected Inactive or Deleted date on the Information tab of the computer*

Quarantined_DELETE_ACTION: this goes with the setting above. Move computer to status inactive, archive or delete it completely after quarantine_delete X days you set. In this case we set it to inactive.

Quarantined_delete_active: Enables the selected action on of the previous step. Delete, archive or set computer to inactive during the Daily update job. Check the box to enable the second step of the lifecycyle.

What happens in SQL?

Setting from the SMACC Console are saved in the table vSystemSettings; these are used as flags in the database that is set to indicate if the machine is not reporting for the days.

The flags are used as criteria in the stored procedures which are ran as part of the Data Update Job (ran nightly). The stored procedure first change the status of the devices, computers or users & move them accordingly to quarantine/inactive or queued for deletion. Please see quarantine stored procedures below:

Quarantine Status Explained:

It is now possible to set computers to archive as part of the automatic lifecycle process as well as delete or inactive.

Exceptions

It is possible to exclude computers and users from the automatic quarantine management. Edit a computer or user and within the general pane you manually select the status and then disable automatic quarantine management this means the manually setting will stay and lifecycle automatic management won't be applied. 

Note: With computers it may be worth adding a note to specify you have changed these automatic settings, data in the notes field will enable you find these exception computers more easily. 

Computers:

Users

Further Reading & Useful Articles:

Video - Do More With Snow - Quarantine Management in Snow License Manager

Support: Snow License Manager - Computers are not moving to quarantine/inactive/delete correctly