Configuring the Infrastructure Blackout Window

The Infrastructure Blackout Window provides a controlled maintenance mode that temporarily restricts user logins and job execution across the TrueSight Server Automation (TSSA) environment. Use this feature during planned maintenance, upgrades, or validation activities to prevent unintended operations by blocking access and job execution for all non-whitelisted users while allowing explicitly authorized users or roles to perform required tasks. The Infrastructure Blackout Window helps prevent scheduled and manual job execution during maintenance, restricts non-essential user access, and ensures system stability and data integrity, thereby reducing operational risk during infrastructure changes.

Before you begin

Review the following considerations before configuring the Infrastructure Blackout Window. The Infrastructure Blackout Window applies across all application servers and access channels:

• TrueSight Server Automation Console (RCP)
• BLCLI
• REST APIs
• SOAP APIs

User access during the Infrastructure Blackout Window

When the Infrastructure Blackout Window is active:

• Only users or roles defined in the whitelist can log in.
• Login attempts by non-whitelisted users are rejected with a maintenance message.
• Existing user sessions remain active but are restricted from executing blocked operations.

Job execution behavior during the Infrastructure Blackout Window

• Scheduled jobs for non whitelisted do not start while the blackout window is active.

• Manual job execution by non-whitelisted users is blocked.
• Jobs that are already running when the Infrastructure Blackout Window is enabled continue to completion.
• Skipped jobs are not automatically rerun after the blackout window ends.

Required permissions

The following RBAC authorizations control the configuration and management of the Infrastructure Blackout Window:

Only users with Modify or * authorization can enable or disable the Infrastructure Blackout Window.

To configure the Infrastructure Blackout Window

Assign required authorizations

Before configuring the Infrastructure Blackout Window, make sure that the required RBAC authorizations are assigned to the appropriate role.

Log in to TrueSight Server Automation as an RBAC administrator.

Create a new role or select an existing role.

1. Assign one of the following authorizations to the role:

   • InfraBlackoutWindow.Modify
     (Allows configuration, enable, and disable operations)
   • InfraBlackoutWindow.*
     (Provides full control, including read and modify permissions)

Assign the role to the user who will manage the Infrastructure Blackout Window.

Configure whitelisted users or roles

Define the users or roles that are allowed to log in and execute jobs during the Infrastructure Blackout Window.

Open a BLCLI session.

Run the following command:

1. 1. Follow these rules when specifying entries:
   2. Use the format RoleName:UserName.
   3. Do not include spaces before or after the colon (:).
   4. Separate multiple entries using a semicolon (;).
   5. Use RoleName:* to allow all users in a role.
   6. The command replaces any existing whitelist configuration.

  blcli InfraBlackoutWindow setAdmins "<RoleName:UserName>;<RoleName:UserName>;<RoleName:*>" 

Note: Semicolons are required as separators because LDAP user names can contain commas.

       2. Verify the configured whitelist:

(Optional) Configure a custom login message

1. Configure a message to display when non-whitelisted users attempt to log in during the blackout window.

Set Message:

       2. To restore the default system message, run:

Note: Job execution denial messages are system-generated and cannot be customized.

Enable the Infrastructure Blackout Window

1. Enable the blackout window after configuring the whitelist.

       2. Verify that the blackout window is enabled:

Behavior when enabled:

• Non-whitelisted users cannot log in or execute jobs
• Scheduled jobs do not start
• Running jobs continue to completion
• Existing sessions remain active but restricted

Note: The user who enables the blackout window is automatically added to the whitelist to prevent administrative lockout. Verify status:  blcli InfraBlackoutWindow isEnabled 

Monitor behavior during the Infrastructure Blackout Window

While the Infrastructure Blackout Window is active:

Do not attempt to modify the whitelist (modification is blocked). Monitor enforcement and failures using: 

Verify that non-whitelisted login and job execution attempts are rejected as expected.

Disable the Infrastructure Blackout Window

Disable the blackout window after maintenance is complete.

Standard login and job execution resume immediately.

Configuration persistence and system limitations

• Configuration persists across application server restarts
• Whitelist updates always overwrite the existing configuration
• Management is supported only through BLCLI
• Job execution denial messages are not customizable

Patch job behavior during the blackout window

If the Infrastructure Blackout Window is enabled while a Patch Analysis job with remediation is running, the remediation phase might be blocked.

• The parent Patch Analysis job may appear to be completed or may not display a failure icon.
• The job run details display Completed with Errors.
• Job logs and the appserver.log clearly state that execution was denied due to the active blackout window.

Impact:
This affects only how the job status is displayed. Remediation is correctly blocked and logged, preventing unintended job execution during the blackout window.