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An activity is a temporary container within which you define and assign policies. You must create an activity or open an existing activity before you can define policies and assign them to devices if you are working in Workflow mode. In non-Workflow mode, activities are handled semi-transparently, and are referred to as configuration sessions.
In Workflow mode, most activity management is done in the Activity Manager window (select Tools > Activity Manager). However, you can also perform tasks using the Activities toolbar or menu.
The following topics describe the windows and dialog boxes related to activities or configuration sessions:
•Openable Activities Dialog Box
Use the Activity Manager window to create and manage activities and to view activity status and history. The upper pane lists the activities that have been created. Select an activity to view its details and history in the lower pane.
The Activity Manager window is available only if you are operating in Workflow mode. In non-Workflow mode, Security Manager automatically and transparently manages activities.
Navigation Path
Click the Activity Manager button on the Main toolbar, or select Tools > Activity Manager.
Related Topics
•Working with Activities, page 7-6
•Understanding Activity States, page 7-4
Field Reference
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Activity |
The name of the activity. |
Last Modified |
The date and time of the most recent change to the activity. |
State |
The state of the activity. For a list of states, see Activity States. |
User |
The username of the person who last changed the state of the activity. |
Last Action |
The most recent action performed on the activity. |
Create button |
Click this button to create new activity so that you can create or change policies or assign policies to devices. For more information, see Create Activity Dialog Box. |
Open button |
Click this button to open the selected activity so that changes, such as defining and assigning policies, are captured within the activity. You can open an activity when it is in the Edit or the Submitted state. Submitted activities are opened read-only. |
Validate button |
Click this button to validate changes that you have made to the selected activity from the time you created the activity to the current time. Validating an activity checks policy integrity and deployability, and displays detailed error information if errors are detected. For more information, see Validating an Activity, page 7-11. |
Submit button |
In Workflow mode with an activity approver, click this button to submit the selected activity. Submitting the activity sends notification that the activity is ready for review to the specified approver. You can submit an activity when it is in the Edit or the Edit Open state. You are prompted for a comment (see Submit Activity Dialog Box). |
Approve button |
Click this button to approve the selected activity, which saves the proposed changes to the database. Devices associated with the activity are unlocked, meaning they can be included in policy definitions and changes in other activities. You must have appropriate user permissions to approve the activity. In Workflow mode without an approver, you can approve your own activities when they are in the Edit state. In workflow mode with an approver, you must submit your activity, and the approver can approve an activity only when it is in the Submitted state. You are prompted for an approval comment (see Approve Activity Dialog Box). |
Reject button |
In Workflow mode with an activity approver, click this button to reject the changes proposed in the selected activity. You must have appropriate user permissions to reject an activity. If the activity is rejected, the submitter can continue to make changes to the activity. Devices associated with the activity are not unlocked, meaning that they cannot be included in policy definitions or changes in another activity. You can reject an activity only when it is in the Submitted or the Submitted Open state. You are prompted for a rejection comment (see Reject Activity Dialog Box). |
Discard button |
Click this button to discard the selected activity. Devices associated with the activity are unlocked, meaning they can be used by other activities. You are prompted for a comment (see Discard Activity Dialog Box). Discarded activities are removed from the system according to the settings defined in the Security Manager settings for Workflow. The activity state is shown as discarded until the activity is purged from the system. For more information, see Workflow Page, page A-42. |
View Changes |
Click this button to generate a report in PDF format for the selected activity. If activity is closed, this button is grayed out. For more information, see Viewing Activity Change Reports, page 7-9. |
Refresh button |
Click this button to refresh the information presented in the window. |
Details tab |
Displays detailed information for the selected activity. Besides the information repeated from the activities table, the details include this information: •Activity ID—The identification number assigned by Security Manager when you created the activity. •Created—The date and time the activity was created. •Description—The description of the activity, which was entered when the activity was created. |
History tab |
Displays a log of the changes that have been made to the selected activity. The information includes the state changes, the user who made the change, the date and time of the change (based on the Security Manager server time), and any comments the user entered to document the change. |
The State column in the Activity Manager indicates the status of each activity.
Related Topics
•Understanding Activity States, page 7-4
•Working with Activities, page 7-6
Field Reference
Use the Create Activity dialog box to create an activity in Workflow mode. Activities must be created before you can make policy changes.
Navigation Path
Do one of the following:
•Click Create Activity in the activity toolbar.
•Select Activities > New Activity.
•Click Create in the Activity Manager window.
Related Topics
•Creating an Activity, page 7-8
•Opening an Activity, page 7-9
Field Reference
Use the Submit Activity dialog box to submit an activity for approval. When you are operating in Workflow mode with an activity approver, you must submit activities for approval before policy changes can be committed to the Security Manager database and deployed to devices.
Navigation Path
Do one of the following:
•To submit an open activity, click the Submit Activity button on the activity toolbar or select Activities > Submit Activity.
•To submit a closed activity, click the Activity Management button on the main toolbar, select the desired activity, and then click Submit.
Related Topics
•Opening an Activity, page 7-9
•Submitting an Activity for Approval, page 7-12
Field Reference
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Approver |
The e-mail address of the person assigned approval permissions. This person receives notification of your submission. You can leave the default address or enter a new e-mail address. The default e-mail address is set in Tools > Security Manager Administration > Workflow. Note Security Manager warns you if the e-mail cannot be sent and you must contact the approver directly. |
Comment |
A description of the changes included in the activity or other pertinent information. |
Submitter |
The e-mail address of the person submitting the approval request. The field initially contains the e-mail address associated with the username you used to log into Security Manager, but you can change it to another e-mail address. |
View Changes button |
Click this button to view a report in PDF format for the changes made in the activity. For more information, see Viewing Activity Change Reports, page 7-9. |
Use the Approve Activity dialog box to approve an activity. Approving an activity commits policy changes to the Security Manager database so that they can then be deployed to devices.
When you operate in Workflow mode with an activity approver, you must submit activities for review and approval. If you are operating without an approver, you can approve your own activities.
You can enter an optional comment to document why you are approving the activity.
Navigation Path
Do one of the following:
•To approve an open activity, click the Approve Activity button on the activity toolbar or select Activities > Approve Activity.
•To approve a closed activity, click the Activity Manager button on the Main toolbar, select the desired activity, then click Approve.
Related Topics
•Approving or Rejecting an Activity, page 7-13
Use the Reject Activity dialog box to reject an activity.
In Workflow mode with an activity approver, you must submit activities to an activity approver who has permissions to approve or reject the activity.
Rejecting an activity does not commit policy changes to the Security Manager database. The activity is returned to the Edit state so that changes can be made. As the activity approver, you can specify any desired changes in the comments field.
Navigation Path
Do one of the following:
•To reject an open activity, click the Reject Activity button on the activity toolbar or select Activities > Reject Activity.
•To reject a closed activity, click the Activity Manager button on the Main toolbar, select the desired activity, then click Reject.
Related Topics
•Approving or Rejecting an Activity, page 7-13
Use the Discard Activity dialog box to discard an activity. You can discard an activity if you want to cancel the changes that you have made. For tracking purposes, you can enter a comment explaining why you are discarding the activity.
Navigation Path
Do one of the following:
•To discard an open activity, click the Discard Activity button on the activity toolbar or select Activities > Discard Activity.
•To discard a closed activity, which must be in the Edit or Edit Open state, click the Activity Manager button on the Main toolbar, select the desired activity, then click Discard.
Related Topics
•Discarding an Activity, page 7-14
When in Workflow mode, you must create or open an activity before you create or modify policies.
Navigation Path
This dialog box appears if you attempt to create or modify policies without first creating or opening an activity.
Related Topics
•Creating an Activity, page 7-8
Field Reference
Use the Openable Activities dialog box to open an existing activity in Workflow mode. In Workflow mode, creating or modifying policies requires that an activity be open.
The dialog box lists all activities that can be opened. You can made changes to activities in the Edit state, but you can only view activities in the Submitted state. The activities list includes the name of the activity, its state, and the username of the person who created the activity.
Select an activity from the list and click OK to open it.
Navigation Path
Click the Open Activity button on the activity toolbar or select Activities > Open Activity.
Related Topics
•Opening an Activity, page 7-9
Use the Change Report dialog box to view the configuration change report for previous configuration sessions in non-Workflow mode. In non-Workflow mode, a configuration session is considered complete when you either submit or discard your changes. These sessions are equivalent to activities in Workflow mode. Select a session and click View Changes to view the report.
To view the report for the current configuration session, close this dialog box and select File > View Changes.
Navigation Path
In non-Workflow mode, select Tools > Change Report.
Related Topics
•Viewing Activity Change Reports, page 7-9
Field Reference
Use the Audit Report window to view records of state changes in Security Manager.
The Audit Report page contains two panes. Use the left pane to define the parameters for generating the audit report. The right pane displays the audit report using one row for each audit entry or message. The content of the audit report depends on the parameters you defined in the left pane. Therefore, all columns listed in the table might not be displayed in the generated audit report.
Navigation Path
Select Tools > Audit Report.
Related Topics
•Understanding Audit Reports, page 19-11
•Generating the Audit Report, page 19-12
Field Reference