Managing a large network of devices can be time-consuming and tedious if all operations have to be done individually on each device. Thanks to Bulk actions, these tasks can be performed simultaneously on several devices or even large set of devices in batches.
This feature is recommended for use-cases such as updating firmware at certain deployment location, performing a power action on all selected devices and just in general save your time and effort in performing operations across your organisation's network.
Using a bulk action
First step to perform a bulk action is to select specific devices. You can select your devices in Box under Devices tab. Here you can use any filter to display devices you are looking for (system, connection status, location and many other).
As an example, you can select devices with different systems, then click Bulk action button in top right corner:
After confirming your selection and starting the Bulk action you will be brought to a Wizard screen where you can step-by-step select additional actions, information and settings of the Bulk action.
Step 1
In current version of Bulk actions you can perform following operation on the devices:
-
Unset device policy
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Update Applet (Update timing)
Please note that some operations might be limited based on the compatibility of the current state/setup of the device - as an example - you might not be able to update timing under certain conditions, if such state is applicable, you will be informed with appropriate message.
Update Applet (Update timing)
One of the options for Bulk action is Update Applet (Update timing). As setting up the original, its' config can have some nuances to it (for example a specific configuration), here are some more detailed pointers on how this Bulk action affects the current timing:
- if the applet had config and no additional configuration is added (only updating version of the Applet), original config is persisted
- if new config key is added, it's added to the original config (both configurations are merged together)
- if you add config key that was previously on the original config, the original value is replaced with the new value; the rest of the original config is kept
Step 2
After selecting a specific action - for our example a Power action - click Continue to configuration. You will be brought to step 2 Configure where a specific operation (policy selection, applet selection, debugging options) can be selected.
Once a specific operation has been selected and configured, you can either Continue to schedule the operation - for example set new devicy policy starting from next Monday OR Execute now which will immediately perform the Bulk action on selected devices.
In addition, this step will assign an Action name to the Bulk action which can later be found in Bulk action tab in Box with indication of the Bulk action status (finished, in progress, failed etc.) - more information can be found later in this article
Step 3
If you have select the scheduled option, you will be moved to Schedule part of the wizard. In this step you can set a custom name of the Bulk action as mentioned in the previous step.
Other options include the time when to perform the Bulk action. Similarly as in previous step you have the option to execute the action immediately or Schedule for future date and time. Schedule allows you to select specific date in addition to Timezone as your devices might not be found locally.
Batches
Batches allow you to select the number of "groups" dividing the entire amount of selected devices in percentages. For large amount of devices (hundreds or thousands) we recommend appropriate smaller batches over the entire group. This is to ensure that the Bulk action proceeds and executes. A whole operation can be cancelled if a certain amount of devices fail to execute the command allowing for further inspections of the root cause.
Step 4
Before executing the Bulk action you will be prompted with an overview of created operation, selected devices, operation name, execution date and other information:
If information mismatches your expected settings, you can return back to each step and adjust your selections.
Step 5
If all the settings are set up correctly and you execute your operation you will be prompted.
From this step you can view Bulk action detail to inspect the progression and success/failure of the operation.
Bulk action list
Under Bulk actions list you can see all your Bulk actions with indication on their current states:
- Scheduled
- In progress
- Waiting
- Paused
- Stopped
- Finished
- Archived
You can review the Bulk action detail by selecting the specific action.
If the Bulk action has not yet been executed, it can be either Paused or entirely Stopped from the detail.
If the Bulk action has been executed, it can either be Repeated or Archived from the detail.
Information about performed actions is updated in real time offering you live overview of the progress.