Unable to export/import Software Update Policies from one SMP to another

Products

• Patch Management Solution for Windows

Issue/Introduction

 

Resolution

Opened the Console > Actions > Software > Patch Remediation Center, expanded the tree to view Software > Patch Managment > Software Update Policies > Windows, and highlighted a Software Update Policy > right-click > Export; saved the policy locally.

Opened new destination SMP Server Console to the same location, highlighted the Software > Patch Managment > Software Update Policies > Windows folder, right-click > Import, and found the Software Update Policy is created but fails to house any details for the original Software Updates.

Advisory; this is because the Export/Import process was originally designed for core functionality to be utilized on schedules, reports and tasks. The Software Update Policies have multiple resource associations in the Symantec_CMDB database, and those associations are not copied from the Source SMP Server to the Destination SMP Server when performing the process above.

The Migration Tool was developed to provide this functionality when upgrading or when needing to replicate Console items from one SMP Server to another.

Enhancement Request submitted to remove the Export option from the right-click menu on Software Update Policies; targeted for 8.1 HF1.

Advisory: Adding the functionality to perform the process right-click > Export on the Software Update Policy is too intricate and possibly a breach in security, for if it was performed it would pull all resource associations for the targeted Software Update Policy from the Symantec_CMDB database, save them to xml format on the workstation, and could be reviewed by any average user.

• Additionally, once the data is exported, the process to import the data would also be extensive, for it would need to connect to the database and inject all data from the xml. This is far more intrusive than merely exporting/importing a report of random task which has query data as the right-click > Export process was initially designed for Core items. The process provided in the Migration Tool is secure and ensures the integrity and confidentiality of the data as it is replicated from the Source SMP to the Destination SMP.