What is the difference between blackout window and Maintenance window?

[Shantharao]

Hello All,

I have a few queries on the Blackout VS Maintenance window
1) What is the difference between a blackout window and a Maintenance window?

2) When can we configure the maintenance window and blackout window?

3) Infrastructure patching comes under which window like blackout or maintenance ?
4) Can we schedule a blackout/maintenance window every month of last Sunday?

Thanks

[Uncle Rob]

I have no idea how to define that as the answer will keep changing.

[Community Alums]

Hi @Shantharao ,

A maintenance window is a defined period of time during which planned outages and routine changes to production (see definition below) services and systems may occur. The purpose of defining standard maintenance windows is to allow clients of the service to prepare for possible disruption or changes.

A blackout window is that regularly scheduled, week in week out, period of time I don't allow changes to occur against a particular CI/Service, unless that change is an emergency change. My expectation of an emergency change is that it's tied to a critical incident

Create blackout and maintenance schedules in Change Management 

Blackout & Maintenance Schedules in a nutshell 

[Shantharao]

Hi Sandeep,
I have identified a configuration to create a schedule on the last Sunday of the month but,

How to create a maintenance schedule for infrastructure patching on the 2nd last Sunday of every month?

Thanks

[Community Alums]

Hi @Shantharao 

1) What is the difference between a blackout window and a Maintenance window?

A: Ex- If you want to deploy a Change, you can have a specific maintenance window to do so. You can have separate windows to schedule Emergency Changes to Standard and Normal or based on Risk as well. No restrictions as such. However, in blackout window you don't want to deploy any changes to the prod. This is called as Freeze time. Most of the company's have this in the Christmas time.  Only in special cases with special permission you would be able to deploy if needed. 

2) When can we configure the maintenance window and blackout window?

A: No, specific time. However as stated in the previous comment, you can have maintenance window based on Risk or type of Changes. Like, Company's may deploy Standard and Normal Changes on Tuesday and Thursday of the week probably from 6.00PM to 8.00 PM and Emergency changes Monday to Thursday 6.00PM to 8.00 PM. It all depends. Typically, Blackout window happens in the Christmas time or probably on weekends where most company's go on freeze period. No specific time period, it all depends on the company's operation strategy 

3) Infrastructure patching comes under which window like blackout or maintenance?

A: Maintenane window
4) Can we schedule a blackout/maintenance window every month of last Sunday?

A: Yes, you can have Blackout/maintenance window every month of last Sunday. But you can't have both of them together. However, as a suggestion, having maintenance window on Sunday is not a good, because while deployment, if there is a break, then there is a little resource available on a Sunday to fix the issue

I hope these answers you question. Please mark helpful/like if the answers were in line with your expectation.

Regards,

Gagan k

[Shantharao]

Hi Gagan,
I have identified a configuration to create a schedule on the last Sunday of the month but,

How to create a maintenance schedule for infrastructure patching on the 2nd last Sunday of every month?

Thanks