Sending alert if machine is not part of maintenance configuration

Question

Is there any way that if machine ( Virtual machine )is not part of maintenance configuration ( azure update manager) , we can trigger alert?

Answer 1

Hello Varma,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A and thank you for posting your questions here.

Problem

Sequel to your questions, I understand that you are asking if you could set up an alert to notify you or support if a virtual machine isn't included in the maintenance configuration managed by Azure Update Manager.

Scenario

As a cloud infrastructure manager, there's a need to maintain consistent security and functionality across virtual machines (VMs). The Azure Update Manager was utilized to automate and manage updates across these VMs, ensuring they remain up-to-date with the latest patches and security fixes. However, there's a concern that some VMs might inadvertently be excluded from this update process, leading to potential vulnerabilities and inconsistencies in the system.

Solution

This prescribed solution was based on the scenario given and your questions, while focusing on the problem statement.

Yes, you can set up alerts in Azure to notify you when a virtual machine (VM) is not part of the maintenance configuration in Azure Update Manager.

To do the above after you must have set-up your Azure Update Manager:

Azure Monitor can be leveraged to monitor the status and configurations of VMs within the Azure environment. Specifically, Azure Monitor's Log Analytics feature can provide insights into the state of VMs and their update configurations.

Use Log Analytics queries to identify VMs that are not included in the maintenance configuration managed by Azure Update Manager. You will need to create Log Analytics queries which should search for VMs that haven't reported recent update compliance status or are explicitly excluded from update deployments.

You can use the following Kusto Query Language (KQL) query to identify VMs that haven’t reported recent update compliance status or are explicitly excluded:

Heartbeat
| where TimeGenerated > ago(1d) // Adjust time window as needed
| where Type == "Heartbeat"
| where Computer notin (
    Heartbeat 
    | where TimeGenerated > ago(1d) 
    | where Type == "Heartbeat" 
    | where UpdateState == "Compliant" 
    | distinct Computer
)
| project Computer, UpdateState, OSType, ResourceGroup, SubscriptionId, ResourceType, ResourceName, ResourceId

Once the query to identify non-compliant VMs is established, create alert rules within Azure Monitor based on these queries. These rules will trigger alerts when VMs are found to be missing from the update configuration.

Specify the criteria for triggering alerts, such as the number of consecutive times a VM is identified as non-compliant or the severity level of the compliance issue.

Finally

At this stage, you will have to integrate notification systems by configuring the alert rules to integrate with notification systems such as email, SMS, or Azure Monitor Action Groups. This ensures that administrators are promptly notified when VMs are found to be missing from the update configuration.

By following these steps, you can establish a robust system for monitoring and managing the update configuration of VMs within your Azure environment, ensuring compliance with security standards and minimizing potential vulnerabilities.

References

Source: Conversation with Bing, Accessed. 5/10/2024

Managing VM updates with Maintenance Configurations.

Query Azure Automation Update Management logs.

Troubleshoot Azure Automation Update Management issues.

Microsoft Azure – Patch Management Update Summary Status.

How to create alerts for Update Management

Accept Answer

I hope this is helpful! Do not hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions.

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Best Regards,Sina

NOTE: I will check all the comments and revert. Thank you