Background Polling & Maintenance
This document explains how background polling and maintenance operate in Activate Security Group Compliance Manager (SGCM). These processes ensure continuous monitoring of Active Directory (AD) changes and maintain accurate compliance data within the Activate platform.
Overview
Background polling allows SGCM to detect and process AD changes at regular intervals without requiring manual execution. This ensures that any modifications—such as user additions, deletions, or group membership updates—are captured and evaluated against compliance policies in near real time.
Polling Mechanism
Polling runs as part of the Activate Orchestrator which periodically executes a defined workflow to import and process changes from Active Directory.
Parameter | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Connector_PollTime | The interval between polling cycles, measured in seconds. | 600 (10 minutes) |
PollWorkflow | The workflow executed on each polling cycle. Typically FullWorkflowWithGroups. | None |
Configuring Polling
- Open Activate Studio.
- Navigate to Resources > Active Directory.
- Copy the parameter FullWorkflowWithGroups.
- Rename it to PollWorkflow.
- Adjust the Connector_PollTime parameter if required (for example, 300 for five-minute intervals).
Background Task Integration
SGCM integrates with Activate’s background maintenance system to ensure scheduled operations are executed automatically. The default background task performs a range of system checks overnight but may require extension to include Security Group synchronisation.
To include Security Group synchronisation:
- Open Activate Studio.
- Navigate to Tasks > System Tasks > Background.
- Edit the Workflow parameter.
- Insert the following entry before the maintenance script reference:
This ensures the SGCM connector updates security group data as part of the regular overnight maintenance routine.
Recommended Schedule
The optimal polling frequency depends on the size and activity level of your directory:
Environment Size | Recommended Interval |
|---|---|
Small (under 10k objects) | 5 minutes |
Medium (10k–100k objects) | 10 minutes |
Large (100k+ objects) | 15–30 minutes |
Shorter intervals provide faster detection at the cost of increased service load.
Maintenance and Performance
To maintain reliability and performance:
- Regularly review connector logs for synchronisation errors.
- Monitor SQL database growth and archive old compliance event data where necessary.
- Ensure the Activate Job Service has sufficient memory and CPU allocation.
- Schedule heavy synchronisations (for example, initial imports) outside business hours.
Troubleshooting Polling
If polling stops or data fails to update:
- Verify that the Activate Orchestrator is running.
- Confirm the PollWorkflow and Connector_PollTime parameters are correctly configured.
- Check Activate system logs for workflow execution errors.
- Validate that the AD service account retains Replicate Directory Changes permission.
Summary
Background polling ensures that SGCM continuously monitors Active Directory for compliance-related changes. Proper configuration of polling intervals, background tasks, and maintenance workflows enables consistent, automated enforcement of group compliance across the environment.