Synchronous jobs allow certain operations to complete immediately within the Activate Web Client, providing a responsive user experience for tasks that must return results straight away. Unlike asynchronous jobs, which are queued and executed by the Orchestrator in the background, synchronous jobs are submitted and processed in real time.

The user must receive an immediate response 

Delayed processing would negatively impact usability (e.g., form validation, quick entitlement lookups, “test connection”-type actions) 

The workflow includes multiple steps or approval processes 

Fault-tolerance and retry logic is required 

Synchronous jobs should be used sparingly and only when necessary to avoid unnecessary load on the Orchestrator.

The Orchestrator must expose HTTP and HTTPS endpoints for synchronous jobs to work correctly.

Resources → Configuration → OrchestratorPorts

6030;6031:01c5fffd5e07ce2e3329ddd01179d5bb518A6718

 – HTTP port the Orchestrator listens on 

 – Certificate thumbprint used for HTTPS 

The Orchestrator binds the HTTPS port to the server certificate matching the specified thumbprint.

If these ports are not configured correctly:

The Activate Web Client cannot communicate with the Orchestrator 

Synchronous jobs will not run synchronously and be orphaned. 

Users will experience delays on their jobs.

Activate will fall back to asynchronous behaviour where possible 

Whenever a server certificate is renewed, the new thumbprint 

 be updated in the OrchestratorPorts configuration.

Resources/Configuration/OrchestratorPorts

The HTTP and HTTPS ports are ports that the Orchestrator listens on.  The HTTPS listn uses the server certificate specified by the thumbprint.  

If these aren't configured then the Activate Web client app will be able to communicate with the Orchestrator and the synchronous job won't submit and complete immediately.

Orphan jobs occur when a synchronous job begins execution but does not transition into a valid workflow state. In these cases the job remains stuck in 

Flagged jobs are queued for reprocessing on the next Orchestrator worker loop 

The next worker loop occurs within roughly 

This ensures that jobs that fail during the synchronous submission phase do not remain stuck indefinitely.

Synchronous jobs provide instant feedback to the user 

Correct OrchestratorPorts configuration is 

Misconfigured ports = synchronous jobs cannot run 

Orphan jobs are automatically detected and recovered 

Certificate updates require updating the configured thumbprint

ParameterReferences and  Assign Owners and References  task

Synchronous Jobs

Microsoft’s cloud platform providing infrastructure, networking, storage, and application services. In Activate, it’s used as the hosting environment or for integration with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID services.

Azure

DotNetVersion

Microsoft Entra Connect (formerly Azure AD Connect) is a tool that syncs on-premises Active Directory identities with Microsoft Entra ID, enabling hybrid identity and seamless access to cloud resources.

Microsoft_Entra_Connect

Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft’s directory service that stores and manages user accounts, devices, and permissions, enabling secure authentication and centralized access control within a Windows network.

Active_Directory

ActivateJobService

ActivateAdministrator

SupportedPowerShellVersions

SupportedOSVersions

SupportedSQLVersions

Name that identifies the instance of Activate.  This is only used by Administrators and isn't displayed to end users.

instance_name

An installation type of Activate where there is no local domain connection, all authentication, authorisation and identity management is handled by Entra ID.

Cloud_Only

Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service, providing secure authentication, user lifecycle management, and access control for Microsoft 365 and other apps.

Microsoft_Entra_ID

A software switch that enables or disables functionality at runtime without redeploying code. In Activate, they are configured under //Resources/Configuration/FeatureFlags.

feature_flag

Microsoft module for managing Exchange Online, using modern authentication and REST API–based cmdlets for faster, more reliable automation of mailboxes, compliance, and organisation settings.

EXO_V3_PowerShell_Module

An Organizational Unit (OU) is a container in Active Directory used to organise users, groups, computers, and other objects within a domain. OUs help structure resources logically and apply group policies for easier management and administration.

A User Type is a template in Activate that defines rules, attributes, and behaviours for a category of users (e.g., Employee, Contractor), ensuring consistent user account setup and configuration.

User_Type

A resource object in Activate representing a physical or virtual Exchange Server

Exchange_Server_Resource

Defines the object type that the resource will emulate or operate as.

Class_parameter

Clonesthe selected inherited parameter to make a local copy to override the value

Override

Runs the Activate Provisioning Server and performs actions across target systems.

Orchestrator_Account

A complete, immutable log of identity-related events, including provisioning actions, access approvals, and policy evaluations.

Audit_Trail

An integration module that enables Activate to read/write data from external systems (e.g., provisioning accounts in Azure AD).

Connector

A periodic process where managers or data owners validate that users still require their existing access — critical for compliance.

Access_Certification_and_Review

A user-initiated process to gain access to new systems or roles, often requiring manager or system owner approval.

Access_Request

Any downstream application or service where identities need access (e.g., Active Directory, Okta, Salesforce).

Target_System

The authoritative system from which identity data is imported (e.g., HRIS like Workday or SAP SuccessFactors).

Identity_Source

An access control model that uses user, resource, or environment attributes (e.g., department = "HR", location = "US") to make access decisions dynamically.

ABAC_Attribute-Based_Access_Control

An access control model where users receive permissions based on assigned roles. This model helps enforce least privilege.

RBAC_Role-Based_Access_Control

A collection of entitlements assigned based on a user’s job function or department. Roles simplify access management and are often tied to policies (e.g., "Finance Analyst Role").

Role

A specific access right or permission within a system (e.g., "Read-only access to Salesforce Reports"). Entitlements can be grouped into roles.

Entitlement

The removal or disabling of user accounts and access when they are no longer required — for example, when an employee leaves the organization.

Deprovisioning

The automated process of creating accounts and granting access to systems or applications based on a user’s role or attributes.

Provisioning

A digital representation of a user (employee, contractor, service account, etc.) within an organization. Each identity is typically linked to a unique identifier, such as an email address or employee ID.

Identity

This is the process of bringing on a new user

Onboarding

Hierarchical Role-Based Provisioning automates user access by assigning roles based on organisational structure, ensuring users inherit the correct permissions and resources aligned to their position or function.

Hierarchical_Role-Based_Provisioning

A group email address that automatically forwards messages to all its members, allowing you to send emails to multiple recipients at once.

Distribution_List

An expression is a conditional statement using Activate expression syntax.

expression

AzureProductName