Update Rollups (URs) for Orchestrator 2022

As with any release of a System Center product, Microsoft routinely issue fixes and updates called Update Rollups (URs), and Orchestrator 2022 has had two URs released since its launch.

There have been some concerns raised on forums about the benefits and issues with the Update Rollups. Several Kelverion customers have requested our input and guidance on whether to execute these URs, and we wanted to make the guidance available to the wider System Center user base.

What was resolved in Orchestrator 2022 Update Rollup 1 (UR1)?

Orchestrator 2022 UR1 contained multiple fixes to the all-new web service which was released in Orchestrator 2022.

Fixes included:

• • The ‘Job start‘ form parameter text fields in Web Console were mandatory.
  • The navigation tree in the Web Console rendered incorrectly when the window was resized or when folders/runbooks were deeply nested.
  • All Web API endpoints honor the RBAC rules set in the Runbook Designer, and users cannot access unauthorized data.
  • The Web API upgraded to support .NET core 6 (LTSC).

There was one known issue with the release:

• • Starting a job on the Web Console with more than one input parameter doesn’t work because of an incorrect API invocation by the Web Console.

You can find a complete list of fixes in UR1 and how to download and deploy it here.

Should I install Update Rollup 1 (UR1) for Orchestrator 2022?

In Kelverion’s opinion, any customer looking to deploy or has deployed Orchestrator 2022 should install UR1.

What was resolved in Orchestrator 2022 Update Rollup 2 (UR2)?

Orchestrator 2022 UR2 introduced a number of fixes for some of the standard activities and other components.

Fixes included:

• • Monitoring Activities: In SCO 2022, certain monitoring activities (Monitor Disk Space, Monitor Event Log, Monitor Process, Monitor WMI, Monitor Service) were experiencing issues, which have now been successfully resolved.
  • Web Console Filtering: Users can now take advantage of a powerful filtering system, enhancing their experience in both the job and instance view.
  • Web API folder now includes the Swagger (also known as OpenAPI spec – Orchestrator.WebAPI-22.1.0.json) describing the API. Customers can use it to auto-generate/author REST clients or to browse the API on a swagger.

Unfortunately, UR2 also introduced a number of issues with the operation of Orchestrator 2022 once the UR had been deployed. These included:

• • Identifiers are shown instead of Activity Names on the Runbook Tester canvas and Log View area. The Activity Name is included as a property in the Log View area.
  • The Runbook designer might crash while updating existing runbooks or creating new runbooks with some Integration packs.
  • Deployment Manager might crash after installing UR2.

The Integration Pack issues with the Runbook Designer seem to affect all but the Integration Packs provided by Microsoft for the System Center products.

Microsoft have subsequently provided a hotfix for the Runbook Designer issue and a workaround for the Deployment Manager:

Copy C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center\Orchestrator\Management Server\Deployment Manager\OrchestratorRemotingService.exe

to C:\Windows\SysWOW64\OrchestratorRemotingService.exe

Here is a list of fixes and resolutions for UR2 which includes how to download and deploy it.

Kelverion has tested the hotfix and workaround; these do seem to resolve these specific issues, but there is currently no resolution for the Runbook Tester.

Should I install Update Rollup 2 (UR2) for Orchestrator 2022?

In Kelverion’s opinion, unless you specifically use the below activities in your Runbooks:

• • Monitor Disk Space
  • Monitor Event Log
  • Monitor Process
  • Monitor WMI
  • Monitor Service

We would not recommend installing Orchestrator 2022 UR2 at this time as the benefits do not outweigh the challenges with this release, It is worth noting these standard activity functions can be replicated with Monitor Date/Time and appropriate Get Activities.

Platform Events Tab Broken in Orchestrator 2022

Orchestrator 2022 users should also note that the platform events are not being recorded, and the events tab is not being populated; the Kelverion team typically use this feature for troubleshooting and general health monitoring.

If you would like more information or guidance on Orchestrator 2022 Update Rollup releases, please contact us at info@kelverion.com.