What's new

Find out about features that are new or updated in IBM® Runbook Automation.

December 2022

  • Miscellaneous UI improvements and fixes.
  • Security fixes.

September 2022

  • Automation editor supports saving as a new automation version ("publish") or as a draft version (for in-progress changes that are still unreleased and not applicable for production).
  • Test automation supports running and testing each published version and the current draft version.
  • Referenced automations in runbooks point to the latest published version of the automation.
  • Automation preview dialog replaced with a side panel that is displayed when an automation is selected in the overview table.
  • Runbook Automation API extended for managing automations and automation instances.
  • Support for "Ansible Tower" will end at its end of service date. See the Red Hat documentation for details about Ansible Tower end of service.
  • "Ansible Automation Platform Controller" is now supported. The automation type has been renamed from "Ansible Tower" to "Ansible". The set of features available when connecting to an "Ansible Automation Platform Controller" installation are identical to the features that were available when connecting to an "Ansible Tower" installation. Contact Red Hat support if you need assistance when migrating your job templates and workflow job templates from an Ansible Tower installation to an Ansible Automation Platform Controller installation.
  • Previously deprecated support for BigFix has been removed.
  • Miscellaneous UI improvements and fixes.

June 2022

  • Automation output filtering: filter the output of Script automations or HTTP automations to return only the subset of data that you are interested in. This is particularly useful when you use the output of one automation as the input for another automation. For more details, see Creating Script automations or Creating HTTP automations.
  • Migration from CouchDB V2 to CouchDB V3: no user action required. The data migration after upgrading the product might take longer than usual.
  • Miscellaneous UI improvements and fixes.
  • Security fixes.

March 2022

  • Performance improvement for fully automated runbooks.
    • Reduced CPU load per automated runbook execution by up to 50%, so throughput of fully automated runbooks is increased by up to 50%.
  • Users with the USER_ROLE can see instances of other users to facilitate better collaboration on Runbooks. Users with this role are still unable to see runbook instances if the instance belongs to a draft, or if the instance belongs to a runbook that the user cannot access.
  • Security fixes.

December 2021

  • Support for Array of Enumerations for Runbook parameters and Automation parameters.
    • Add additional restrictions on your parameters: only allow values from a distinct set of predefined values.
    • Provide easy-to-use drop-down lists to select multiples of the permitted values. Prevents the entering of non-permitted values, before the Runbook or the Automation even start.
    • Additionally supports the usage of enumeration labels for human readable lists.
  • Security fixes.

September 2021

  • Deprecation of BigFix Automation Provider.
    • Automations of type "BigFix" are deprecated beginning with this version of Runbook Automation.
    • Future versions of Runbook Automation will no longer contain automations of type "BigFix".
    • Replace existing BigFix automations with Script Automations.
  • Additional support for Array type parameters.
    • Array entries can be of type string or integer.
    • Lets you define a parameter for which multiple inputs are allowed.
    • For more information, see Parameter types.
  • Enumeration Support for Runbook parameters and Automation parameters.
    • Add additional restrictions on your parameters: only allow values from a distinct set of predefined values.
    • Provide easy-to-use drop-down lists for the selection of allowed values. Prevents forbidden values being entered before the Runbook or the Automation are even started.
    • Supports the usage of enumeration labels for human readable lists.
    • For more information, see Parameter types.
  • Support for Ansible V3.7.
    • Ansible has introduced a new field: scm_branch. You can now specify this field in Runbook Automation Ansible automations.
    • The new scm_branch field is automatically harvested. Existing automations are automatically updated.
  • Enhanced user experience for Ansible automations.
    • When using Ansible automations, fields such as job type, credentials, verbosity, and inventory now display the possible values. Making it simpler to select the correct value.
  • Added support for a deployment with multiple Netcool/Impact event sources attached to the Netcool/Impact event reader(s) for Runbook Automation. This requires Netcool/Impact V7.1.0.23. For more information, see Adding an ObjectServer event source.

  • Security fixes.

June 2021

  • Enhanced integration of Ansible.
    • Runbook Automation now retrieves all configured Job Templates and Workflow Templates in Ansible and automatically shows them as available automations. There is no longer a requirement to create the automations manually.
    • For more information, see Ansible Automations.
  • Introduction of data types for Runbook parameters and Automation parameters.
    • Assign types and additional restrictions on your parameters.
    • Prevents entering wrong values as you type them in, before the Runbook or the Automation even kick off.
    • The following data types are supported: String (text) including support for passwords, Integer (whole numbers), Boolean (true and false).
    • For more information, see Parameter types.
  • New sample runbooks are provided to help you get started quickly with Runbook Automation.
  • In combination with Netcool/Impact V7.1.0.21, there is now full support for managing trigger priorities from within the Runbook Automation trigger editor.

  • Security fixes.

March 2021

  • Security fixes

December 2020

  • Improved UX experience in the following areas:
    • Runbook library
    • Runbook history
    • Preview Runbook
    • Run Runbook
    • Runbook editor
    • Connections page
    • API keys page
  • Security fixes

September 2020

  • Modernized UI experience
    • Executions Table and Editor with improved UX experience.
  • The Installation Manager installer for the Runbook Automation and Dashboard Application Services Hub (DASH) integration has been replaced by a script installer.
  • Security fixes
  • Runbook Automation Private Deployment requires IBM WebSphere Application Server to support Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2. See the following instructions to enable TLS 1.2: Configuring DASH SSL protocol to support Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2.

June 2020

  • Modernized UI experience
    • Automation editor with improved UX experience.
    • Trigger Table and Editor with improved UX experience.
  • Security fixes

March 2020

  • Modernized UI experience
    • Automation table with improved UX experience.
    • Preview Automation with improved UX experience.
  • Platform support
    • Runbook Automation Private Deployment now supported on RHEL 8.
  • Database performance
    • Runbook Automation allows historic runbook executions to be offloaded. This reduces the database footprint and improves database performance.
  • Security fixes

December 2019

  • Enhanced search capability on the Library page.
  • Runbooks can now be searched for by their ID. Just enter the Runbook ID in the Search field.
  • Modernized UI experience based on Carbon Design System v10.
  • RBA Private Deployment: A new container called rba-akora has been introduced for the UI microservice. This might require you to accept an additional certificate in the Internet browser. For more information, see Retrieve the RBA server certificate in the browser in Post-installation steps for the RBA DASH integration.
  • Security fixes

September 2019

  • Red Hat Ansible integration
    • The new automation provider for Ansible allows for the integration of Ansible artifacts in Runbook Automation. Enhanced automation features of Ansible can be utilized, such as playbooks, job templates, job workflow templates, credential management, and the integration of external version control systems for playbooks, for example Github.
    • Combining Ansible with Runbook Automation allows you to connect playbooks to events using runbooks and supports complex scenarios. For example, provide guidance in runbooks, combining manual steps, or different automations in runbooks (e.g. http, ssh, and Ansible automations).
    • The collaboration features of Runbook Automation delivers the ability to give feedback on playbooks and provides statistics such as the success rate of playbooks.
    • Ansible integration allows you to leverage the existing Ansible Playbook ecosystem (Ansible Galaxy) which provides useful automation content from the Ansible community.
  • Performance improvements
    • Throughput of fully-automated runbooks has been improved significantly.
    • Enhanced reliability of fully-automated runbooks.
    • General performance improvements in database handling.
  • Security fixes

June 2019

The updates in this release apply to the RBA managed service in the cloud and the RBA component of Cloud Event Management (on Marketplace and on IBM Cloud Private). They do not apply to a Runbook Automation Private Deployment.
  • Browser support
    • Support for Microsoft Edge.
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
  • Cloud Event Management (on Marketplace and on IBM Cloud Private)
    • Assign runbooks to groups to manage runbook access for Operations Analysts.
    • Integration of Netcool Operations Insight with Cloud Event Management. Define triggers to connect events in Netcool/OMNIbus to runbooks. You can launch a runbook in Cloud Event Management from the Web GUI Event Viewer in Netcool/OMNIbus.
  • Role model and authorizations
    • The RBA approver can now delete runbooks, automations, and triggers. Previously, only RBA managers could perform these actions. This enhances security as it means the RBA manager role can be assigned to a very limited number of people.
  • Enhanced API
    • New API to create and manage Triggers.
    • Deprecation of toleration for IBM Netcool/Impact fix pack versions older than V7.1.0.14. Please update to the latest fix pack level.
    • Deprecation of event parameter selected_rows.RunbookParameters. Instead use selected_rows.RunbookParametersB64 for support of special characters.

March 2019

  • Security fixes
  • Performance improvements

December 2018

  • Automation enhancements
    • Introduced Windows support for script automation. PowerShell scripts can be executed on Windows systems.
    • Enhanced the test procedure for automations. You can now test automations directly from the Automations page without having to add them to a runbook first.
  • Enhanced API
    • Support goto actions in patch route for runbook instances.
  • Security fixes
    • Enhanced data encryption.
  • IBM Marketplace
    • Runbook Automation User Interface – the overall menu structure and access to User and Group management have been improved.
  • RBA Private Deployment
    • Reduced log file size.
    • Note: during an update of Runbook Automation, data migration is required to support enhanced data encryption. This may take some time depending on the database size.
  • Performance improvements

August 2018

  • Significantly enhanced Runbook Automation User Interface:
    • Enhanced search capabilities for runbooks and runbook executions.
    • New Library page replaces the Runbooks page. The Library page lists all runbooks and provides enhanced filtering capabilities including drill down to a specific set of runbooks, combining several filters such as groups, runbook status, tags, and name.
    • New Execution page lists the runbook execution history. The Execution page provides enhanced filtering capabilities including drill down by user, runbook name, runbook type, or runbook execution status.
    • New History page. The History page allows you to see runbook executions for a particular runbook, including further details such as runbook rating and statistics.
    • Enhanced user experience with multi selection on Library and Execution pages.
  • Enhanced Connections page:
    • Simplified and more intuitive configuration and editing of connections.
    • The user flow of the script connection configuration has been improved significantly.
  • Performance improvements:
    • Significantly improved performance in the execution of fully automated runbooks, in particular under high load conditions.
    • Introduced pagination for tables to achieve a faster and smoother user experience on the pages of Library, Execution, Automations, and Triggers.
  • Enhanced API:
    • New API to query runbook instances.
  • Cloud Event Management:
    • API keys configured in Cloud Event Management can also be used for Runbook Automation.
  • Special characters can now also be used for Launch-in-Context scenarios using B64 encoding. This allows you to pass parameters to runbooks that contain special characters such as backslash, slash, and so on.

    Note: IBM Netcool/Impact fixpack 7.1.0.13 or higher is required for this functionality.

  • Installation Manager for the Runbook Automation DASH integration now supports group mode.

May 2018

  • Multi-Target Capability for SSH automations
    • It is now possible to specify multiple targets to execute an SSH automation on several systems at once. This significantly reduces the effort and time required for similar tasks executed on multiple systems and allows you to control execution targets based on the output of previous automation results.
    • Learn more about the capabilities of this feature in Single and Multi Target Automations.
  • Conditional Automations
    • By specifying an empty list of targets, an automation can be skipped during runbook execution. This can be used in fully automated runbooks to control the workflow of the runbook and skip automations if they are not necessary.
    • Learn more about the capabilities of this feature in Single and Multi Target Automations.
  • Automated JSON formatting of automation output
    • If an automation produces JSON output, the JSON document is automatically formatted for better readability.
  • IBM Workload Automation agent discontinued
    • Script automation via the TWA Agent has been discontinued and is no longer available.
  • Enhanced API
    • GET Status: A new API call to query and monitor the status of the Runbook Automation application is available. For more information, see https://rba.us-south.cloudeventmanagement.cloud.ibm.com/apidocs-v1.
    • GET Runbook Instances: Retrieve multiple runbook instances from your subscription at once. This call supports multiple options to filter the results, for example based on time frame. This allows you to retrieve precisely the data required.

March 2018

  • Improved user experience when running runbooks:
    • Runbook elements such as parameter, command, goto, and automation are always visible on a collapsible sidebar with links to where the elements are used in the runbook.
    • Improved visualization of completed, current, and future steps.
    • You can provide feedback immediately after the last step of a runbook.
    • Easily move to the next runbook step after the completion of a step.
  • SSH provider:
    • SSH script automations now contain a "user" parameter to define which user should connect to the endpoint.
    • You can use the user name of the currently logged in user as the UNIX user name to execute scripts.
  • API enhancements:
  • Security fixes:
    • Upgraded to CouchDB Version 2.1.1 due to security issues in CouchDB 2.0.

December 2017

  • Adapted User Interface to Carbon Design.
  • Improved browser support for Internet Explorer.
  • Improved browser support for Safari 11.
  • Configure a jump server with the SSH automation provider.
  • New functions for Cloud Event Management:
    • Preview a runbook before executing the runbook.
    • Execute fully automated runbooks with a Cloud Event Management event policy.
  • New API to retrieve usage statistics for runbook instances.

September 2017

  • Multiple automation steps are permitted in a fully automated runbook.
  • API documentation on Swagger. See https://rba.us-south.cloudeventmanagement.cloud.ibm.com/apidocs-v1.
  • The result of an automation is passed as a parameter to the next step(s).
  • New and improved import and export of runbooks.
  • SSH Provider is available as an automation provider for script automation, as an alternative to the deprecated TWA provider.
  • SSH Provider has been enhanced - scripts no longer require root access to run on the target machine.
  • For Private Deployment installations, it is recommended to backup the RBA service data before updating. For more information, see Planning for Backup/Restore.
  • Enhanced documentation.

June 2017

  • Improved user interface following Bluemix design guidelines.
  • New page for creating, editing, running, and previewing runbooks.
  • New page for creating connections and automations.
  • New feature in approval process: approved runbooks expire after a configured time period.
  • Updates required for including Runbook Automation in the new Bluemix BETA offering of Cloud Event Management.
  • The deprecated gateway using the Hybrid Cloud Connecter is no longer supported. Use IBM Secure Gateway instead.
  • Execute Automations: new SSH automation provider eliminates the requirement of a Workload Automation agent client to execute scripts. This new automation provider is only available on request to IBM.

May 2017

  • HTTP Automation Provider allows automations of type http.
  • Fix for Japanese locale used in Automation target endpoints.
  • Fix for IBM Workload Automation agent not working with latest version of IBM Secure Gateway.

March 2017

  • Initial version of the Runbook Automation Private Deployment option. RBA can be downloaded and installed in a network isolated customer environment. It is installed, operated, and used by the customer on their own system.
  • Improved user interface following Bluemix design guidelines.
  • There is now a new approval process for runbooks.
  • Various bug fixes.

December 2016

July 2016

  • Multiple improvements and fixes for stability and usability.

April 2016

  • Initial version goes live as a service on IBM Marketplace.
  • Create and execute Runbooks.
  • Execute Automations - supporting script and IBM BigFix automations.
  • Runbooks can be triggered by Netcool/OMNIBus events.