Just prior to execution, some steps in a provisioning batch job are combined. Currently, the only steps that are combined are “Install Software,” “Copy File,” and “Upgrade Out-of-date Software” steps that are adjacent to each other. Combining steps avoids duplication of dependency-checking with a station, and minimizes the number of reboots required.

Upon execution, the provisioning batch job first executes any “initial, steps to run only once”—in NiagaraNetwork provisioning this simply means the “Update Licenses” step (if included). Typically the Supervisor has Internet connectivity, and makes a single, silent inquiry to the licensing server, passing the current licensing information for each host running an included station (in the job). The licensing server responds with updated licensing information (if any) for these hosts in the form of a license archive, where any updated licenses are installed—as well as updated within the Supervisor’s “local license” database. For more background details, refer to related Platform Guide sections “About the licensing server” and “About the local license database”.

Following this, the provisioning batch job executes remaining “steps to run for each station,” working through its list of stations in sequence, and for each station it executes its steps in sequence. When the job reaches a station in the list, its station state becomes “Running”. If any of the steps fail, the station’s state becomes “Failed,” and no additional steps are run for that station, and the job continues with the next station in the list.

If every step succeeds for a station, its station state becomes “Success.” If the job is canceled during a station step, its station state, the station state of all following stations, and the job state all become “Canceled.”

When all steps are complete for all stations without canceling, and all steps completed successfully, the job state is “Success.” However, if even one step failed, the job state will be “Failed”.