Centipede Development Highlights

The information in this article is the intellectual property of xMatters and is intended only for use with xMatters products by xMatters customers and their employees. Further, this intellectual property is proprietary and must not be reused or resold.

Centipede Quarterly Release Details Centipede was released on November 13th, 2018. The Centipede release includes new features and enhancements for event management, mobility, integrations & development, and more. For all the details, see the Centipede (Oct/Nov) 2018 Release Overview. Next Release: Defender (Jan/Feb 2019) We've already started working on our next quarterly release, which we've named Defender. Follow the Defender Development Highlights page so that you receive updates throughout the quarter on all of the fun and functionality we're working on.

Introduction

We're hard at work on our next quarterly release, Centipede, which will be rolling out in the Oct/Nov 2018 time frame. Please follow this article and its comments to receive updates throughout the quarter about new features and functionality that we're working on for the Centipede release.

Customers interested in previewing new features before they're released can opt into our Early Access Program (EAP), which delivers new features into non-production environments as they're rolled off the assembly line.

We'll also use this document to capture highlights of additions/updates to our mobile platforms and the xMatters REST API.

Deployment Details

For more information on how a feature in this article works, click the online help links which are embedded in each topic. As with any of our Community articles, you can click any image or animated GIF to see a larger version.

Support Notes

For a list of additional changes made in each deployment that are not covered in the Development Highlights, see the On-Demand support notes. While most features will be added to production environments as part of our quarterly releases, the support notes typically describe fixes, which can sometimes affect product behavior.

5.5.234

Next Release: Defender (Feb 2019)

This release marks the start of our work on our next quarterly release, which we've code-named Defender. Follow the Defender Development Highlights page to receive updates throughout the quarter on all the fun and functionality we're working on.

5.5.233

Centipede is here!

The Centipede Quarterly Release is now available in non-production environments. For a quick overview of the highlights from this release, be sure to watch our release video:

For more details about these features, and all the other great enhancements included in the release, don't miss our Centipede Release Overview.

Feature alert!

As of the 5.5.223 release, the following Centipede features are now available in all instances of xMatters On-Demand (click the links for more info):

• Enrich events with data from behind firewall systems - Version 1.3.0 of the xMatters Agent supports the ability to run inbound integrations on xMatters Agents.
• Various outbound integration improvements - We've updated the payloads of integrations triggered by device delivery and event comments, and changed the timing of when notification response integrations are triggered.
• Subscription notifications de-duplicated by device - You'll now receive one subscription notification per device (rather than per user) for an event.

 The following feature is also now available for opt-in:

• Event Flood Control - Reduces the number of events processed by xMatters during an event flood.
  • The availability of this feature varies by hosting region. For customers in the Americas, it'll be available in January 2019. For all other customers, you can enable this feature for your company by contacting xMatters Client Assistance.

5.5.232

Centipede Quarterly Release

Look out for that centipede! The Centipede Quarterly Release, that is! This quarterly release is packed with great new features and enhancements that'll take your event management processes to the next level.

Here's what you need to know about the timing of the Centipede Quarterly Release:

• Non-production environment access: Tuesday, October 30
• Production environment access: Tuesday, November 13 (triggered between 10-10:30am Pacific)

Stay tuned to this space for a complete overview of the features in this release, coming on Tuesday, October 30!

Mobile: Add temporary absences from the app

Availability:

• iOS: Included in Version 3.14 (available now from the App Store)
• Android: Expected to be available in early 2019.

It's now possible to add temporary absences to your on-call schedule using the xMatters mobile app. To schedule an absence, go to the My Schedule screen in the app and tap the new temporary absence icon (the stopwatch) in the top right corner. Click the following image to take a closer look:

To configure the absence, provide the start and end dates for when you'll be away, and which groups will be affected. It's now optional to select another user to replace you while you're away - if you don't select one, you'll be taken out of the rotation and your supervisor will be notified so that they can make any necessary shift changes.

For more information about this feature, such as how to add an absence for another user, see our support article Add temporary absences from the xMatters mobile app.

Integration Directory: New built-in integration

Availability: Now in On-Demand

In this release, we converted the packaged version of our Jira Server integration into a shiny new built-in integration. You can find this integration in our Integration Directory.

Jira Server is a platform that teams can use to plan, track, release, and support software. Combined with xMatters, this integration allows teams to automatically communicate with the correct on-call resources to resolve issues faster. xMatters leverages your group on-call schedules and rotations, escalation rules, and user device preferences to quickly engage the right resources with customizable response and collaboration options.

5.5.231

xMatters REST API: Get shared libraries

Availability: Now in the xMatters REST API

You might be aware that the Integration Builder's shared libraries feature allows you to store common or useful code functions and reference them from any integration in your communication plan. But did you know it's now possible to retrieve shared libraries for a plan using the xMatters REST API?

We've just updated our API documentation to show you how to do this:

• GET /plans/{planId}/shared-libraries - returns a list of all the shared libraries in a communication plan.
• GET /shared-libraries/{libraryId} - returns information about a single shared library.

For each shared library, the methods above return the:

• Library name
• Base64-encoded script source code
• Name and identifier of the communication plan the shared library belongs to

5.5.230

On-Demand: Heads up - the time change is coming!

Availability: Now in On-Demand

"Woah! Where did these gaps and overlaps in my group schedule come from?"

We get asked this question every time the clocks change to adjust for the start and end of Daylight Saving Time. These gaps and overlaps can happen when a group contains shifts in different time zones, and they don't adjust to DST changes on the same date.

Here's what it looks like

In the following example, the time change in London occurs before Vancouver, which causes gaps and overlaps between shifts that were formerly aligned. This lasts for a week until Vancouver changes their clocks back too:

Having gaps in your on-call schedule can be a problem, and to maintain full coverage you'll need to manually make some adjustments to your shifts during this transition period. Of course, it's better to plan for this in advance, so we've added a new reminder in On-Demand to give you a heads up that a time change is coming:

You can read more about this enhancement in our support article, "Spring forward, Fall back".

Integration Builder: 'Targeted recipient failures' outbound trigger

Availability: Now in On-Demand

The new Targeted Recipient Failures outbound integration trigger from our Breakout Release is now available. When you select this option for your integration, it'll be triggered whenever xMatters is unable to immediately notify anyone for an event associated with the selected form:

This is useful if you'd like to be alerted when an event fails to notify any recipients due to group coverage or scheduling issues, or if there's a configuration problem that needs attention.

For more information about Targeted Recipient Failures, see the following resources:

• Breakout Release Overview - Targeted Recipient Failures
• xMatters On-Demand Online Documentation

Mobile: Android 2.13

Availability: Now from the Google Play Store

In case you missed it, we dropped a new version of our Android app last week. If you're running Android 8 or higher on your device, be sure to download this latest version to take advantage of its new notification capabilities.

Note: If you're running an older version of Android, your notification settings remain unchanged.

Here's what's new, in a nutshell:

Each priority of xMatters event - high, medium, and low - is now considered a different notification channel by your device, and you can customize the notification options for each channel separately.

That means you choose the level of interruption for each priority type - whether you're alerted by a pop-up, or a sound (or both, or neither) - and you can have different ringtones or custom sounds for your different message types.

Want to know more?

For all the details about these new notification settings, see our support article: "New notification workflow and options for Android 8 users".

5.5.228

xMatters REST API: Get forms and response options

Availability: Now in the xMatters REST API

Communication plan forms let you define the information contained in messages, including response options with actions that recipients can take for an event. You can now use the xMatters REST API to search the forms in your communication plans and retrieve information about a form's recipients and response options:

• GET /forms - returns a list of the communication plan forms in your xMatters instance.
  • You can use the search query parameter to find forms that match a specific term in their name, description, or both.
  • You can use the embed query parameter to include recipients (if any are defined in the form layout).
• GET /plans/{planId}/forms - returns the forms for a specific communication plan.
  
  • This endpoint allows you to embed the response options that are available for each form, in addition to their recipients.
• GET /plans/{planId}/forms/{formId}/response-options - returns a list of the response options for a form.
  
  • You can use this endpoint to programmatically retrieve the identifiers for responses on a form, instead of having to manually log into the web user interface and copy them. This streamlines the process of configuring response options when you trigger an event.

5.5.227

Mobile: Repeat Alerts fix (iOS 12)

Availability: Now from the App Store

We recently issued a notice that the Repeat Alerts feature on our iOS mobile app may not work as expected after upgrading to iOS 12, which Apple released September 17.

The good news is we've found a solution to the issue and version 3.13 of the iOS mobile app includes the fix. If you've already installed iOS 12, or if you're thinking of upgrading soon, be sure to head over to the App Store and download the latest version of the xMatters mobile app.

Note: For the fix to take effect, you'll need to manually open the xMatters app after you've downloaded it.

Mobile: iOS monthly 'My Schedule' view

The even better news is that v3.13 of the iOS mobile app also includes the new monthly 'My Schedule' view we told you about in the Breakout Release Overview. Simply tap the new calendar icon at the top left corner of your schedule to view the next 90 days of your on-call schedule in a new monthly view format:

Green dots indicate days when you're scheduled to be on call, and you can tap on any day to view your on-call schedule in more detail.

As with the previous daily My Schedule view, you can also use the shift filter to show only the shifts that are most important to you (Primary On-Call, Primary and Secondary On-Call, or All Shifts).

5.5.226

xMatters On-Demand: Temporary Absence updates

Availability: Now in On-Demand

In this release, we implemented a couple of updates to Temporary Absences that we mentioned were coming when we unveiled this feature in the Breakout Release. Here's what's new...

Stay in the loop when your on-call schedule changes

When you or a supervisor add a temporary absence to your schedule, xMatters lets the following people know:

• Your supervisor
• The supervisors of any groups that are affected
• The user that's replacing you (if one was selected)

If you added the absence, then you obviously know when it's taking place - but what if your supervisor added it to your schedule? To keep you in the loop about changes to your on-call schedule, we've updated the Temporary Absence feature to notify you as well when someone else adds an absence to your schedule.

See who's absent from a group

Group supervisors need an accurate representation of who's on call, so we improved the shift information displayed on the group Overview and in the Who's on Call report. Both will now show when a user is absent, and who their replacement is (if they have one).

Here's an example of a temporary absence on the Group Overview screen: 

And, here's the same shift displayed in the Who's On Call report:

Integration Directory: New integrations

Availability: Now in On-Demand

We've added the following five logos to the Integration Directory:

Our field teams built these integrations, which are available in xMatters Labs on GitHub. Although not 'officially supported' integrations, they're a great starting point for those looking to get integrated with the following products:

• EasyVista: an IT service management platform.
• Microsoft Azure Monitor: a monitoring service for Microsoft Azure cloud resources and the applications that run on Microsoft Azure.
• Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control: software for monitoring and managing enterprise clouds and traditional Oracle IT environments from a single console.
• Site24x7: software for visualizing time series data.
• Terraform: an automation platform that helps transform infrastructure into code.

Using these integrations with xMatters, you can create service management tickets, invite people across multiple teams to conference calls, initiate chat rooms in Slack, HipChat, or Hubot, and record activity back into service management tickets.

5.5.225

Integration Directory: Jira Cloud updates

Availability: Now in On-Demand

In this release, we've made the following updates to our Jira Cloud integration for Atlassian's new Jira Ops tool:

• Support for the Jira Ops project type, including an xMatters Glance that provides a quick view of events related to the incident and helps facilitate incident resolution with the 'Engage with xMatters' feature.
• xMatters event status updates and responses are automatically posted to the new Timeline user interface in Jira Ops.
• Simplified integration set-up using a streamlined configuration page.
• Compliance with the AtlasKit design language.

On-Demand: Stay logged in during product updates

Availability: Now in On-Demand

We get it - it's annoying when you get logged out and then have to sign back in when we're performing maintenance or making updates to xMatters On-Demand. The great news is that this should no longer be an issue!

Still getting logged out? Let us know!
Although things should now be good-to-go, if you do experience any intermittent log out issues, please bring them to our attention!

5.5.224

Integration Directory: ServiceNow 5.1

Availability: Now available for xMatters On-Demand

Version 5.1 of the xMatters application for ServiceNow - certified for Istanbul, Jakarta, Kingston, and London - is now available from the ServiceNow Store.

Notable updates in this latest version of the xMatters for ServiceNow integration include:

• Updates to the group data sync so that any supervisors you've set up for a group in xMatters are preserved in future data syncs.
• Improvements to the xMatters configuration page in ServiceNow, including showing you if you've already entered a password, and accepting xMatters hostnames with a backslash at the end.
• Tidied up configuration settings.

For upgrade or installation instructions, feature and update descriptions, and a list of issues addressed in recent releases, see the integration guide here.

5.5.223

On-Demand: Get communication plan constants and endpoints

Availability: Now in the xMatters REST API

Did you know that it's possible to use the xMatters REST API to get information about the constants and endpoints in your communication plans? This is great when you want to know the values that are being used for these variables in your integration scripts, or if you'd like details about the authentication methods of your endpoints. Here's how to get the goods:

Constants

• GET /plans/{planId}/constants - returns a list of constants configured for the specified communication plan. For each constant, this API call returns the:
  • Unique identifier of the constant
  • Communication plan the constant belongs to
  • Name of the constant
  • Value of the constant that will be used wherever it appears in integration scripts
  • Description of the constant

Endpoints

• GET /plans/{planId}/endpoints - returns a list of endpoints configured for the specified communication plan or built-in integration. For each endpoint, this API call returns the:
  
  • Unique identifier of the endpoint
  • Communication plan the endpoint belongs to
  • Name of the endpoint
  • Base URL of the target system
  • Type of endpoint ('XMATTERS' or 'EXTERNAL')
  • Authentication type configured for the endpoint in xMatters
  • Authenticating user

About the early access delivery process

As of December 2015, we no longer support delivery of new features into production environments using continuous delivery; instead, new features are delivered on a quarterly basis.

Our customers can choose to opt their non-production environments into an Early Access Program (EAP) to see new functionality before it's released. If you're considering signing up for the early access program, there are a couple of important things to know:

• Enrollment in EAP can be turned on any time through a support request.
• Exiting EAP can only be done on quarterly boundaries (you cannot opt in and out between quarterly releases).

For full details, refer to the official On-Demand Deployment Process & Early Access article.