Credential rings

Patch Manager uses credential rings to map credentials to managed resources. This allows Patch Manager to know which credentials to pull from the database before performing a task on one or more managed computers. Any credential you add to Patch Manager is useless until you map it to at least one resource in a credential ring.

By default, Patch Manager creates the Default credential ring during the initial setup and configuration. During the configuration process, you can map the credentials to the corresponding resources using rules. In a credential ring, you can set up the Default rule and rules for:

• WSUS servers, SCCM site servers, or specific computers
• Active Directory Organizational Units (OUs)
• Active Directory domains or workgroups

As you add and delete credentials in Patch Manager, be sure to add the credentials to a credential ring and modify these rules to map them to the appropriate resources.