This feature prioritizes check out for devices that continuously report healthy Locker app function. This reduces Check Out failures, often characterized as ‘Device did not unlock’. There are several scenarios that can lead to a missing heartbeat such as loss of device network connectivity, the screen being manually locked by repeated presses of the power button, Locker app removed, Locker app crashing, and device OS related issues.
To improve the checkout experience, the Locker app (iOS and Android) sends a periodic heartbeat to the MAM server, informing MAM of the device’s eligibility for check out.
- The MAM server monitors and displays a heart icon in the Device Checkout Status field for any device without a recent heartbeat.
- The MAM server will always prioritize a device with a recent heartbeat over a device without.
- When a device has not sent a heartbeat within a certain interval, the server assumes that the device is not ready for check out.
- The MAM server will still attempt to check out a device with no heartbeat if there are no devices with recent heartbeat checked in.
- Admins can attempt a re-checkin, reboot (iOS), or re-provision (iOS) to address issues, although the resolution may vary depending on the cause, and may require manual intervention outside of MAM.
When Devices Have No Heartbeat
There are several reasons that devices can return a status of no heartbeat:
- No Wi-Fi connection – Devices can return a status of “no heartbeat” when they are checked in, but network connectivity to the device is disabled.
- The Locker App is in the background – Imprivata believes this happens during check in deployment, when users put the Imprivata Locker app into the background by holding the power key on checked in devices.
You can replicate this issue intentionally by holding the power key after the device is checked in. If the device is not getting a heartbeat, it will show it after 5 minutes of not communicating with the server.
After the device is checked in, the Locker App must be running on the foreground to continue getting a heartbeat, you will see the screen dim, but the Locker app is active.
You can touch the screen to see the Locker app running and the device is locked with it. You cannot press the power button, because that will put the Locker in the background.
Determining the Device Heartbeat Status
You can determine the heartbeat status of a device by one of several methods using the MAM console:
- From the Launchpad details page. The Device Checkout Status column displays that the device is checked in, but has detected no recent heartbeat activity.
- From the Device details dialog.
Workflows to Run on Heartbeat Missing Devices
BEST PRACTICE: Imprivata recommends running the following Workflows on devices when they have no heartbeat:
- iOS devices: Check in or Reboot actions
- Android devices: Check in action
Admins can deploy Workflows in bulk to devices that have a status of “device has no heartbeat“, in an attempt to remediate them. For more information, see Deploy Workflows in Bulk to Devices That Have No Heartbeat.