Znuny Announcement Add-on - Announcements for Maintenance Windows and Incidents

The Problem: Missing Communication During Maintenance and Incidents

Sound familiar? A planned maintenance is coming up, but how do you inform your agents and customers? The email distribution list doesn't reach everyone, the maintenance begins - and tickets pile up: "System not working!"

In many companies, missing communication leads to:

• Unnecessary support tickets - Customers report issues that are already known
• Confused agents - "Is the system down or just for me?"
• Missed information - Important updates get buried in the email inbox
• Inconsistent communication - Everyone informs in their own way
• Missing documentation - No history of past announcements

The Solution: Professional Announcements Directly in Znuny

The Announcement Add-on for Znuny 7.2.x brings a professional announcement system to your ticket system. Maintenance windows, incidents, and important information - centrally managed and automatically displayed.

Features Overview

Three Announcement Types

Communicate with the appropriate urgency:

Flexible Target Audiences

Decide who should see the announcement:

• Agents Only - Internal information that doesn't concern customers
• Agents and Customers - Public announcements for all users

Login Page Banner

For particularly important information:

• Display before login - Users are informed before they log in
• Ideal for maintenance windows - "System unavailable from 06:00-08:00"
• Also for emergencies - Immediate visibility for critical incidents

Scheduled Publishing

Plan announcements in advance:

• Valid From - When should the announcement appear?
• Valid Until - When should it automatically disappear?
• Immediate publication - Leave empty for immediate display
• Permanent display - No end date for permanent notices

WYSIWYG Editor

Create appealing announcements:

• Formatting - Bold, italic, underlined
• Lists - Numbered and bulleted
• Links - References to more information
• Structured - Paragraphs for better readability

Clear Management Interface

The admin interface shows all announcements at a glance:

• Status filters - Active, Scheduled, Expired
• Type display - Color-coded
• Quick actions - Edit, Set Offline, Delete

Fullscreen Overlay for Agents and Customers

Click on the header display to open all active announcements:

• All announcements as clear cards
• Type icon for quick orientation
• Close via X button, ESC key, or click outside

Use Cases

Planned Maintenance Window

Type: Info (Blue)
Title: Planned Maintenance Window on Oct 15, 2025
Target: Agents Only
Login Banner: No

Content:
On Oct 15, 2025, we will perform scheduled maintenance
on the system between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM. During this
time, there may be brief interruptions in availability.
Thank you for your understanding.

Limited Availability

Type: Warning (Orange)
Title: Limited System Availability
Target: All
Login Banner: No

Content:
Due to increased system load, there may currently be
delays. We are working on stabilization.

Critical Incident

Type: Critical (Red)
Title: ERP System Currently Unavailable
Target: All
Login Banner: Yes

Content:
The ERP system is currently unavailable due to a
technical issue. Login is not possible at this time.
Our technical team is working with highest priority
to resolve the problem.
Further updates to follow.

Technical Details

Permission System

Caching

• 5 minutes default cache for optimal performance
• Configurable in SysConfig
• Immediate update possible by manually clearing cache

Data Preservation

• Announcements are preserved on uninstall
• Easy reinstallation without data loss
• Optional deletion via SQL command

Installation

Installation works like any Znuny package:

Option A: Package Repository (recommended)

1. Admin → System Configuration → Package::RepositoryList
2. Add repository: Name wolkig.it, URL https://wolkig.it/packages
3. Admin → Package Manager → Install "Announcement" from the list

Option B: Manual

1. Download OPM package from the Packages page
2. Admin → Package Manager → Install package
3. Done!

After installation:

1. Add users to the AnnouncementManager group (RW for full access)
2. "Announcements" menu item appears in main navigation
3. Create your first announcement

Open Source

The Announcement Add-on is Open Source under the GPL v3 license. This means:

• Free to use
• Source code viewable
• Modifications allowed
• Community contributions welcome

Repository: codeberg.org/wolkig-it/znuny_announcement

Conclusion

With the Announcement Add-on, you communicate professionally with agents and customers - during maintenance, incidents, and important updates.

Benefits at a glance:

• Three severity levels (Info, Warning, Critical)
• Flexible target audiences (Agents, Customers)
• Login banner for important information
• Scheduled publishing
• WYSIWYG editor for formatted content
• Clear management interface
• Free and Open Source

Try it out!

Download and documentation: codeberg.org/wolkig-it/znuny_announcement