> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.germainux.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Quiet Times
> Quiet Times stop repeated alert emails and notifications for the same ongoing issue, for everyone or only for you, and show you which alerts are silenced right now.
Components
[`Workspace`](https://docs.germainux.com/management/workspace)
Service
`Automation`
Availability
2024.2 or later
> [card] [How It Works](#how-quiet-times-work)
>
> Global and personal quiet times
> [card] [When to Use](#when-to-use-quiet-times)
>
> Compare with alert Quiet Time
> [card] [Silence an Alert](#silence-an-alert-for-yourself)
>
> Mute an alert from its email
> [card] [View and Stop](#view-and-stop-quiet-times)
>
> See what is silenced now
## Overview
A **Quiet Time** is a period during which GermainUX holds back repeated notifications for the same alert. It keeps one ongoing issue from filling your inbox, so the alerts that still arrive are the ones that need attention.
GermainUX uses Quiet Times in two ways. It starts one **automatically for everyone** each time an alert fires, and you can start one **for yourself only** when an alert is not useful to you. The **Quiet Times** screen lists every Quiet Time that is active right now, and lets you end one early.
Quiet Times help you answer questions such as:
* Why did I stop receiving this alert?
* Which alerts are silenced at the moment?
* When will this alert be able to notify me again?
* How do I stop an alert I don't need, without changing it for my team?
## How Quiet Times Work
Every Quiet Time belongs to one alert. GermainUX identifies it by the Alert Action name followed by what triggered the alert, for example the KPI, SLA and resource. A Quiet Time for a CPU alert on one server therefore doesn't silence the same alert on another server.
| Type | How it starts | Who it silences | How long it lasts |
| - | - | - | - |
| **GLOBAL** | GermainUX starts it when an Alert Action fires and the action has **Quiet Time Used** turned on. | Every recipient of the alert | The alert's **Quiet Time Period**, or the system default of 3,600 seconds (one hour) when the period is `0` |
| **USER** | You start it from a link in an alert or report email. | Only you. Everyone else on the Distribution List still receives the alert. | Until you resume the alert, when you use the default links |
During a **GLOBAL** Quiet Time, GermainUX doesn't run the Alert Action again for the same issue, so nobody receives a repeat. When the period ends, the next violation sends a new alert and starts a new Quiet Time.
During a **USER** Quiet Time, the alert still runs. GermainUX removes your email address from the recipients, so you receive neither the email nor the Workspace notification.
GermainUX removes expired Quiet Times automatically. You don't need to clean them up.
## When to Use Quiet Times
The Quiet Time setting on an Alert Action and the Quiet Times you start yourself solve different problems:
| | Quiet Time setting on an alert | Quiet Time you start yourself |
| - | - | - |
| **Purpose** | Limit how often an alert repeats for everyone | Stop an alert reaching you personally |
| **Set by** | An administrator, on the Alert Action | Any recipient, from a link in the email |
| **Applies to** | All recipients of the alert | Only you |
| **Starts** | Automatically, each time the alert fires | When you click the link |
| **Ends** | After the Quiet Time Period | When you click **Resume** (or **Unmute this report**) |
| **Changes the Alert Action** | Yes | No |
**Use the Quiet Time setting on an alert** when a problem that stays open would otherwise send the same alert every few minutes. Pick a period that matches how long your team typically needs to respond, so the alert repeats only if the issue is still there after that. **Quiet Time Used** is on by default, so unless someone has changed it, each alert already waits for the system default period before it repeats.
**Start a Quiet Time for yourself** when you're on an alert's Distribution List but don't need it, for example while you're on leave or when a colleague already owns the issue. Your team keeps receiving the alert, and nobody has to edit the Distribution List.
Two other mechanisms reduce alert volume in different ways:
* **Activation Count** on an SLA delays the first alert until a number of violations occur. See [Reduce Alert Volume](https://docs.germainux.com/automation/notifications/create-an-alert.md#reduce-alert-volume).
* **Maintenance** periods suspend monitoring and actions during planned work. See [Maintenance Window](https://docs.germainux.com/management/maintenance-window.md).
## Silence an Alert for Yourself
The default alert email ends with two links, **Unsubscribe** and **Resume**. Scheduled report emails have the same pair, labeled **Mute this report** and **Unmute this report**.
Unsubscribe and Resume Links in an Alert Email - GermainUX
**1. Open the alert email**
Open an email for the alert you want to silence.
**2. Click Unsubscribe**
Click **Unsubscribe**. For a report, click **Mute this report**.
The GermainUX Workspace opens the **Quiet Times** screen and shows **Quiet time started**.
**3. Check the Quiet Time**
Your new Quiet Time appears in the list with the type **USER**. It stays active until you resume the alert.
To receive the alert again, click **Resume** (or **Unmute this report**) in any email from that alert. You can also stop the Quiet Time from the **Quiet Times** screen.
> [!NOTE]
>
> You can only silence an alert that is sent to you through its Distribution List. If you receive it through another list, for example an external email list, GermainUX shows "Unable to silence this alert". Ask your GermainUX administrator to change your alert settings instead.
### Offer a Time-Limited Mute
The default links mute an alert until the user resumes it. To mute for a fixed time instead, add your own links to a custom alert template. See [Configure Alert and Report Templates](https://docs.germainux.com/management/templates.md).
This example mutes the alert for the reader for 24 hours. Add it to the HTML body of your alert template:
```html theme={null}
Mute this alert for 24 hours
Resume this alert
```
Change `86400` to the number of seconds you want the mute to last. A negative value mutes the alert until the user resumes it.
## Set the Quiet Time on an Alert
The automatic, **GLOBAL** Quiet Time is configured on each Alert Action. Both fields are advanced settings, so they're hidden until you show advanced fields.
**1. Open the Alert Action**
In the left menu, go to **Settings > Automation > Alert** and open the alert.
**2. Show the advanced fields**
Click **Show Advanced**.
**3. Set the Quiet Time fields**
Enter the values below, then save the alert.
| Field | Value |
| - | - |
| **Quiet Time Used** | On (default). Turn it off only if every violation must send an alert. |
| **Quiet Time Period** | The quiet period in seconds, for example `1800` for 30 minutes. Enter `0` to use the system default of 3,600 seconds. |
Quiet Time Fields on an Alert Action - GermainUX
From then on, each time the alert fires, GermainUX starts a **GLOBAL** Quiet Time for that issue and holds back repeats until the period ends.
For every Alert Action field, see the [Alert Configuration Reference](https://docs.germainux.com/automation/notifications/create-an-alert.md#alert-configuration-reference).
## View and Stop Quiet Times
The **Quiet Times** screen lists the Quiet Times that are active now: every **GLOBAL** one, plus your own **USER** ones. Other users' personal Quiet Times aren't shown.
Open it in either of these ways:
* In the left menu, go to **Settings > System > Quiet Times**.
* Open **Notifications** from the header and click the **Quiet Times** icon. A dot on the icon means at least one Quiet Time is active.
Quiet Times Icon on the Notifications Screen - GermainUX
Use **Applies to** to filter the list: **Any**, **Me** (your **USER** Quiet Times) or **All Users** (**GLOBAL** Quiet Times). Each row shows the alert it silences, its type, and its start and end time.
Quiet Times Screen - GermainUX
To end a Quiet Time early, click **Stop** on its row and confirm.
* Stopping a **USER** Quiet Time affects only you. You receive the alert again from its next occurrence.
* Stopping a **GLOBAL** Quiet Time affects all users. The next violation sends the alert to everyone. You need permission to edit configuration to stop one.
Stop a **GLOBAL** Quiet Time when you've fixed an issue and want to know straight away if it comes back, rather than waiting for the period to end.
## Troubleshooting
> [accordion] Clicking Unsubscribe shows "Unable to silence this alert"
>
> Your email address isn't on the alert's Distribution List, for example because you receive it through an external list. Ask your GermainUX administrator to remove you from that list.
> [accordion] The Stop button is disabled
>
> The row is a **GLOBAL** Quiet Time, and you don't have permission to edit configuration. Ask a GermainUX administrator to stop it.
> [accordion] An alert stopped arriving and I didn't silence it
>
> Open the **Quiet Times** screen and set **Applies to** to **All Users**. If the alert is listed, a **GLOBAL** Quiet Time is holding back repeats, and the alert resumes after its end time.
## Additional Resources
> [card] [Create an Alert](https://docs.germainux.com/automation/notifications/create-an-alert.md)
>
> Configure Alert Actions and templates
> [card] [Notifications](https://docs.germainux.com/automation/notifications.md)
>
> All notification types
> [card] [Automation](https://docs.germainux.com/automation.md)
>
> More Automation Features
## Get Help
> [card] [Contact GermainUX Support](https://docs.germainux.com/getting-started/support.md)
>
> The GermainUX team helps you get up and running faster, empower your team, turn data into actionable insights, and optimize performance to deliver measurable business outcomes.
> [card] Can't Find What You Need?
>
> Search all GermainUX docs with **Ctrl + K**, or use the feedback buttons at the bottom of this page to tell us what is missing.
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