# Tutorial: Sending Amazon SNS alerts for available software updates
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In this tutorial, you configure an Amazon EventBridge event rule that captures notifications for available service software updates in Amazon OpenSearch Service and sends you an email notification through Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS).

## Prerequisites
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This tutorial assumes that you have an existing OpenSearch Service domain. If you haven't created a domain, follow the steps in [Creating and managing Amazon OpenSearch Service domains](createupdatedomains.md) to create one.

## Step 1: Create and subscribe to an Amazon SNS topic
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Configure an Amazon SNS topic to serve as an event target for your new event rule.

**To create an Amazon SNS target**

1. Open the Amazon SNS console at [https://console.amazonaws.cn/sns/v3/home](https://console.amazonaws.cn/sns/v3/home).

1. Choose **Topics** and **Create topic**.

1. For the job type, choose **Standard**, and name the job **software-update**. 

1. Choose **Create topic**.

1. After the topic is created, choose **Create subscription**.

1. For **Protocol**, choose **Email**. For **Endpoint**, enter an email address that you currently have access to and choose **Create subscription**. 

1. Check your email account and wait to receive a subscription confirmation email message. When you receive it, choose **Confirm subscription**.

## Step 2: Register an event rule
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Next, register an event rule that captures only service software update events.

**To create an event rule**

1. Open the EventBridge console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/events/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/events/).

1. Choose **Create rule**.

1. Name the rule **softwareupdate-rule**.

1. Choose **Next**.

1. For the event pattern, select **Amazon services**, **Amazon OpenSearch Service (managed cluster)**, and **Amazon OpenSearch Service Software Update Notification**. This pattern matches any service software update event from OpenSearch Service. For more information about event patterns, see [Amazon EventBridge event patterns](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/eventbridge/latest/userguide/eb-event-patterns.html) in the *Amazon EventBridge User Guide*.

1. Optionally, you can filter to only specific severities. For the severities of each event, see [Service software update events](monitoring-events.md#monitoring-events-sso).

1. Choose **Next**.

1. For the target, choose **SNS topic** and select **software-update**.

1. Choose **Next**.

1. Skip the tags and choose **Next**.

1. Review the rule configuration and choose **Create rule**.

The next time you receive a notification from OpenSearch Service about an available service software update, if everything is configured properly, Amazon SNS should send you an email alert about the update.