In the next RM release we’re making it easier for you to upgrade devices to the latest agents with a new Agent Auto-Update dialog.

The new dialog addresses a performance issue that could slow down the dialog for customers with a large number of devices. As usual, we’re also addressing a number of customer support cases through bug fixes and enhancements.

Updating to the latest GA agent
We encourage you to routinely update to the latest GA agent, and thanks to the new Agent Auto-Update dialog this is going to be much quicker and easier to do. It also shows more clearly which clients and sites still have devices running older agents. Frequently updating to the latest GA agent ensures you can take advantage of all the new features that we’re rolling out, and keeps your system up to date with the latest bug fixes and performance enhancements.

With the introduction of the dialog we’re updating our policy to support the latest two GA agents: The one that’s out currently plus the previous version. Usually two GA agent releases will span a couple of months, giving sufficient time to update the agents on all devices, which can be done with just a couple of clicks. In fact, Agent v9.8.8 goes GA with this release, so give the new dialog a whirl!

Older agents will continue to communicate to the Dashboard but new features often only work on the latest agent version. Consider this a gentle push and a polite ask to please have your devices run the latest GA agent. This is best-practice when using the MAX RM Dashboard. 

All the details…
Here’s a quick run-through of how to use the new dialog:

1. Select “Agent” from the top menu bar, then click “Agent Auto-Update Settings” to bring up the Agent Auto-Update dialog (1).

2. Expand Servers and Workstations in the left-hand tree to see the current agent status for Clients and Sites: Green signals all devices are on the latest agent, the full warning triangle means none are, while a small warning triangle shows there’s a mix (2). Use the “Update All” option on the right to update all servers or workstations across all clients in one go (3).

3. To update Clients and Sites individually, select the desired Client in the left-hand tree (4). You can update the agent version at individual device level, cancel any pending updates or leave the device unchanged. You can use the “Update All” option here as well to mass-update the workstations or servers for the selected client or site (6).
    

4. When an agent update is pending, it shows an orange icon (7). The agents generally update within the next two check cycles: for servers around 15 minutes is typical, for workstations it may take 1 to 2 hours.Tip: Go full screen to help you navigate large lists of devices (8).

Let us know what you think
The new dialog opens up the possibility for a next set of enhancements. From previous feedback we know many of you would like to have the option to automatically upgrade to the latest GA version, without having to manually trigger the process. We like that idea too! Please keep the comments coming to help us prioritise and validate our next set of enhancements.

And finally…
The staging release notes are listed below:

Staging Release Notes
Please note, staging release notes are subject to change. Final release notes will go out with the release.

Summary for Service Release

• Service release focused on new features, bug fixes and performance
• Dashboard v5.61
• Agent v9.8.8 GA, Agent v9.8.10 RC

Dashboard v5.61
UPDATE: Introduction of an improved Agent Auto-Update dialog, replacing the previous version
BUGFIX: Ensure deselected Plugins for Managed Online Backup are correctly removed from the list of MOB files (requires Agent v9.8.10 RC)
BUGFIX: Ensure the critical event report generates for the selected client instead of all clients
BUGFIX: Ensure the Managed Antivirus Check correctly generates recovery email alerts
BUGFIX: Ensure the Avira Antivirus Check AV definitions are up to date

Agent v9.8.10 RC
UPDATE: GFI MAX Backup check renamed to MAX Backup check
BUGFIX: Ensure deselected Plugins for Managed Online Backup are correctly removed from the list of billable MOB files
BUGFIX: Ensure script checks can be tested during agent installation using the Test Check function

Agent v9.8.8 GA
Includes all the updates since the current production Agent v9.8.7:

BUGFIX: Resolve an authentication issue with Take Control