We’re pleased to announce several much-requested feature enhancements in this week’s RMM release, with improvements to Patch Management, Apple Mac management, and Backup & Recovery. Here’s what’s in store:

• Introducing support for Windows 10 ‘Feature Updates’ in Patch Management
• The ability to run Automated Tasks on Apple Mac devices using custom scripts uploaded to the Dashboard (RC)
• A new Backup & Recovery ‘Documents’ feature designed for backing up key user files on workstations out-of-the-box (RC)

We’ll also be promoting Windows Agent v10.6.0 and macOS Agent v2.2.1 to GA, so please update to the new agents at your early convenience to take advantage of the latest enhancements and bug fixes in those version updates.

The Dashboard and Agent update will be rolling out over the course of the week, starting with Asia Pacific and selected European territories, with France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries and the Americas to follow in the next few days.

Here are all the details…

Patch Management: Apply Windows 10 ‘Feature Updates’

From tomorrow onward, you’ll be able to approve and install Windows 10 Feature Updates from the Patch Management Workflow. This will allow updates such as the Fall Creators Update to be seamlessly deployed to all supporting devices. The update will apply automatically to the Patch Management engine, without the need to manually update or restart any services.

Here’s how the new Windows 10 Feature Updates will show in your Dashboard:

Note: The Windows 10 Feature Updates will initiate a reboot of the target machine(s) in order to finalise the installation.

Introducing Automated Tasks for Macs (RC)

In keeping with our aim to provide the same level of feature support for macOS as for Windows, we’re pleased to announce that with the release of macOS Agent 2.3.0 RC, Automated Tasks can be run on Apple Macs directly in the Dashboard for the very first time.

Going forward, you’ll be able to upload your own custom scripts to the Dashboard and run them as Tasks on Mac workstations. To take advantage of this update, go to Settings > Script Manager > New. Then upload your custom script, select Automated Task, and pick “Mac OS” from the list:

After uploading your script, select a Mac workstation from your device list, then go to the Automated Tasks tab on the south pane, and add the Task just like you would for a Windows machine. Note the device needs to be running the new RC Agent in order to see the Automated Tasks tab and add the script.

For customers with Mac-MSP integration enabled, there’s also a new Automated Task to trigger Mac-MSP in scheduled mode. It means you can set your Mac-MSP integration to run on a predictable schedule, and see the settings and initial results for that computer in the Tasks pane.  We are also including a new 24×7 Check for monitoring Mac-MSP’s activity logs so you can be alerted if anything is out of place with the Mac-MSP service.

New Backup & Recovery ‘Documents’ option for workstations (RC)

Lastly, we’re pleased to introduce a new backup option specifically designed for Workstations, called Backup & Recovery Documents. This new option lets you turn Backup & Recovery on for workstations using a very simple yet powerful configuration, helping you protect user documents and files at literally the click of a button.

The new B&R Documents feature will automatically select and back up key files including documents, presentations, spreadsheets, data files and page layout files: here’s the list of extensions, with a more detailed table at the end of this post:

Documents: .DOC | .DOCX | .ODT  | .PAGES | .RTF | .TXT | .WPD | .WPS
Data Files: .CSV | .PPS | .ODC | .ODF
Presentations: .KEY | .ODP | .PPT  | .PPTX
Spreadsheets:  .XLP | .ODS | .XLS | .XLSX| .numbers
Page Layout Files  .PDF | .ODG

The new backup runs on an automated schedule twice a day, and requires no further configuration: It’s an excellent feature to help safeguard against malware attacks, and offers a very straight forward backup option for end-user devices.

To take advantage, install the new RC Agent on a test Windows workstation that is not currently using Backup & Recovery, then go to the Edit Workstation dialog where you’ll see a new option to enable B&R Documents:

Select the Documents option to start backing up those key user files. You’ll notice that unlike the regular backup feature (called ‘Professional’), no additional configuration options are needed, only the ability to launch Backup Manager or switch storage account:

Similarly, the Backup Manager account for a workstation running “Documents” offers just key information and the restore option:

The new easy-to-use backup solution comes with all the power and performance of the full Backup & Recovery product under the hood. It’s designed to quickly and easily protect the files and documents that matter most to client users, and means you’ve got their back in the event of a ransomware attack or other emergency.

The Backup & Recovery Documents feature is releasing in RC and requires the new RC Agent v10.7.0. While in RC there are no charges to use Backup & Recovery in the Documents mode on workstations.

 

Summary for Service Release
– Extended Windows 10 support in Patch Management, Automated Tasks for Mac, new Backup option for Workstations
– Dashboard v6.49
– Windows Agent v10.6.0 GA, macOS Agent v2.2.1 GA; Windows Agent 10.7.0 RC, macOS Agent 2.3.0 RC

 

Dashboard 6.49
FEATURE: Manage and apply Windows 10 ‘Feature Updates’ with Patch Management
FEATURE: Add ability to run Automated Tasks on macOS systems (requires macOS Agent 2.3.0 RC or later)
FEATURE: Run Mac-MSP Maintenance on schedule as a Task (requires macOS Agent 2.3.0 RC or later)
FEATURE: New 24×7 check to monitor Mac-MSP activity (requires macOS Agent 2.3.0 RC or later)
FEATURE: New Backup & Recovery ‘Documents’ feature for out-of-the-box workstation backup (requires Windows Agent 10.7.0 RC)
BUGFIX: Address email sending issue for Client Monthly Reports

Windows Agent 10.7.0 RC
FEATURE: New Backup & Recovery ‘Documents’ feature for out-of-the-box workstation backup
UPDATE: Backup Manager agent for Backup & Recovery upgraded to v17.9 

macOS Agent 2.3.0 RC
FEATURE: Add ability to run user-defined Automated tasks
FEATURE: Invoke Mac-MSP schedule mode 

 

Windows Agent 10.6.0 GA **
Windows Agent 10.6.0 includes all the updates since the current production Agent v10.5.15:

Windows Agent 10.6.0
UPDATE: Upgrade of Backup & Recovery agent to 16.11 (infrastructure, no customer facing changes)
UPDATE: Performance update to the Antivirus check for faster processing and results
BUGFIX: Resolve issue with the Antivirus Update Check to support AVG versions 16 and 17
BUGFIX: Updated detection for Panda Cloud Office Protection 6 in the Antivirus Update Check to include Panda Endpoint Protection Version 7.70.0 and Panda Agent Version 7.80.0
BUGFIX: Ensure System Tray feature adheres to 50 character limit

Windows Agent v10.5.16
BUGFIX: Update to Sophos in the Antivirus Check so it doesn’t fail when definitions are up to date
BUGFIX: Update to Veeam in the Backup Check so it doesn’t fail when event IDs related to upcoming license expires are triggered
BUGFIX: Update to custom branding image layout so the Agent version does not obscure the logos
BUGFIX: Removal of defunct ‘Create Network Installer’ option from File dropdown menu (use option in Dashboard instead)

 

macOS Agent 2.2.1 GA
macOS Agent 2.2.1 includes all the updates since the current production Agent v2.2.0:

macOS Agent 2.2.1
BUGFIX: Resolves issue where RMM may delete a customer’s standalone TeamViewer install​
BUGFIX: Resolve issue around install/uninstall​

 

** Important: Antivirus Update Check URL from Agent 10.6.0
Windows Monitoring Agent 10.6.0 introduced a change to the definition comparison process for the Antivirus Update Check.

From this release, the Agent queries a CloudFront address over a secure connection to retrieve the information required to determine whether the installed Antivirus product’s definitions are within the threshold or out-of-date.

To ensure the Agent can retrieve this information from CloudFront, we suggest that you whitelist the address below in your firewall or web-filtering software.

https://dg5bj97jvb67q.cloudfront.net

Please note that Amazon’s CloudFront Global Edge Network was utilized for this service, as it provides a consistent, high availability platform accessible from multiple geographically located download addresses. This CloudFront address is strictly used to query and retrieve the Antivirus Update information, it is not used in any other capacity

 

Backup & Recovery Documents: List of supported file types

File extension	File type name
.DOC	Microsoft Word Document
.DOCX	Microsoft Word Open XML Document
.ODT	OpenDocument Text Document
.PAGES	Pages Document
.RTF	Rich Text Format File
.TXT	Plain Text File
.WPD	WordPerfect Document
.WPS	Microsoft Works Word Processor

Data files

File extension	File type name
.CSV	Comma Separated Values File
.PPS	PowerPoint Slide Show
.ODC	Office Data Connection File
.ODF	Apache OpenOffice Math file

Page layout files

File extension	File type name
.PDF	Portable Document Format File
.ODG	OpenDocument drawing file

Presentation files

File extension	File type name
.KEY	Keynote Presentation
.PPT	PowerPoint Presentation
.PPTX	PowerPoint Open XML Presentation#2
.ODP	OpenDocument Presentation file

Spreadsheet files

File extension	File type name
.XLP	Works Spreadsheet
.XLS	Excel Spreadsheet
.XLSX	Microsoft Excel Open XML
.ODS	OpenDocument Spreadsheet
.numbers	Apple Numbers application file