A new Release Candidate (RC) version of the Patch Management Engine is being made available to N-central assets configured to use the RC channel. This release focuses on improving patch reliability, cache handling, End-of-Support filtering accuracy, security posture, and overall resilience of patch detection and installation workflows.
Improvements Included
- Improved Extended Security Update (ESU) handling for Windows devices: Improves End-of-Support filtering so that Extended Security Update (ESU) licensing is consistently recognised across supported Windows operating systems, ensuring eligible devices continue to receive applicable updates. (PMCM-11363)
- Improved cache integrity validation for patch distribution: Enhances CRC validation when patches are moved between cache locations, improving resilience and reducing the likelihood of patch corruption or transfer inconsistencies. (PMCM-11448)
- Improved patch reporting accuracy for browser updates: Resolves an issue where certain browser patches could display incorrect installation timeline information, improving reporting consistency and avoiding impossible installation dates. (PMCM-11495)
- Improved security posture of Third-Party Patch components: Removes bundled 7-Zip binaries from Third-Party Patch components, reducing security exposure and improving the overall security posture of the patching stack. (PMCM-11496)
- Improved .NET patch uninstall handling: Resolves an issue where certain .NET patches using newer Microsoft naming conventions could fail during uninstall operations when processed via DISM. (PMCM-11521)
Version Details
- Patch Management Engine: 2.13.15.5683
- MSP Platform: 2.13.15.5127
- Diagnostics: 2.14.0.5025
- Third-Party Patch Engine: 2.13.15.5043
Security & Integrity Information
To assist customers using endpoint protection or application control software, hashes for the PME installer and associated components are provided below.
| File | SHA-256 Hash |
|---|---|
| PMESetup.exe | D391C4D69F8E63E1E5FCB4A762376F32A00A7AAC3FE225724050FB929C3455F5 |
| FileCacheServiceAgentSetup.exe | EC6114D76496B17EBD1F2A51EC061A9F39388D464F897B2014D6A57236056AE7 |
| RequestHandlerAgentSetup.exe | FFAEFA94D234A65049FD4B8A7C7F83BE03095C6E39DB69825617A0D9C5E1B8B2 |
| PME unins000.exe | 6EF8B22DEC109CF2962BA1C74ED0FDC5D5CF4A467BE4DB789EFFA4479474E2C3 |
| RequestHandlerAgent unins000.exe | F803B9274980167422CA042CF6672751C47F303C75170F9983FD1FD50E77113D |
| FileCacheServiceAgent unins000.exe | 87D4FB6817FA28527D80A45597FC368F643B9EAFFDEB99272D7A312570F1CFFF |
| %TEMP%\is-*\pmesetup.tmp | 85CFE761B8529A74B2E89F2E604A8A99BC2D44BBBCA919BDBD2072BB703001F4 |
| %TEMP%\is-*\FileCacheServiceAgentSetup.tmp | 0576462899DD331B9A3415A65B52E69C8BAFBBEDBE6E561FA8B9A97528AECC1B |
| %TEMP%\is-*\RequestHandlerAgentSetup.tmp | 1F54FBF9B34E1EACFD3FBC8C9EF2202AE18F76971CA09703613FE6D7E43E2DB3 |
| ThirdPartyPatch_2.13.15.5043.exe | B0EF21FFDEF99FF874B81318BC71059641F2E820B1349118962663BE5C86DF99 |
RC Channel Reminder
Release Candidate builds provide early access to fixes and improvements. Once validated as stable, RC builds are typically promoted to General Availability (GA).