Updating agents

When you have updated SES Evolution from the Installation Center, you can then apply this version to one or several agent groups via the administration console. If some agents are not connected to the agent handler or if you do not want the update to be automatic, apply the new version to them manually.

An update should be applied to a group of test agents first, in order to test it. You can then apply it to your production groups.

To downgrade agents to an earlier software version of SES Evolution, ensure that the option Allow downgrading to older version is enabled in Choosing agent update settings.

The Agent groups - Modify privilege is required to update agents.

This procedure applies if you want agent handlers to automatically update agents during a new deployment. Otherwise, disable the Automatically apply software updates option in the menu shown below. For manual updates, see the following two sections.

  1. Select the Environment > Agents menu, then select the agent group to be updated.
  2. In the Version section of the Settings tab, a message will inform you that a new version is available. Choose the new version to apply to agents in this group.
  3. Click on Save at the top right of the window to save changes.
  4. In Security > Deployment, click on Deploy.
    The new configuration will be applied to agents in the group the next time they connect to the agent handler.
    You can apply the update to the agent more quickly by clicking on Check for updates in the agent interface. For further information, refer to Understanding the agent interface on workstations.

If your agent is not connected to the agent handler or if you want to to control how agents are updated, generate an installer and run it manually on the agents as during an initial deployment. For further information, see Installing agents on workstations

During the update, not only will the new software version be applied to an agent, but the new configuration version as well, which includes the security policies and configuration of the agent groups.

To ensure a successful update:

  • The updated agent must belong to the agent group for which the installer was generated,
  • The version of the configuration (e.g., policies and agent group configuration) included in the update must be more recent than the version of the agent’s configuration.

If you do not meet these conditions, force an update on the agent.

With a standard installer, the configuration of an agent group cannot be applied to agents that do not belong to this group. The installer also does not allow downgrades to an earlier configuration version. For this, you must perform a forced update of the agent. It is better for the agent to be disconnected from the agent handler when you force an update, because the next time the agent connects to the agent handler, the agent will go back to the group that was initially assigned to it.

  1. Select the Environment > Agents menu, then select the agent group that you want to apply to the agent.
  2. In the Agents tab, click on Installer > Forced update > Generate a 64 bits installer.
  3. Save the AgentSetup_x64.exe installation file to the location of your choice and run it on the agent as in an initial deployment. For further information, refer to Installing agents on workstations.
  4. If you want to prevent the agent from returning to its original agent group the next time it connects to the agent handler, move the agent to the desired group before it reconnects. For further information, refer to the section Moving agents from one group to another.

Force an update if agents in Maintenance mode need to be updated. For further information on Maintenance mode, refer to the section Understanding self-protection on agents and performing maintenance operations.