Updating protection agents automatically

To facilitate the management of multiple workloads, you can configure automatic updates for Agent for Windows, Agent for Linux, and Agent for Mac. Automatic updates are available for agents version 26986 (released in May 2021) or later. Older agents must be updated manually to the latest version first.

The configuration of automatic updates for a protection agent overrides the Agent uninstallation protection setting in all protection plans for the agent.

Automatic updates are supported on machines running any of the following operating systems:

  • Windows XP SP 3 and later
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and later, CentOS 6 and later
  • OS X 10.9 Mavericks and later

The settings for automatic updates are preconfigured on a data center level. A partner or company administrator can customize these settings – for all machines in a company or a unit, or for individual machines. If no custom settings are applied, then the settings from the upper level are used, in this order:

  1. Cyber Protection data center
  2. Company (customer tenant)
  3. Unit
  4. Machine

For example, a unit administrator can configure custom auto-update settings for all machines in the unit, which might differ from the setting applied to the machines on the company level. The administrator can also configure different settings for one or more individual machines in the unit, to which neither the unit settings nor the company settings will be applied.

Even within the enabled maintenance window, updates will not be installed while the agent is running any of the following operations:
  • Backup
  • Recovery
  • Backup replication
  • Virtual machine replication
  • Testing a replica
  • Running a virtual machine from backup (including finalization)
  • Disaster recovery failover
  • Disaster recovery failback
  • Running a script (for Cyber Scripting functionality)
  • Patch installation
  • ESXi configuration backup

Automatic updates for all agents

To configure the automatic updates of agents from the Cyber Protection console

  1. Select Settings > Agents.

  2. Under Actions in the upper right corner, click Edit default agent update settings.

  3. Under Update channel, select which version to use for automatic updates.

    OptionDescription
    Latest (selected by default)Install the latest available version of the Cyber Protection agent.
    Previous stableInstall the most recent stable version of the Cyber Protection agent from previous releases.

  4. Verify that the option Automatically update agents is switched on.

    Automatic updates are only available for the following agents:

    • Cyber Protect agent versions 26986 (released in May 2021) or later.

    • Desktop Agent for File Sync & Share, version 15.0.30370 or later.

    Older agents must be updated manually to the latest version before automatic updates can take effect.

  5. Enable the maintenance window.
    The default window is daily, from 23:00 to 08:00 o'clock on the machine where the agent is installed.

    Despite that the agent update processes are designed to be fast and seamless, we recommend choosing a time frame which will cause minimum disruption for users, as users cannot prevent or postpone automatic updates.

  6. Click Save.

Automatic updates for a single agent

We strongly recommend that you enable automatic updates for your agents. Regular updates ensure your agents stay up to date, offering improved performance, bug fixes, and enhanced protection and security features.

To configure the automatic updates for an agent from the Cyber Protection console

  1. Select Settings > Agents.

  2. In the list of agents, select the agent for which you want to configure the auto update settings.

  3. Under Actions in the upper right corner, click Agent update settings.

  4. Under Update channel, select which version to use for automatic updates.

    OptionDescription
    Latest (selected by default)Install the latest available version of the Cyber Protection agent.
    Previous stableInstall the most recent stable version of the Cyber Protection agent from previous releases.

  5. Verify that the option Automatically update agents is switched on.

    Automatic updates are only available for the following agents:

    • Cyber Protect agent versions 26986 (released in May 2021) or later.

    • Desktop Agent for File Sync & Share, version 15.0.30370 or later.

    Older agents must be updated manually to the latest version before automatic updates can take effect.

  6. Enable the maintenance window.
    The default window is daily, from 23:00 to 08:00 o'clock on the machine where the agent is installed.

    Despite that the agent update processes are designed to be fast and seamless, we recommend choosing a time frame which will cause minimum disruption for users, as users cannot prevent or postpone automatic updates.

  7. Click Save.

Monitoring the auto update status

To check the auto-update status

  1. In the Cyber Protect console, go to Settings > Agents.

  2. Click the gear icon in the upper right corner of the table, and then ensure that Auto-update check box is selected.

  3. Check the status that is shown in the Auto-update column.

Removing the auto update settings

To ensure proper operation and robust protection of your workloads, we do not recommend the disabling of automatic updates of protection agents.

To remove the custom auto-update settings

  1. In the Cyber Protect console, go to Settings > Agents.
  2. Select the scope for the settings:
    • To remove the custom settings for all machines, click Edit default agent update settings.
    • To remove the custom settings for specific machines, select the desired machines, and then click Agent update settings.
  3. Click Reset to default settings, and then click Save.