Empirum 21.0 Update 2 - Release and Update Notes
About This Document
This document describes functional changes, bug fixes, known issues, modified behaviors and changed platform support that have been added since the last update.
Please find the installation files of this version on Matrix42 Marketplace.
System requirements, integration guides and instructions for installation and update are available in the Matrix42 Help Center
Software Management
UEM Agent
The latest agent with all details and information about the new features can be found here: Matrix42 Marketplace
Empirum Subdepot Webservice Configuration
Already with v21 Update 1 this package has been changed so that older agents are no longer supported under certain conditions. Please note the following notice.
Make sure no Advanced Agent or UEM Agent older than 2003.x which use the http/https protocol are used before updating the Empirum Subdepot Webservice Configuration 21.0 package on the depot servers.
UEM Depot Sync
The UEM Depot Sync has been greatly improved. Please use the current version of the UEM Agent of the type Standard Feature Release - SFR for short, to be able to use the improvements. In addition to the software packages, hashes are now also generated for all other mass data, which serve as the basis for an optimized transfer of the data.
INVENTORY
Inventory recognizes the new operating systems Windows 11, as well as Windows Server 2022. In addition, with this version it is also possible to inventory the edition of Microsoft Power BI servers.
OS Installer
If you use only WinPE and no longer EPE to install your operating systems, you can delete all imported WADK and WAIK (Configuration > OS Installer > Import) permanently.
Old or unneeded PreOS packages should be deleted from the EMC and locally from the hard disk.
Please check here in the EMC in the tab Configuration - Software Management - Depot - Matrix42 PreOS Packages and delete all unneeded PreOS packages.
Locally you can delete the same PreOS packages from the hard disk in the directory "%EmpirumServer%\Configurator$\PackageStore\PreOSPackages".
The latest WinPE with all details and information about the new features can be found here: Matrix42 Marketplace
The WinPE Driver Assistant is located since Empirum Version 21.0 Update 1 as an additional option in the EMC. Under Configurations you can find the Driver Assistant . With version 21.0 Update 2 ONLY the Driver Assistant can be used in the EMC for managing Windows drivers. The old and known assistant under Empirum/AddOns/WinPEDriverAssistant is NOT supported anymore!
You can now use the following new functions:
- All information about the Windows drivers are in the database (tables "driver..." and "driverObject")
- The job and log informations can be found in the EMC "back-end task log"
- Import of Windows drivers via the Master and Depot Server
- Windows drivers can be imported in the familiar Empirum import/export format
You can find more detailed information in our Matrix42 Help Center
EAI
With Empirum Version 21.0 Update 2, the update of computer properties (MAC address and UUID) can be updated via EAI in connection with WinPE. The required "DeviceMapping.xml" will be updated.
Support of Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022
With Empirum Version 21.0 Update 2, we officially support the import and distribution of Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022. In addition to the operating system and the associated language packs, you can also import and manage corresponding drivers.
To install Windows 11 successfully, the computer must meet the following requirements:
- TPM 2.0 must be enabled
- Intel 7th Gen processors
UUX for SUEM
More details and information about UUX for SUEM can be found here: Release Notes SUEM 21.0 Update 2
Common Changes/Enhancements
Packaging Center
The Packaging Center has been extended with a banner showing our Matrix42 PackageCloud. From now on you will find a direct link to our Matrix42 Marketplace here.
Software Depot
Like the Packaging Center, the Software Depot has been extended with a banner showing our Matrix42 PackageCloud. From now on, you will find a direct link to our Matrix42 Marketplace here.
Notification of extended maintenance period (LTSB)
Empirum version 19.0.3 is declared as LTSB version. Customers who are entitled to Matrix42 Premium Support thus receive an extended maintenance period beyond the release of version 21.0.0 at the end of April 2021.
Solved Issues
| Problem ID | Description |
|---|---|
| Personal Backup | |
| PRB35345 | PBackup v20.0.2 crashes if a Registry Key has a large number of characters |
| PRB35007 | Personal Backup & different Directory |
| PRB35993 | PBackup VSS Service will not if interactive services are not allowed on a system |
| PRB35344 | Uninstalling of Personal Backup not completely |
| PRB35343 | Personal Backup VSS service: Missing description of event ID 10310 |
| Patch Management | |
| PRB35905 | Download Type does not update for feature upgrade 21H1 |
| PRB35981 | Feature Upgrade 20H2 not installable |
| Misc | |
| PRB35781 | Packaging Center: Wrong Text/wrong link title in start page depending on language setting |
| PRB35835 | Overflow error on importing Device Discovery data by the Inventory service |
| PRB35833 | Timeout error when importing the PreOSPackages |
| PRB35865 | Inventory detects wrong version for Windows 10 21H1 |
| PRB35842 | Error by opening the package created with Matrix42 PreOS Package Editor 1.9 |
| PRB35972 | BTQH: Failing backend jobs can get stuck in the task queue with status ‘Running’ |
| PRB36013 | OS.ini file is not written using WakeOnLan with scheduler |
Known Issues
| Problem ID | Description |
|---|---|
| OS Installer | |
| The feature "WinPE http/s Support" has current restrictions and don't support the client certificate from the agent template. Also Disk Imaging is not possible over http/s. | |
Changed or no longer supported Features and Platforms
- Advanced Agent is not supported anymore.
- UEM Agent older than version 2003.x are not supported with protocol http(s) anymore.
- The SubDepot package no longer sets the null session shares
- Due to performance optimizations of the PXE service, the following behavior has changed when booting computer objects known in Empirum. If the checkbox "PXE enabled" is not set when creating a computer object, the checkbox is NOT automatically set when booting the client from v21.0!
Announcements for Version V21.0 Update 3 / planned Changes
- Not yet defined.
Discontinuations for Version v21.0 Update 2
- Not yet defined.
Preliminary actions before installation
When you are downloading a Matrix42 hotfix or patch, the downloaded file may have a 'Zone.Identifier' information attached (depending on your browsers security configuration).
Please remove this 'Zone.Identifier', otherwise some problems with these files can occur (files are not loading correctly):
- Right-click the blocked file, and then click Properties.
- In the General tab, click Unblock.
To avoid the 'Zone.Identifier' in future please add the address 'https://m42marketplacemediathek.blob.core.windows.net' as a 'trusted zone' in the Internet Explorer.
Installation Steps
- Log on to the Matrix42 Empirum Master Server using an administrative account.
- Make sure, that a backup of your location database and your installation directory (e.g. D:\Empirum) does exist.
- Copy the Matrix42_Empirum_21.0_Update2.exe to a temporary folder of the Empirum Master Server.
- Run the Matrix42_Empirum_21.0_Update2.exe with elevated rights (Run as administrator).
- If the system requires a reboot, please reboot.
All necessary Empirum Services on the Master Server will be uninstalled during the installation.
Post-installation Steps
Due to changes on variables all INI files are rewritten.
The hashes of the Matrix42 software packages will be recreated.
- Start Empirum DBUtil and logon to EmpLocation and your location database.
Confirm the location table structure update. - Update your location DB using the Update Tables action.
- Select the services (except PXE/TFTP, DeviceDiscovery) which are required for your installation and then click Install.
- Now install the services PXE/TFTP, DeviceDiscovery (if used) on the master server.
- Reinstall the DeviceDiscovery service on all Empirum depot servers (if used).
- If the Empirum ServiceBus service is used and installed, you must now reinstall it again.
- Change the build information to 'Build = MX1' for the Empirum Package 'Matrix42 Patch-Management Client Scan 21.0' with the Empirum Package Editor and save the package.
- Change the build information to 'Build = MX1' for the Empirum Package 'Matrix42 Patch-Management Client Fix 21.0' with the Empirum Package Editor and save the package.
- On the Empirum Server run EMC > Configuration > Software Management > Depot > Tools > Check Versions to apply the changes of updated package properties (Personal Backup and Patch Management).
- Reinstall all Empirum Subdepot and Empirum Subdepot PXE services (if used) on existing Empirum depot servers. You can use the Subdepot PXE Service package instead of updating the services via DBUtil manually.
- Reinstall the Empirum package Empirum Management Console 21.0 (EMC) on all affected computers. The EMC will be updated on your Empirum master server automatically during the update.
ODBC Driver Update to "ODBC Driver 13 for SQL Server" is only necessary when using Microsoft SQL Server 2012-2017:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=50420
ODBC driver update to "ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server" is only necessary when using Microsoft SQL Server 2019:
https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/download/details.aspx?id=56567
Existing boot configurations that already use an agent template (with "HTTPS" and "Trust only trusted server certificates" enabled) will be displayed with a warning sign the next time they are opened because no fingerprints have been stored yet.
Updated Software Packages
The following Empirum software packages are updated but are not assigned a new version number. You need to update (reinstall) the following packages:
Infrastructure Packages:
- Empirum Subdepot 21.0
- Empirum Subdepot PXE Service 21.0
- Empirum Subdepot WOL Service 21.0
Client Packages:
- Empirum Management Console 21.0
- Empirum Inventory 21.0
- Empirum Packaging Center 21.0
- Matrix42 Patch-Management Client Scan 21.0
- Matrix42 Patch-Management Client Fix 21.0
- Empirum Web Console 21.0
- Empirum AUT Service 21.0
- Empirum Personal Backup 21.0