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Installation, Update and Rollout

The UEM Agent can be installed directly or as update via a running Advanced Agent.

 

The UEM agent does not install the Empirum Advanced Agent 17.0 or 18.0 package if the UEM Agent is also assigned. Reinstallation of the Advanced Agent via the reinstallation function is not possible in this case. To return to the Advanced Agent, remove the UEM Agent package and assign only the Advanced Agent package.

Also make sure that no older version of the UEM Agent is assigned when the newer one is installed.

The installation can be performed via package, agent push or the UEMAgent.bat file.

To install the latest UEM Agent via agent push, the variable MX42_AGENT_PUSH_PACKAGE_FOLDER must be assigned the path to the required UEM Agent version. Example: UEM Agent Windows\2205.3.2

Based on the new versioning logics, it is easier to run multiple versions in parallel, for instance, to be able to test them during roll-out of a new version step by step.

A 64bit MSI package is provided for the initial installation of the UEM Agent. The parameters are the same as with the Advanced Agent.

Matrix42 Maintenance Service

The Matrix42 Maintenance Service (MMS) handles the installation, update, and uninstallation of the UEM Agent. The MMS is installed before the UEM Agent as a service and periodically checks if an action is required.
The MMS is installed and started via the MSI or setup.inf. All .NET libraries required by the MMS are included, so no additional software needs to be installed beforehand. For the UEM agent, .NET is still required and must be pre-installed (see system requirements).
During operation, a regular check is made to see if the registry key "HKLM\SOFTWARE\matrix42\M42MaintenanceService" has the value "JobType" set to "install" or "uninstall". In that case, an un/install of the UEM agent will be executed. The path to the source files must be stored in the "PackageSource" value. The key is accessible only to the system and local administrators.
A backup of the files is created before each action. If an error occurs during the uninstallation of the old version or the installation of the new version, these files are restored and the previous agent is started. Likewise, after an interruption (e.g. power failure or standby mode is activated), an attempt is made to continue the previous process at this point.
This behavior significantly increases robustness compared to the previous installation mechanism. In addition, more checks have been added upstream, termination of services and running processes are monitored more closely, and file operations are tried multiple times if necessary.

 

This UEM Agent is shipped together with a new UEMAgentUpdater, which supports the mentioned backup and restore when upgrading from older to this agent. If an older agent (i.e. without MMS) is copied to Empirum afterwards, make sure that the files in "Configurator$\User\UEMAgentUpdater" are not overwritten.
 

 

UEM Agent Auto Update

As of version 1811.0, the UEM Agent supports an automatic update. Three variants for updating the UEM Agent are supported. All variants use a utility program to perform the update process smoothly.

  • Installation of the assigned version.
  • Automatic installation of the latest UEM Agent version integrated and released in the software depot.
  • Automatic installation of the latest UEM Agent version integrated in the software vault (also not released). This can be used for pilot rollouts.

The behavior is controlled with the variable "MX42_UEM_AGENT.Auto Update".

  • No - Use assigned version
  • Yes - Use latest approved version
  • Yes - Use latest available version (Pilot rollout)

In addition to this option, since Empirum version 20.0.2 it is possible to select the release type for the Auto Update. This ensures that only agents of the specified type are considered for the Auto Update.
The behavior is controlled with the variable "MX42_UEM_AGENT.Release Type".

  • ESR
  • SFR
  • TP

If the variable is not set, or if an Empirum version older than 20.0.2 is used, the agent only considers versions of its release type when performing an Auto Update. The change of the release type requires in this case an installation via assignment or a push.
 

If a fully automatic update is selected (Yes..), it is recommended not to assign a UEM Agent version, as the assigned version may no longer correspond to the actually installed version and therefore the status is yellow.

 

The control of the automatic installation (Yes) via the release of the package in the depot is only possible starting with Empirum 18.0.3. With older versions the release option is not considered and thus the most current version known in the depot is installed.

Agent update procedure:

  1. The UEM Agent checks the variable with every normal polling. There is no check:
    1. 30 minutes after system startup
    2. When the user logs in
    3. During manual testing for new software by the user
    4. Outside the maintenance time window configured in the template
    5. When the Software Kiosk is open
  2. If the variable is configured to "Yes", the UEM Agent compares the versions available in the depot (SWDepot.dds) with the locally installed version.
    1. "Yes - Use latest approved version" only released versions are taken into account (from Empirum 18.0.3).
    2. "Yes - Use latest available version (Pilot rollout)" all versions available in the depot will be taken into account.
      If there is no newer version to install, the polling will continue normally.
  3. If the variable is configured to "No" or not, the agent update will be performed if a newer version than the locally installed one is assigned.
  4. The target version is downloaded.
  5. The UEM Agent is set to suspend mode.
  6. The update utility Matrix42UEMAgentUpdate.exe (in the directory Configurator\ User\UEMAgentUpdater) is started.
  7. Matrix42UEMAgentUpdate stops the UEM Agent and all associated processes.
  8. Matrix42UEMAgentUpdate uninstalls the current UEM Agent.
  9. Matrix42UEMAgentUpdate installs the desired (assigned or latest) UEM Agent.
  10. Matrix42UEMAgentUpdate exits itself.
  11. The UEM Agent is automatically active after installation. Suspend mode is no longer active.

Please also have a look at the flow diagram.

A downgrade to an older UEM Agent version can only take place if the variable is configured to "No - Use assigned version" and the desired, older, Agent version is distributed via "Reinstallation". Please note that "Reinstallation with previous deinstallation" must not be used under any circumstances.

Downgrade to Advanced Agent

The downgrade to the Advanced Agent is only supported with the Advanced Agent of Empirum 17.0.2 or newer.

Initial Agent Deployment via MSI

Installation of MSI package via group policy or via log-in script
You can find an MSI package in the folder Configurator\Packages\matrix42\UEM Agent\MSI\<Version number> of the UEM Agent Version. It is used for the initial installation on computers where no Empirum Agent is installed. Please use the corresponding Empirum UEM Agent package for updates.

You can set the following parameters. They are used to configure the agent for the first connection to the server.

SERVER
Name of the Empirum server.

USER
User name for the connection to the Empirum server.

PASSWORD
Encrypted password for the connection. Please use the tool EmpCrypt located under the folderAddonsin order to encrypt the password in the sync format.

PROTOCOL
Protocol used for the connection. Following values are valid: smb, http and https

PORT
Port used for the connection with http and https. If the value is not set the default port 80 is used. When using the SMB protocol, no value for port is required.

Example call:

msiexec.exe /i "Matrix42 UEM Agent 2108.1.2 Standard Feature Release Setup 64bit.msi" SERVER="MyServer" USER="MyUser" PASSWORD="85FC516FCF3ACB0A60E09C4D3CB" PROTOCOL="https" PORT="443"

Note: In the following KB article you can find how the MSI package can be deployed via group policy:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/816102

It is also possible to install the UEM Agent via log-in script using the MSI packages.

The MSI package does not contain .NET components. Consider the current system requirements of the Advanced Agent.

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