Release 2.8

February 08, 2024

What's New?

Randomize Patch Download

With this release, you can Randomize Patch Download for Windows deployment jobs to randomize patch downloading on the asset level. This results in optimizing your network bandwidth utilization for a defined job across multiple assets. You can configure the Randomize Download Time, in which the agent attempts to download patches at random times after the job starts.

Randomize Patch Download for Windows Jobs.

Important to Know!

The configured Randomize Download Time works only if the Windows Cloud Agent version 5.5.x or later is installed.
Randomize Download Time cannot be more than the Patch Window.
The maximum Randomize Download Time limit is 2 hours.
In the case of Scheduled jobs, if the Randomize Download Time is set, you can not enable the Opportunistic Patch Download.

Ubuntu 23 Support

We have provided patching support for Ubuntu 23 Linux assets.

Ubuntu Linux 23 Support.

Debian 12 Support

We have provided patching support for Debian 12 Linux assets.

Debian 12 support for Linux Assets.

Enhanced Pending Reboot Status Messages

We have enhanced the Pending reboot status messages for Windows assets that provide better clarity about whether the automatic (agent-initiated) reboot or manual reboot is required.

Refer to the following screen captures wherein you can see the two statuses, Pending Manual Reboot and Pending Automatic Reboot, and the messages that are shown when you hover over the status.

You can see these statuses and the respective info messages only if Windows Cloud Agent version 5.5 or later is installed.

Refer to the following screen captures wherein you can see the two statuses, Pending Manual Reboot and Pending Automatic Reboot.

Pending auto and Pending Manual Reboot statuses on the Job Progress Page.

Refer to the following screen capture, where you can see the Pending Auto Reboot and Pending Manual Reboot statuses with the messages shown upon hovering over the info Icon.

Preview Patches Selected in the Automated Patch Selection Method

While creating or editing deployment jobs, when you select the automated patch selection method, you can preview patches associated with assets and tags added to the job.

This is applicable in the case of patch jobs across Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms.

Preview patches for Automated Patch Selection.

The Installer Based Action Support for the Install Software Pre-action and Post-action for Windows Jobs

The Install software pre and post-actions now supports Installer Based installation apart from the Script Based installation.

See the difference between the two install methods:

Installer Based

Script Based

This is a simplified approach because Protocol, URL, and File Checksum/Hash are the only mandatory input parameters.
The Install Options field is the optional field. You can enter the install options in this field. For example, for Notepad++ installation, enter /S for silent installation, and to skip the installer's CRC check, enter /NCRC.
The tool automatically performs the installation with the given optional fields that help to pass parameters during installer invocation.

Protocol, URL, File Checksum/Hash, URL, and Install Script are the mandatory input parameters.
In the Install Script field, you need to enter the PowerShell script containing the instructions for executing the downloaded software. The script must handle the instructions and pass any required parameters to the installer. If the installer requires a reboot, then the return code will be 10.

Installer based and Script based pre-actions and post-actions.

The Run Script Pre-Action and Post-Action Support for Mac jobs

You can now add a Run Script pre-action and post-action to Mac Jobs. Using the Run Script, you to use a custom script to execute actions.

The MAC agent 5.2.0-xx[Intel] and 5.3.0-xx[ARM] is the prerequisite for this pre-action and post-action support.

Example: Mac pre-action screen capture. The supported script types are Shell Script and Apple Script. For more information, refer to the Online Help topic.

Mac Pre-Action.

Issues Addressed

The following reported and notable customer issues have been fixed in this release.

Component/Category	Description
PM - UI	The issue reported regarding failure in removing the deprecated patches from the job while fixing that job is fixed.
PM - Feature	The documentation is enhanced by adding URLs to Allowlist for Patch Download. For example, the URL used for downloading patches for Python applications (https://www.python.org/ftp).
PM - UI	The issue reported about Patch Jobs taking a long time to open is fixed.