Deploying and upgrading FlexNet inventory agents
This new control enables you to:
- Prevent any automatic upgrades of FlexNet inventory agent (for example, because you are managing upgrades with third-party tools), or
- Choose one of the versions available from the application server, and specify any combination of the supported platforms that should self-update to your approved version.
You can also choose whether the FlexNet inventory agent will upgrade automatically, or whether you prefer to use a manual upgrade process, which is the default option. To help you decide whether automatic deployment of upgrades is suitable for your organization, a help link provides information on situations where automatic deployment is not recommended.
On platforms that you do not select at this time, operational FlexNet inventory agents are completely unaffected by the current setting, and continue using their existing version of FlexNet inventory agent for the time being. This means that in a stable environment, it is possible to use (and re-use) these controls to work through scenarios such as:
- Releasing versions to specific platforms as you complete testing; and have a different timing for other platforms.
- Where you may have approved one version globally, but then find an issue affecting one platform (for example Solaris). Choosing only Solaris platforms, and assigning an earlier (known good) version of FlexNet inventory agent, automatically rolls back the FlexNet inventory agent on all devices running Solaris. Later, when a repaired version is available, you can authorize that repaired version for the Solaris platforms, as well as for any other platforms you wish.
- You specify 13.1.1 as the upgrade version for AIX and Windows platforms. This policy is distributed, and the installed FlexNet inventory agents self-update to this version on the two specified platforms.
- Next, you deselect AIX, and specify 13.2.0 for Windows platforms only. The new policy is distributed. On Windows devices, the FlexNet inventory agent self-upgrades, but the AIX agents do nothing (because they are not mentioned in the current policy).
- A new AIX device is deployed, and falls within a target that specifies adoption. Because the version specified for all adoptions (as well as selected upgrades) is currently 13.2.0, the newly adopted AIX device gets version 13.2.0, unlike all other AIX devices that (by previous policy) are stable at 13.1.1.
- Specify the version to be used both for all adoptions and for self-upgrades on selected platforms
- Identify the platforms where you allow self-updates, and use your third-party tools to manage upgrades on all other, unselected platforms
- Keep the settings stable until you are ready to deploy, and update to, a new version of FlexNet inventory agent .
- Having the FlexNet inventory agent installed
- Being specified in a target (for a discovery and inventory rule) that includes the option of adoption (note that simply being included in the target is enough, and it is not necessary for the target to be in use within any rule).
Installations of FlexNet inventory agent in custom locations on either AIX or Linux operating systems now support automatic upgrades and downgrades, once the 13.2.0 (or later) FlexNet inventory agent is installed and running (and a later version is the intended upgrade).