Inventory Agent for Automatic Deployment

IT Asset Management (Cloud)

This section controls two outcomes:

• The version of FlexNet Inventory Agent use for all adoptions (or automatic deployment of FlexNet Inventory Agent on newly-discovered devices), regardless of platform
• Upgrades (or downgrades) of "policy-controlled" installations of FlexNet Inventory Agent for selected operating system platforms. (Installations of FlexNet Inventory Agent that automatically upload inventory to an inventory beacon are controlled by device policy, which is a file that specifies their desired state and processes.)
  Note: For policy-based upgrades, the method of originally deploying FlexNet Inventory Agent, whether by the Adopted method or by Agent third-party deployment, is not relevant. If it uploads to a connected inventory beacon, it is controlled by policy, and managed from this page. If you have a disconnected inventory beacon, or if you have separately deployed core components rather than the full FlexNet Inventory Agent, you must manage their upgrades separately. For more information, see the Gathering FlexNet Inventory PDF, available at https://docs.flexera.com/.

Tip: This inventory setting grants permission (through policy) to the FlexNet Inventory Agents to perform self-upgrades or downgrades to the specified version. The setting, therefore, can only be put into effect on those platforms where the FlexNet Inventory Agent includes self-update functionality. The agents that have been installed for the least privilege operation mode on UNIX-like platforms are not able to perform self-updates either. In these cases, you can do any of:

• Deploy new versions of FlexNet Inventory Agent manually
• Use your preferred third-party deployment tool to publish updates to FlexNet Inventory Agents
• Uninstall the old version(s) of FlexNet Inventory Agent, and once again target the devices for adoption through IT Asset Management.

This section allows you to choose which platforms you allow to self-update, leaving the unselected platforms for your management through a third-party tool. It also allows you to control the timing of new releases by choosing when to authorize the new version for use in your production environment (whether for self-upgrades, or for adoption).

Tip: If an inventory device is already running a version of FlexNet Inventory Agent later than the one you specify here, the FlexNet Inventory Agent is automatically downgraded at the next policy update, to match your specification. This technique can be used to roll back a version of FlexNet Inventory Agent on selected platforms. In short, the version you select in this control is the only version permitted on your chosen platforms, and the installed FlexNet Inventory Agent works to match your specification as received through device policy.

Note: For situations where automatic upgrades are not recommended, see Inventory Agent Automatic Deployment Cautions.

To manage adoption and self-upgrades of FlexNet Inventory Agent:

1. Choose a value from the Version to deploy drop-down list to set the target version of FlexNet Inventory Agent that should be used for adoption, and for upgrades on the platforms you will select:
   • nn.nn.nn (latest) — The most recent release available on the application server is marked with (latest) in brackets. Only on the platforms you select in the next control, the FlexNet Inventory Agent self-upgrades to the latest version once this has been downloaded to an accessible inventory beacon.
   • nn.nn.nn — All upgrade packages currently available on the application server are listed. By default, new implementations include only the current version of the FlexNet Inventory Agent. Upgraded systems by default start from version 13.1.1. However, if you have previously requested automatic upgrades enabled for a version lower than 13.1.1, that selected version also appears in the Version to deploy drop-down list. You may select any version, later or earlier than one currently deployed on target inventory devices running the operating systems you target in Platform options.
     Tip: Rarely, your selected version may display an alert that it has been deprecated. This means that a serious issue has been discovered with that version. Selecting another version is recommended in this case. Once the deprecated version is no longer selected, it is also removed from the list.
2. Choose one of the following values from the Upgrade mode drop-down list.
   • Do not upgrade automatically — There are no automated self-upgrades of FlexNet Inventory Agent on any platform. You take responsibility for upgrades using separate technologies or methods. Proceed to Step 3.
   • Upgrade selected platforms — Select to choose the platforms on which the FlexNet Inventory Agent will automatically upgrade at the next policy update. Upgrade packages are distributed to inventory beacons automatically as soon as they are available on the central application server, typically after each product upgrade. This choice displays the Platform options list. In the Platform options list, select the check box for one or more platforms. Selecting all platforms is sensible when you want to globally limit the deployed versions of FlexNet Inventory Agent to some version prior to the latest.
     Tip: Instances of FlexNet Inventory Agent installed on platforms that you do not select are unchanged through policy, and remain at their current installed versions, neither upgraded nor downgraded. Because non-selected platforms are completely unaffected by the current setting, you can use (and re-use) these controls to work through a scenario such as the following example: Release version X to Windows devices when the team administering Windows has completed their testing. Weeks later perhaps, when the Linux team finishes their testing, a new setting on this page authorizes version X for the Linux platform, while other platforms are unaffected
   • Upgrade selected platforms in the selected targets — Select to choose the targets on which the FlexNet Inventory Agent will automatically upgrade (with respect to the selected platforms) at the next policy update. For example, if Windows and Mac OS X are the only Platform options selected, and targets A, B, and C are the only targets selected, then at the next policy update, the FlexNet Inventory Agent will automatically upgrade only on platforms Windows and Mac OS X in Targets A, B, and C. On platforms and targets that you do not select, 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. Upgrade packages are distributed to inventory beacon automatically as soon as they are available on the central application server. Choosing Upgrade selected platforms in the selected targets displays a list of any currently selected targets, together with a Search field. Here, you can search for targets, select one or more targets from the list of search results, and click the Add targets button to add the target(s) to those currently selected. To remove any currently selected targets from the second list, click the check boxes next to the targets to remove, and then click the Remove button.
     Important: To use this feature, you must upgrade your FlexNet Beacons to the version shipped with 2019 R1.3 (FlexNet Beacon version 13.5.x) or later.
     Note: When the Upgrade mode is set to Upgrade selected platforms in the selected targets, one or more platforms must be selected and and one or more targets must be selected. Only the one version selected in the Version to deploy drop-down list can be deployed to selected platforms in the selected targets.
     Note: Targets are created and managed on the Targets tab of the Discovery and Inventory Rules page.
     Tip: Instances of FlexNet Inventory Agent installed on platforms that you do not select are unchanged through policy, and remain at their current installed versions, neither upgraded nor downgraded. Because non-selected platforms are completely unaffected by the current setting, you can use (and re-use) these controls to work through a scenario such as releasing a specific version of FlexNet Inventory Agent to one set of platforms and targets, and then releasing another version to separate devices. For example, if you have a target that identifies your testing devices, you can allow automatic upgrades there to a new version of FlexNet Inventory Agent, while keeping your production environment on your previously approved version.
3. Click Save.

Your changes are saved in the compliance database, over-writing the previous settings. At the next request for any updated beacon policy (inventory beacons check for updates by default every 15 minutes), the latest settings are deployed, along with any new update packages. Thereafter, when an inventory device checks for updated policy (which happens daily at a random time between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time for operational agents), affected platforms receive the changed policy and download any new upgrade packages required. Once FlexNet Inventory Agent has both the policy update and the required package available, it waits for any of its current processes to complete, and then launches an installation of the specified package, which results in its version being either upgraded or downgraded. On successful completion of the process, FlexNet Inventory Agent resumes normal processing to ensure that it meets the requirements specified in its device policy. Its next uploaded inventory reports the newly-installed version of itself.

These process cycles suggest that, for scenarios that require a series of changes to these settings, you should leave an interval of at least 48 hours between changes. For safety, you can monitor the deployed versions of FlexNet Inventory Agent in the FlexNet Inventory Agent Status page. See FlexNet Inventory Agent Status.