[KB7911] Migrate from ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop to ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux

Issue

  • ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop is in End of Life status and is not available for download and activation
  • ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop users will not receive product updates after August 3, 2022

Details


Click to expand

  • Review ESET End of Life policy.
  • Business license users: To protect Linux-operated devices after August 3, 2021, business license bundles will be available for new customers, for example, ESET PROTECT Entry which includes ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux.
  • Home license users:
    • Existing users with a single home license for ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop will get the new ESET PROTECT Essential On-Prem license bundle for Linux free of charge. More information will be provided by email.  
    • Home users with a multi-platform license (ESET Internet Security, ESET Smart Security Premium or other home bundle licenses) are not eligible for the free upgrade to ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux. 
  • MSPs: Can temporarily switch to ESET NOD32 Antivirus Business Edition for Linux Desktop. MSPs must switch to ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux by August 3, 2022.

Solution

  1. Uninstall ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop
  2. Install ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux
  3. Activate ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux
  4. Using ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux

Does your license include a business version?

If your license includes a business version, but you have activated the consumer version, uninstall your ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop and switch to the ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux.

Device must be connected to the internet

To successfully download and install the product, verify that the internet connection on your device is active.

I. Uninstall ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop 

You can uninstall ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop via the Application menu or using a terminal command.

Uninstall via applications menu
  1. Click Applications → System Tools → ESET NOD32 Antivirus Uninstaller.

  2. After completing the uninstallation, you will be prompted to restart your system. Click Yes.

Uninstall via terminal command
  1. Open the Terminal window by clicking Applications → Accessories → Terminal.

  2. Type the following command and press the Enter key on your keyboard:

cd /opt/eset/esets/bin

  1. Type the following command to run the uninstaller script:

sudo ./esets_gil

"Error creating proxy" after running the uninstaller script

If you run the command above and receive the following "Error creating proxy" message, you can ignore it because the uninstaller will still run. If you want the Terminal to ignore the error, use the sudo command as shown above.

Error creating proxy: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.gtk.vfs.Daemon:Timeout was reached (g-io-error-quark, 24)
(esets_gil:2235): GVFS-CRITICAL **: fill_mountable_info: assertion 'proxy != NULL' failed

  1. Type your password when prompted and press the Enter key on your keyboard. 

  2. Follow the on-screen prompts to remove ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

  3. After completing the uninstallation, you will be prompted to restart your system. Click Yes.


II. Install ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux

Update your operating system before installation

Make sure that your OS has the most recent updates installed before installation of ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux.

Install ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux using terminal commands or via ESET PROTECT Web Console.

Install via terminal
  1. Open the Terminal window by clicking Applications → Accessories → Terminal.

  2. Type the following command for the appropriate OS distribution that you have and press the Enter key on your keyboard:

./eeau.x86_64.bin

sh ./eeau.x86_64.bin

  1. To display the available parameters (arguments) of ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux binary file, run the following command from a Terminal window:

./eeau.x86_64.bin -h

Available parameters:

Short form Long form Description
-h --help Display command line arguments
-n --no-install Do not perform the installation after unpacking
-y --accept-license Do not show the license, license has been accepted
-f --force-install Force installation via package manager without asking
-u --unpack-ertp-sources Unpack "ESET Real-time file system protection kernel module" sources, do not perform installation

Obtain .deb installation package

To gain .deb installation package suitable for your OS, run  ESET distribution script with "-n" command line argument:

sudo ./eeau.x86_64.bin -n

or

sudo sh ./eeau.x86_64.bin -n

To see the dependencies of the installation package, run one of the following commands:

dpkg -I <deb package>

or

rpm -qRp <rpm package>

  1. Follow the on-screen instructions. Accept the product License Agreement to complete the installation.
Install via ESET PROTECT Web Console
Are you a home user?

If you are a home user, ESET recommends the installation via terminal. Installation via ESET PROTECT On-Prem is suited for business or more advanced users.

  1. Open ESET PROTECT On-Prem in your web browser and log in.

  2. Confirm that ESET Management Agent for Linux has been deployed on client computers.

  3. Follow these steps to install ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux.

    1. In Step 4, choose the method of installation:
      • If you want to install package from repository, select the desired product from the list.
      • If you want to install by direct package URL, copy/paste the package URL in the corresponding field.

III. Activate ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux

Activate ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux using terminal commands or via ESET PROTECT Web Console.
Multi-platform license users

Home users who used a multi-platform license to activate ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Linux Desktop are not eligible for the free upgrade to ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux. 

Activate your ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux using a license obtained from your ESET distributor.

Activate via terminal
  1. Open the Terminal window by clicking Applications → Accessories → Terminal.

  2. Type the following command and press the Enter key on your keyboard:

/opt/eset/eea/sbin/lic [OPTIONS]

Examples

The commands below have to be executed as a privileged user.

  • Activation via a license key:

/opt/eset/eea/sbin/lic -k XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

or

/opt/eset/eea/sbin/lic --key XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

while XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX represents your ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux License Key.

  • Activation via username and password:

/opt/eset/eea/sbin/lic -u <username> -p <public_id>

The user will be prompted to type or copy/paste the password. public_id represents the public license ID.

If the username, password, and public license ID are stored in a password.txt file, execute the following  as a privileged user:

cat password.txt | /opt/eset/eea/sbin/lic -u <username> -p <public_id> --stdin-pass

  • Activation via an offline license file:

/opt/eset/eea/sbin/lic -f offline_license.lf

or

/opt/eset/eea/sbin/lic -FILE=offline_license.lf

Activate via ESET PROTECT Web Console
Are you a home user?

If you are a home user, ESET recommends the activation via terminal. Activation via ESET PROTECT On-Prem is suited for business or more advanced users.

  1. Open ESET PROTECT On-Prem in your web browser and log in.

  2. Follow these steps to activate ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux.


IV. Using ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux

ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux introduces a minimalistic graphical user interface (GUI) and was developed for optimal use with ESET PROTECT or ESET PROTECT On-Prem where all settings are set and managed through policies. Some settings can be modified through the terminal.

Read more about ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux.

See the key features of ESET Endpoint Antivirus for Linux.