[KB7384] Upgrade ESET Security Management Center 7.0 or 7.1 to ESET Security Management Center 7.2 using the Web Console

Issue

ESET business product no longer supported

This content applies to an ESET product version that is currently in End of Life status and is no longer supported. This content is no longer updated.

For a complete list of supported products and support level definitions, review the ESET End of Life policy for business products.

Upgrade ESET business products.

Upgrading from ESET Remote Administrator (ERA) version 6.4 or 6.5?

ESET Remote Administrator (ERA) version 6.4 users must upgrade to ESMC 7.1 before upgrading to ESMC 7.2. If you are upgrading from ERA version 6.5, follow the steps in this Knowledgebase article. Check which version of ERA you have installed.

Upgrade individual ESET Security Management Center (ESMC) components (Agent, Server) to the latest ESMC
Prerequisites
Upgrade ESMC Server using the Components Upgrade task in the Web Console
Upgrade ESET Management Agents on managed computers

Solution

Linux users: Upgrade ERA 6.5 (and later) for Linux to the latest version.
Virtual Appliance users: Upgrade ERA/ESMC Virtual Appliance.

Prerequisites

Before upgrading to ESMC 7.2, make sure that you meet all ESMC 7.2 installation prerequisites.

Important recommendations before the upgrade

ESMC Server component version 7.2 is not compatible with 32-bit machines (x86 architecture). Upgrading a 32-bit Server machine from version 7.0 or 7.1 to 7.2 will fail.

If you have already run the upgrade and now your system is not working, you need to manually reinstall all ESMC components to the original version.
If you want to upgrade, you need to migrate your current ESMC to a 64-bit machine, and after successful migration, you can run the upgrade task.

If you have an older unsupported database installed (MySQL 5.5 or MSSQL 2008), upgrade your database to a compatible database version before upgrading the ESMC Server.

Perform a full backup of ESMC

Database: Follow these instructions to back up the ESMC database.
Configuration: Copy the Startupconfiguration.ini file, located at: C:\ProgramData\ESET\RemoteAdministrator\Server\EraServerApplicationData
Certificates: Export the Certification Authorities and Peer Certificates.
Mobile Device Connector: If this component is used, copy the Startupconfiguration.ini located at: C:\ProgramData\ESET\RemoteAdministrator\MDMCore\EraServerApplicationData\Configuration.

The following steps will upgrade both ESMC components (Server, Console) and the ESET Management Agents. When upgrading to the latest version, your policies will be preserved. Update your ESMC Server first. Select a few client machines to use as a test for the update and run the task on them (use at least one client from each system/bit category).

Upgrade ESMC Server using the Components Upgrade task in the Web Console

Components Upgrade task may take some time to complete

Be patient during the Components Upgrade task process. It may take some time to complete. Do not restart your ESMC Server until the task has been completed.

Special characters may cause upgrade to fail

If you have met the requirements for upgrading and your upgrade to the latest version of ESET Security Management Center (ESMC) fails, it could be due to the use of special characters in your ESMC password. To resolve this issue, change your ESMC password and attempt the upgrade again.

Open ESET Security Management Center Web Console (ESMC Web Console) in your web browser and log in.
Click Client Tasks → expand ESET Security Management Center → select Security Management Center Components Upgrade and click New.

In the Name field, type a name for your task. In the Task drop-down menu, verify that Security Management Center Components Upgrade is selected.

Click Settings, select the check box next to I accept the terms of the application End User License Agreement and acknowledge the Privacy Policy and then click Choose server. We recommend that you also select the check box next to Automatically reboot when needed.

Select the ESMC Server you want to upgrade to and click OK.

Click Finish.
Create a trigger and add the ESMC Server computer as a target to execute the task.

Do not add more target computers

Add only the computer where ESMC Server is installed as a target. Do not add more target computers at this point in the upgrade.

Wait a few minutes until all ESMC components installed on the server machine are upgraded. Apache Tomcat service can get turned off during the update. If the Web Console is unavailable after the update, open the services management (run services.msc) and Start the Apache Tomcat service.
To verify that your server upgraded to the latest version of ESET Security Management Center, check Programs and Features in the Control Panel. You will see ESET Security Management Center Server version 7.2 listed as a program if it has been upgraded.

Upgrade ESET Management Agents on managed computers

When the Components Upgrade task is finished on the ESMC Server machine, verify that the ESMC Server works properly. Wait an hour to see if any problems occur. Afterward, you can upgrade Agents on the managed computers using the Components Upgrade task and selecting the static group All as its target.

If you are running a larger network, with hundreds or more client computers:

1. Choose a sample of clients for a test update (include at least one client for each operating system/bit category) and run the task.
2. We recommend using Apache HTTP Proxy (or any other transparent web proxy with enabled caching) to limit network load. The test client machines will trigger the download/caching of the installers. When the task runs again, the installers will be distributed to client computers directly from the cache.
3. After a successful test update, proceed with the rest of your clients. Alternatively, target the group to All. The upgrade is not performed on computers that have already been upgraded.

If the Components Upgrade task is not working properly, try upgrading Agents using Run Command Client task.

Alternative method: Upgrade ESET Management Agent(s) using Run Command Client task

Recommendations for the alternative method

This is an alternative method recommended for advanced users or if the Components Upgrade task is unsuccessful.

Create a new Dynamic Group based on the operating system (32-bit or 64-bit).
- For 32-bit systems:
  - Operation "AND"
  - Add rule OS edition > OS platform = (equal) 32-bit
  - Add rule OS edition > OS type contains Windows
- For 64-bit systems:
  - Operation "AND"
  - Add rule OS edition > OS platform = (equal) 64-bit
  - Add rule OS edition > OS type contains Windows
Create a new Client Task for 32-bit systems.

ESMC Log File location

The ESMC log file is accessible at: %TEMP%; for example: C:\Windows\Temp

See also log files location for all ESMC components in ESMC User Guide.
1. In the Settings section, in the Command line to run field, type: msiexec /qn /i "\SERVER\readonlyshare\Agent_x86.msi" /l*v! %TEMP%\era-agent-upgrade.txt (replace server with your actual server name and readonlyshare with your share name).
  - When using the installer package via HTTP:
    
    msiexec /qn /i "http://SERVER/share/agent_x86.msi" /l*v! %TEMP%\era-agent-upgrade.txt
    
    msiexec /qn /i "http://repository.eset.com/v1/com/eset/apps/business/era/agent/v7/7.1.717.0/agent_x86.msi" /l*v! %TEMP%\era-agent-upgrade.txt
2. Create Trigger for this Client Task and in the Targets section, select the dynamic group for 32-bit operating systems created in Step 1.
Create a new Client Task for 64-bit systems.

"MainEngineThread is returning 1619" Error Message

The installation package is damaged and cannot be opened. Deploy ESET Management Agent with a different installation package.
1. In the Settings section, in the Command line to run field, type: msiexec /qn /i "\server\readonlyshareAgent_x64.msi" /l*v! %TEMP%\era-agent-upgrade.txt (replace server with your actual server name and readonlyshare with share name).
  - When using installer package via HTTP:
    
    msiexec /qn /i "http://SERVER/share/agent_x64.msi" /l*v! %TEMP%\era-agent-upgrade.txt
    
    msiexec /qn /i "http://repository.eset.com/v1/com/eset/apps/business/era/agent/v7/7.1.717.0/agent_x64.msi" /l*v! %TEMP%\era-agent-upgrade.txt
2. Create Trigger for this Client Task and in the Targets section, select the dynamic group for 64-bit operating systems created in Step 1.
To view client task details, click Computers, select the applicable client computer, click Show Details and then click Installed Applications.

There will be a brief period where two versions of Agent are running on a single client machine. This is only temporary. Create an Outdated applications report to monitor the status of client computers hourly.

Last Updated: Aug 5, 2022