KACE Systems Management Appliance 14.1 Common Documents

To check the appliance version number, log in to the Administrator Console and click the '?' icon at the top right, and then click the circled 'i' button.

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Verify your KACE Agent version.

The minimum version required for upgrading the KACE Agent is 11.0. We recommend that you always use the same version of the agent and the KACE Systems Management Appliance.

Starting in version 12.0 of the appliance, earlier KACE Agent versions, such as 11.1, must be signed specifically for your appliance version. For example, if you are using KACE Agent 11.1 with the 12.1 version of the appliance, you must obtain and install the KACE Agent 11.1 KBIN file that is signed with the 12.1 appliance key. You can download signed KACE Agent KBIN files from the KACE Systems Management Appliance Software Downloads page.

NOTE: The KACE Agent RPM package can be installed on managed SUSE Linux devices only when the libxslt-tools package is installed before the agent package.

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Back up before you start.

Back up your database and files and save your backups to a location outside the KACE Systems Management Appliance server for future reference. For instructions on backing up your database and files, see the Administrator Guide, https://support.quest.com/technical-documents/kace-systems-management-appliance/14.1%20common%20documents/administration-guide

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Appliances installed prior to version 7.0.

For appliances initially installed prior to version 7.0 that have not been re-imaged (physical appliances) or reinstalled (virtual), Quest Software strongly recommends exporting, re-creating (an image, or a virtual machine installation from an OVF file), and re-importing the database before upgrading to version 14.1. For complete information, visit https://support.quest.com/kace-systems-management-appliance/kb/4281031/how-to-re-image-kace-system-management-appliance-sma.

If your appliance version is many versions behind, the following article contains useful upgrade-related tips: https://support.quest.com/kace-systems-management-appliance/kb/4284819/sma-server-and-agent-upgrade-path.

There are many reasons why you should re-image the appliance. The new disk layout, for example, offers better compatibility with version 14.1. It also features better security and performance.

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Ensure that port 52231 is available.

Prior to any .kbin upgrade, port 52231 must be available so that the KACE Upgrade Console page is accessible. If the upgrade is initiated without making this port available, you will not be able to monitor upgrade progress. Quest KACE highly recommends allowing traffic to the appliance through port 52231 from a trusted system and monitoring the upgrade from the Upgrade Console. Without access to the Upgrade Console, the upgrade redirects to an inaccessible page which appears in the browser as a timeout. This may lead someone to believe that the upgrade has crashed the system, causing them to reboot the box when, in fact, the upgrade is still in progress. If unsure about the progress of the upgrade, contact KACE Support and do not reboot the appliance.

Update the KACE Systems Management Appliance server using an advertised update

You can update the KACE Systems Management Appliance server using an update that is advertised on the Dashboard page or on the Appliance Updates page of the Administrator Console.

CAUTION: Never manually reboot the KACE Systems Management Appliance server during an update.

Back up your database and files. For instructions, see the Administrator Guide, https://support.quest.com/technical-documents/kace-systems-management-appliance/14.1%20common%20documents/administration-guide

Go to the appliance Control Panel:

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If the Organization component is not enabled on the appliance, click Settings.

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If the Organization component is enabled on the appliance: Log in to the appliance System Administration Console: http://KACE_SMA_hostname/system, or select System in the drop-down list in the top-right corner of the page, then click Settings.

On the left navigation bar, click Appliance Updates to display the Appliance Updates page.

Click Check for Server updates.

Results of the check appear in the log.

When an update is available, click Apply KBIN.

Important:

IMPORTANT: During the first ten minutes, some browsers might appear to freeze while the update is being unpacked and verified. Do not navigate away from the page, refresh the page, or click any browser buttons on the page during this time because these actions interrupt the process. After the update is unpacked and verified, the Logs page appears. Do not manually reboot the appliance at any time during the update process.

Version 14.1 is applied and the KACE Systems Management Appliance server restarts. Progress appears in the browser window and in the Administrator Console.

When the server upgrade finishes, upgrade all of your agents to version 14.1.