Automatic agent upgrade process

When automatic agent upgrades are set up as described in Manage Windows agent upgrades, an agent upgrade process begins when a Windows Agent version 8.70 or later:

• Finds an upgrade for computers in its site. This occurs when the Upgrade Automatically upgrade method is selected for a site, as described in Upgrade agents on all eligible computers in sites. Windows agents check for upgrades once every 24 hours.

• Receives a message that it should start an upgrade. This can occur when:

  • The Start Upgrades Now upgrade method is selected for a site, as described in Upgrade agents on all eligible computers in sites.

  • Agents are upgraded on specific computers, as described in Upgrade agents on specific computers.

When an agent upgrade process starts, the agent checks whether:

• A reboot is required on the system. If a reboot is required, the agent upgrade will not proceed until the server has been restarted.

• A backup or restore is running. If a backup or restore is running, the agent upgrade will not proceed. The agent will check for running backups and restores once each hour, 11 more times. If a backup or restore is running each time, the agent waits for 24 hours and then tries the upgrade process again.

• The CPU usage on the system is high. This check is only performed if the agent found the upgrade for computers in its site. If the CPU usage is high in this case, the agent upgrade will not proceed. The agent will check the CPU usage once each hour, 11 more times. If the CPU usage is high each time, the agent waits for 24 hours and then tries the upgrade process again.

  Note: If the agent received a message to start the upgrade, the upgrade will proceed even if the CPU usage is high.

If these conditions are met, the agent downloads and verifies the agent installer and starts the upgrade.

If an agent requires a reboot after an upgrade, a notification email is sent to Super users and to the site’s Admin users. The agent’s upgrade status on the Computers page is Reboot Required. Until the agent is rebooted, the agent will try to run backups and restores but these processes may not succeed.