Updating the Finder

Overview

Whenever you log in to the Finder, the Finder checks the compatibility between its own version and the version of the Portal to which it connects. If the version of the currently installed Finder is compatible with that of the Portal and there is no new version of the Finder available for download, the Finder connects normally. Otherwise, several scenarios are possible:

• The Finder is compatible with the Portal, but there is a new version of the Finder available for download.

• The Finder is no longer compatible with a newer Portal and you must upgrade it.

• The Finder is not compatible with an older Portal and you must downgrade it.

Depending on the Finder being installed from the Portal or from the per-machine installer, the procedures to update the Finder are different. Prefer installations from the Portal whenever possible, as they let standard Windows users update the Finder easily and, in most cases, automatically. In their turn, per-machine installations require administrator privileges in Windows and more manual intervention. Use the per-machine installer only when required (e.g. installation on Citrix environments).

Let us examine the different update procedures in detail in the next sections.

Automatic updates

If you install the Finder from the Portal, the Finder automatically updates itself without notice whenever there is a new version of the Finder that does not break the compatibility with the Portal:

1. Log in to the Finder. While connecting to the Portal, the Finder detects that there is a new version available and downloads its installer program.

2. Upon exiting the application, the Finder silently launches the installer in the background to update itself.

3. Optional: when you open the Finder again, choose an action depending on the result of the update:

   • If the update succeeded, a notification appears at the top of the window indicating the new version number.

   • If the update failed, a notification appears at the top of the window to inform you that something went wrong. Click the link Open detailed log... to help you troubleshoot your update problems.

In a per-machine installation, the Finder does not update itself automatically and it does not inform you of the availability of a new version in the case of a minor change; that is, a change that does not break the compatibility between the Finder and the Portal. You can nevertheless download and install the new version of the Finder from the Product Downloads page, as usual.

The automatic update of the Finder is independent of the automatic update of the Appliance. Even if the automatic update of the Appliance is turned off, the Finder is still updated as described in this article, as long as your primary Appliance is connected to the Internet and able to reach the Nexthink updates site.

Mandatory upgrades and downgrades

When a change actually breaks the compatibility between the currently installed Finder and the Portal, the Finder is said to require an either an upgrade or a downgrade.

Mandatory upgrades usually occur when a major version of the product is released. In their turn, mandatory downgrades are rarer: downgrades appear only when you try to connect to an older version of the Portal. A typical downgrade scenario would consist of a pre-production environment where you install a new version of Nexthink. If you try to connect the new Finder to the Portal in your production environment, which is still running an older version of Nexthink, it will ask for a downgrade.

To execute a mandatory upgrade or downgrade of the Finder:

1. Log in to the Finder. While connecting to the Portal, the Finder detects that it is incompatible with the version of the Portal.

   • If you installed the Finder from the Portal, a dialog shows up, indicating that the Finder requires an upgrade (or downgrade) and displaying version information.

     1. Click Upgrade (Downgrade) to start the download and installation process.

     2. Once the upgrade (downgrade) has finished, the Finder restarts and restablishes the same session that you used to log in.

     3. Optional: Click the temporary link See what's new... that shows up at the top of the window to open the release notes for the new version of the Finder.

   • If you installed the Finder in a per-machine context, you simply get an error message.

     1. Go to the Product Downloads page.

     2. Download and run the appropriate installer for your computer architecture.

Setting the Portal address for Finder updates

The Finder relies on the configuration of the Portal address for performing automatic and mandatory updates. The provided address is used to connect to the Portal, detect new versions, and download them for installation.

To configure the Portal address for Finder updates:

1. Log in to the Web Console of the Appliance hosting the Portal from a web browser as admin: https://:99

2. Click the Portal tab at the top of the window.

3. Select the General section fromt the left-hand side menu.

4. Under Parameters, type in the name or IP address of the Portal in Portal address.

5. Click SAVE CHANGES and wait for the Portal to restart.

Note that this address is required for drilling-down from the Portal to the Finder and it is also used for building the links to the Portal of the email digests.

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RELATED TASKS

• Installing the Finder
• Drilling-down to the Finder
• Sending email notifications from the Appliance