Altiris ITMS 8.6 released

Release 8.6 of the Symantec IT Management Suite (ITMS 8.6) has been released at the end of February 2021. The release can be installed immediately via the Symantec Installation Manager (SIM).
We will be happy to support you in updating to the new version!

Here we have summarized the innovations for you.

These new features were realized with Release 8.6:

• Additional supported platforms have been added for the Symantec Management Agent:
  • macOS 11.0
  • Microsoft Windows 10 2H 2020
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2H 2020 (Core)
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 und CentOS 8.2
  • Patch Management unterstützt nun Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.8 und CentOS 7.8
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1 und SP2
  • Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
• No longer supported by the Management Agent, however, are:
  • Hewlett-Packard HP-UX 11.31 (11i v3) PA-RISC/IA-64
  • IBM AIX 7.1 Standard
  • IBM AIX 6.1 PPC
  • IBM LPAR-s
• Task Management now supports these features:
  • Ability to hide task information from the end user in the Management Agent.
  • Execution of scripts on a specific task server using the new Run Script on Specific Task Server task
  • The text editing areas for some task types can be resized. For example, the script editing area in the Run Script task type, the message editing area in the End User Notification task, etc.
  • The Task Service section on the Site Server page has been extended to provide information about the upcoming restart of the Task Server
• Now the use of peer-to-peer downloading can be prevented if the connection is established via VPN.
• Cloud Enabled Management has been enhanced with the following options:
  • Prefer CEM connection
  • Prefer CEM connection if connected to VPN
• In Global Agent Settings, under the General tab, predefined VPN adapters and network adapters reported by Symantec Management Agents can now be viewed and managed. VPN adapters can also be added manually.
• In the Time Critical Management workspace, software updates can now be deployed to clients in real time.
• Newly, Symantec Management Agent reboot notifications can be displayed in the Windows Action Center on clients (supported on Windows 10, version 1903 and later, and Windows Server 2019, version 1903 and later).
• Patch Management has been enhanced with these two features:
  • Software Update Policies can be configured to not install new updates on devices that are due for a reboot.
  • Vulnerability Assessment in RHEL 8 and later takes into account the status of Linux modules.

• Clients can now be prevented from entering sleep mode while a software delivery policy is running.
• The Prevent Download options (in the Targeted Site Settings Policy) now also apply to the ULM agents.
• Now the reports from Export Computers with software installed can also be exported as CSV files.
• Also, when creating a new filter, a user list can now be imported from a CSV file. This list can either be included in the filter or excluded from the filter.
• In the Deploy Anywhere driver database, existing drivers can be re-imported.
• During an image deployment, the Legacy Driver Installer (DPInst) is not used if the Use legacy tools for drivers installation option is disabled (can be disabled in the Deploy Image Task).
• With the introduction of IT Management Suite 8.6, documentation is no longer installed. Only the online help is available.

With ITMS 8.6, various improvements or «fixed issues» were also noticed in the following solutions:

• Symantec Management Platform
• Asset Management Solution
• Deployment Solution
• Inventory Solution
• IT Management Views
• Patch Management Solution
• Software Management Solution

Click here to go directly to the official release notes for ITMS 8.6 from Broadcom.

As with all updates, there are a few things to consider, especially if you are running multiple clients and servers. We have profound experience in this area and would be happy to advise you on updating to the latest version. Feel free to contact us.