You need to upgrade Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 clients after you upgrade Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager, or after you add the latest client install packages.

Contents

• AutoUpgrade overview
• Upgrade clients using AutoUpgrade
• Restart clients after using AutoUpgrade
• AutoUpgrade best practices
• Additional information

AutoUpgrade Overview

You can use AutoUpgrade to install a new version of Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 on all the clients in a group.

Use it to upgrade multiple computers in a network to a new version of Symantec Endpoint Protection with a minimum of user intervention.

To upgrade Symantec Endpoint Protection across a network, it is only necessary to manually upgrade the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager. After the upgrade, the clients will download the install package assigned to their group as they heartbeat to the manager, or on a schedule.

Upgrade clients using AutoUpgrade

To upgrade clients by using AutoUpgrade:

1. In the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager, click Admin
2. Click Install Packages.
3. Under Tasks, click Upgrade Clients with Package.
4. In the Upgrade Groups Wizard panel, click Next.
5. In the Select Client Install Package panel, select the appropriate client installation package, and click Next.
6. In the Specify Groups panel, select the groups to be upgraded, and click Next.
7. In the Package Upgrade Settings panel, select Download from the management server.
   
   Note: To reduce bandwidth, stage and select a package on a web server that is local to the clients you are upgrading.
8. Click Upgrade Settings.
9. On the General tab, select Maintain existing client features when updating.
10. Select a client install setting from the drop-down to alter restart behavior or leave it at the default to prompt users to restart. A restart is forced overnight or if no user is logged in.
11. Configure the Upgrade Schedule if desired or leave it unchecked to start the rollout on the client's next heartbeat.
12. Optionally, on the Notification tab, customize the user notification settings.
    
    You can customize the message that the upgrade process displays on the client computer. You can also allow the user to postpone the upgrade by an amount of time you specify.
    
    For more information about schedule and notification settings, click Help on the Notification tab.
13. Click OK.
14. In the Upgrade Groups Wizard, click Next.
15. Click Finish.

Caution: You should first update a group with a small number of test computers before you update your entire production network.

Restart clients after using AutoUpgrade

You need to restart the client computers after you upgrade the client software. By default, the clients restart automatically after installation.

You can configure the restart options on a group to control how the clients restart after AutoUpgrade. You can also restart the clients at any time by running a restart command from the management server.

You have the option to schedule the clients to restart during a time that is convenient for users. You can force an immediate restart, or give the users an option to delay.

To configure restart options on client computers:

1. In the console, click Clients.
2. On the Clients page, select a group, and then click Policies.
3. On the Policies tab, click General Settings.
4. In the General Settings dialog box, on the Restart Settings tab, select the restart method and schedule.
   
   You can also add a notification that appears on the client computer before the restart occurs.
5. Click OK.

To restart a selected client computer:

1. In the console, click Clients.
2. On the Clients page, on the Clients tab, select a group.
3. On the Clients tab, select a client, right-click Run Command on Computers, and then click Restart Client Computers.
4. Click Yes, specify the restart options that you require, and then click OK.

To restart the client computers in a selected group:

1. In the console, click Clients.
2. On the Clients page, on the Clients tab, select a group, click Run a command on the group, and then click Restart Client Computers.
3. Click Yes, specify the restart options that you require, and then click OK.

Note: Some restart options apply only to Windows clients. For details, see the context-sensitive Help.

AutoUpgrade best practices

Testing AutoUpgrade before upgrading

Test the AutoUpgrade process before you attempt to upgrade a large number of clients in your production network. If you do not have a test network, you can create a test group within your production network. For this test, you add a few non-critical clients to the test group and then upgrade them by using AutoUpgrade.

Reduce bandwidth during peak hours

To reduce bandwidth during peak hours, schedule AutoUpgrade for after hours in the Upgrade Clients with Package wizard. For wide area networks, you should also set up the remote clients to receive the upgrade package from a remote web server.

Upgrading from Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.x

If you upgrade from Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.x and use Application and Device Control, you must disable the "Protect client files and registry keys” rule set.

After the clients receive the new policy, you may upgrade using AutoUpgrade.

Additional information

Confirm that the upgrade completed successfully

You can confirm that the upgrade completed successfully by verifying the version number of the client software. The version number is displayed in the client's Help > About panel.

The Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager also displays the updated client version number on the Clients page after a successful check-in. You select the group, then the Clients tab, and change the view to Client Status.

Feature mapping between 11.0 and 12.1 clients

When you upgrade clients using the AutoUpgrade feature and check Maintain Existing Features, the features of Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 or 12.0 clients will map to those in Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.

For example, Antivirus and Antispyware Protection in Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 is called Virus and Spyware Protection in Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.