C4A 3.6 updates/changes

[Cubert]

Figured I post the Global App list and my Client App list. You will notice apps in global list have no versions yet. This will be updated by caching manager upon it's first scan for existing packages. I should expect that now that Client 1 is configured that this should also update over next 24 hours.


Global list

Screenshot 2023-10-18 094015.png (74.53 KiB) Viewed 17433 times

Client List

Screenshot 2023-10-18 094339.png (33.21 KiB) Viewed 17433 times

[Dawid_FS]

Hello,

I hope I am doing it in the correct place. Can we also get mass UNINSTALL? To be in the same button with an extra option or to have another button on Client end?
Multiple times I am changing applications for clients for different reasons and I think it will be a good idea to have a possibility to also globally uninstall applications from all agents under the client.

Also, I have a question about the plugin update. My automate update plugin automatically which is great but now I see old new plugins both enabled :


Can I just disable and remove the old one or do both of them need to be enabled? I do not want to break the whole setup.
Please Advise

[Dawid_FS]

After the recent updates ( I installed 3.6.0.3 after cleaning the database from the previous C4A plugin and upgrading my automate to MySQL to 8) I found this in most of client agent windows :

apps1.PNG (22.36 KiB) Viewed 17417 times

apps2.PNG (15.88 KiB) Viewed 17417 times

How can I clean it to see only managed applications

[Cubert]

For Mass uninstalls/installs across RMM launch the Global Chocolatey tool from tools menu.

In the approved applications list double click the graphic icon in front of any package name in list. I will open a menu pop up windows that will allow you to do several things with that application.

GlobalCommandWindow.png (25.69 KiB) Viewed 17405 times

Select to install or Uninstall to all enabled agents.

[Cubert]

As for the duplicate entry, I am not sure how that is even possible! The GUID would be the same for both plugin entries which should violate the primary key for that database table.

I a case like this I would remove both versions, refresh my DBagent, reinstall the newest build, refresh DBagent again. How ever you may also experience corrupted data tables and may want to follow the following post to clear your tables and start fresh.


Now that you have build 3.6.0.6 you have access to the new database clearing function in Automate scripting. I would follow the second response in this post. Create a oneline script, run it once, restart the DBagent and be back fresh and new.

viewtopic.php?t=6303

[Cubert]

After the recent updates ( I installed 3.6.0.3 after cleaning the database from the previous C4A plugin and upgrading my automate to MySQL to 8) I found this in most of client agent windows :

apps1.PNG

apps2.PNG

How can I clean it to see only managed applications

Chocolatey for Automate automates the install and update of applications either managed via Approved Apps list or what maybe natively installed.

Anyone can manually install any package on an agent that has Chocolatey installed. This means that there can be apps and also dependences (apps) that get installed on an agent that do not directly conform to the Approved Apps list. The Chocolatey plugin does not push automated uninstalls to agent forcing only packages in the Approved list to be present. You can select to manually uninstall any app listed under agent. The plugin queries the agent on a regular bases (daily by default, this is editable by changing the master groups script schedule) for its currently installed package list and saves that along with current versions to Automate, where you view this data in plugin.

Dependencies also get installed when other packages require it. Example of this is Google Chrome, it requires now 2 KB's to also get installed when Google installs if your are installing on Windows 10 or 11.

Now you may have noticed the "Not Approved" as a version number for the repo version of package. This is because App is not in the Approved Apps list. You can add it to the Approved Apps list as "disabled" which will keep it from showing up in client lists as an available package but still have the system capture that packages repo version regularly.

It will then on next scan of a Caching manager get the version number updated.


Even if you flush out all tables and start empty, if agents actually have these apps installed by Chocolatey already then the data will return just as you see it now. You will have to uninstall any apps you don't want to see in that managed list.


I also noticed from you app lists above that Chocolatey version for this agent is 1.2.1 This is fairly old in the chocolatey world as we are now on 2.2.2 Once you have your plugin squared away and get a couple of days to get rolling, you should see this version get updated along with any other installed packages.

[Dawid_FS]

For Mass uninstalls/installs across RMM launch the Global Chocolatey tool from tools menu.

In the approved applications list double click the graphic icon in front of any package name in list. I will open a menu pop up windows that will allow you to do several things with that application.

I understand how to uninstall it Globally for all agents, but my question was for this function to work on the client level.

[Cubert]

Ah gotcha!

Hmm.. I can look into that as a feature request in the next releases.

[PL-MSTech]

The apps were populated when I checked yesterday, and looked correct on the main settings page... what is odd, is even though we had not enabled apps for the site, AND the check-boxes for Enable Servers, Enable Workstations, and Auto Install Approved applications were not seeming to "save" 2 days ago, ALL apps in the global settings were installed... some show "Not Approved"... but since no apps enabled for the specific client, why were apps installed to begin with?
Yesterday, I issued a 'Uninstall Application Globally' from the global settings for the ones I didn't want installed, but today, they are still showing as installed on all machines at the test client site (except the cache manager).... since I issued a disable and uninstall globally, those are not even showing in the client site > Approve Apps > Available packages.
So we just need to know how to make the packages align with what is set for the site whether they need to be installed or uninstalled (I think the install is clear... so mainly the uninstall).
Also, selecting multiple machines at a site, or multiple software apps for a machine is an 'expected' feature...
Like, select 5 machines to 'update now' - or on one machine, select multiple apps to 'uninstall application' ---- these 2 points may be moot if they will uninstall automatically based on the site settings not having them included....?
Also, when adding a package, do we no longer need to use % - like (Name: Windirstat Package: windirstat%)?

[Cubert]

Just to clarify operations,

We do not (currently) automate any type of uninstalls. If a package exists on an agent then it must be manually removed. You can use the plugin to do this but it's not automated. Only installs and updates are automated, this may change in the future if we can get enough people to vote that in as a feature. We have not done this to date because Chocolatey is not under our exclusive control. This means any user can call Chocolatey to install or uninstall any software. If we forced a exacts set of packages then that could easily lead to revolving package installs and a possible hardship on the MSP, whom might be battling with package dependencies issues like the KBs needed by Google Chrome.


As for App approvals and where Apps show up in lists.

The global Approved Applications "states" in the main list can be set to enabled or disabled. When enabled they become available in the Clients Approved App list as (Disabled by Default). If you disable an application in the global list it will not be available in the client list to enable for client. By having packages disabled in the Global list allows package versions on the public repo to be maintained for that package. This action will allow versions to show at the agent level where is installed on agent, but keep package out of approved apps list for the client. This is how you would get rid of the "Not Approved" text in the agents managed package list. The package is still not approved but instead of saying it , it shows the current repo version so you can define if package is current or not.

The client approved apps list of enabled apps is the list pushed out to the client when auto install applications is selected. if you modified the approved apps list for the client and added applications after the initial auto install sequence has happened then uncheck auto install and then recheck auto install to reset the agents under client for new package checks. Any agent that joins the client as a new agent will receive these instructions once agent onboards automatically.

Scenario 1:
You defined a global apps list, created a clients approved apps list, enabled the clients workstations and set Auto Install applications. You allowed several weeks to go by and all agents are as they should be. You decided that you need to add 4 new application to the clients approved list. You add the 4 packages, verify they are set to enabled for the client and you then uncheck and recheck the auto install applications checkbox. This tells all the enable agents that have already processed the installs to reprocess the client approved applications list again. This will cause the agents to install the 4 new packages on the next signal from Group.

Scenario 2:
You have a agent that had processed the Auto Installs function but either failed for some reason during cycle or is missing a app that you want to have agent retry installs. Open agent console and navigate to agent EDFs, Find the Chocolatey tab of EDFs and make sure that "Auto Install Approved Applications" is checked and that "Approved Applications Installed" is unchecked. This will cause agent to join the Auto Install Applications group and will reprocess the current approved apps list for that client.

The uninstalls execute a command directly to agent (should see "execute command" in command logs of agent). We then wait until the next automated scan to remove package from agents managed list. If after a scan of agent the package remains then the command logs will reveal what Chocolatey returned as an error.

I will look at the uninstall functions across the plugin to improve it's functionality over the next few releases.