New 0patch Agent is Released - Version 20.06.18.10800

Dear 0patch users,

We have just released a new 0patch Agent. We don't do that very often, for two reasons: (1) we like the software we're using to be stable, to favor reliability over novelty, and to not introduce unnecessary changes - so that's what we try to do for you; and (2) building and thoroughly testing a piece of software that needs to work reliably on multiple platforms is pretty expensive. Because of the latter, we've micropatched two functional bugs in our previous Agent version (see here and here) instead of hastily issuing a new one. Micropatching is vastly superior to the traditional rebuild-test-distribute model when fixing simple bugs (which most security bugs and many functional ones are) as it incurs minimal risk of breaking something outside the patched bits, requires only narrowly-focused testing, and allows for inexpensive and unobtrusive deployment (and revocation, if needed). 

Nevertheless, bugs and feature requests have piled up, and our server is evolving too, prompting the agent to learn a couple of new tricks.

What's new in the new 0patch Agent? If you like details, please refer to release notes, but otherwise the main changes are:

• Annoying popups in 0patch FREE are now gone and replaced by a summary popup that will tell you how many patches you're missing out on that would be relevant on your computer.
• Log is now displayed much faster in 0patch Console.
• Pop-ups are no longer shown when any application is in full screen mode.
• The above-mentioned functional bugs that we've previously micropatched have now been patched in the code, so there is no need to apply a micropatch to every process anymore.
• Failed syncs immediately after system startup (which many of you have noticed, and thankfully reported) have been fixed.
  

May we remind you that the agent is still very small, just over 4MB on the file system.

We recommend you update your agent to this new version at your earliest convenience. The update process will not require a computer restart.

Locally Managed 0patchAgents

If you're using 0patch locally on your computer, 0patch Agent has already started notifying you about a new version. To update the agent, launch 0patch Console and in the "AGENT VERSION" box, click on "GET LATEST VERSION" and let the update process complete. Note that the console will disappear in the process, and will get re-launched when the new agent version is installed.

Remotely Managed 0patch Agents

If you're managing 0patch Agents in your organization remotely through 0patch Central, your group settings will determine whether/which agents will get updated automatically and which will require a manual action on your part. To make sure all agents are updated, you can open the All Computers group, select all computers, and under ACTIONS, select "Update agent to new version."

Thank you for using 0patch! As always, we'll appreciate your feedback, bug reports, feature requests and musical recommendations at support@0patch.com.

The 0patch Team