Upgrade

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Supported upgrade environments

It is strongly recommended that you keep Specops Password Policy updated to the latest version. When upgrading, all components should be upgraded. It is best practice to upgrade the components in the following order:

1. Administration Tools
2. Specops Password Arbiter (if applicable)
3. Specops Password Policy Sentinel
4. Specops Client (if applicable)

Note! After upgrading Specops Password Policy Sentinel on a domain controller, the domain controller should immediately be restarted. It is recommended to upgrade and restart one or a few, but not all, domain controllers at the time, to make sure there always is one or more domain controllers available to serve the Active Directory environment.

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Before upgrading, you should:

1. Read the Specops Password Policy Release Notes. The Release Notes provide a summary of new features and changes since the last release. The Release Notes can help you evaluate whether an upgrade is necessary.
2. Locate and read the Specops Password Policy Product Documentation.
3. If you are upgrading to a new major version (for example, from version 5.xx to 6.xx), you will need a new license key before upgrading. Contact your sales representative for more information.

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To upgrade to the latest version, your organization’s environment must meet the following system requirements:

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The Setup Assistant will allow you to upgrade the required components. To start upgrading, follow the below tasks:

1. Download the Setup Assistant.
2. Save and Run the Setup Assistant locally to a machine where you administer Group Policy.
   NOTE

   By default the file is extracted to C:\temp\SpecopsPasswordPolicy_Setup_[VersionNumber]
3. Double click SpecopsPasswordPolicy.Setup.exe to launch the Setup Assistant.
4. To begin, click Start Installation in the Specops Setup Assistant dialog box.

Upgrading the Administration Tools

The Administration Tools are used to configure the central aspects of the solution and enable the creation of Specops Password Policy Settings in Group Policy Objects.

1. From the Setup Assistant, select Administration Tools.
2. Click Install.

The Domain Administration tool, Group Policy snap-in extension, and ADUC menu extensions will be updated.

Upgrading the Specops Password Policy Sentinel

The Specops Sentinel ensures that password change requests comply with the Specops Password Policy assigned to the user object through Group Policy.

1. From the Setup Assistant, select Domain Controller Sentinel to install the Sentinel.
2. The grid will show all available domain controllers and the state for their Specops Password Policy Sentinel installation.
3. Select one or more DCs that need upgrading (make sure to read the note and warning sections above first)
4. Click Install.
5. Reboot the upgraded DCs.

Upgrade the Specops Client

The Client displays the password policy rules when a user fails to meet the policy criteria when changing their password. The Client also notifies users when their passwords are about to expire.

You can automatically upgrade an existing Group Policy Object with Software Installation settings to deploy the Client in your domain.

1. From the Setup Assistant, select Deploy Specops Password Client using GPSI.
2. To select the Group Policy Object that will be used to deploy the Client, click Select GPO.
3. Select an existing GPO from the list.
4. Click Download… to download the installation files for the Client.
   1. In the dialog box, click Download Files.
   2. When the dialog box is complete, click OK.
5. You can create a new share or select an existing share. To select an existing share you must copy the Client Side Extension msi-package into the appropriate share.
   NOTE

   The files can be copied from C:\temp\SpecopsPasswordPolicy_Setup[VersionNumber]\products\specopspasswordpolicy
6. Click Select Share.
7. Browse to the location of the network share, or enter the location of the share name.
   NOTE

   It is recommended that you use a Distributed File Share (DFS). If DFS is used with load balancing, verify that the setup files are copied to all servers before proceeding.
8. To upgrade the packages for x86 and x64 deployments in the selected GPO, click Add Settings.
   NOTE

   The Client Side Extension MSI will be deployed through a computer software installation and may not take effect until the computers have been restarted.

OR

If you are not deploying using GPSI, you can update the Client Side Extension using other deployment tools.

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Congratulations! You have successfully upgraded all of the components. Please complete the following tasks once you have upgraded to the latest version of Specops Password Policy:

1. Open the Specops Password Policy Domain Administration tool.
   1. Enter your new license key.
   2. Verify that the Password Policy Sentinel State on your domain controllers displays the new version of the Sentinel.
   3. Select Language files, and view the status of the files. The status should read OK. If there is a new version available, you will need to click Update Language Files.
2. If you are using Specops Password Policy and the passphrase feature with Specops Password Reset, users using the mobile application will need to install the latest updates in order to use the passphrase feature.