On 26 October 2016, Browsium hosted a webinar: “What’s new in version 4.1 of Browsium’s browser management suite”. We had a large group participating in the live webinar, generating a number of great questions about the new releases of Proton, Ion, and Catalyst. We have compiled the complete set with answers to share with all attendees and those seeing the webinar for the first time here in this post. If you missed the live event, you can watch the video archive on YouTube today (or use the embedded video player above).
Read on to see the questions (and our responses) from the webinar.
Q: Our organization is still running Ion 3.7. Can we upgrade directly to 4.1 or do we need to go to 4.0 first and do we need to modify our Ion configuration files?
A: No, you can upgrade directly to Ion 4.1. Your existing project file will work fine with Browsium Client 4.1 (which will replace Ion Client 3.7 that you’re running today).
Q: Okay, but if I create a new Ion 4.1 project file, will that work with my Ion 3.7 clients or do I need to upgrade everyone at the same time?
A: It’s possible that a new project file will work but we cannot guarantee forward compatibility, old client with new project. Therefore, we recommend that you upgrade all your clients to 4.1 before upgrading your project files.
Q: Can Browsium Client be deployed by Group Policy (.MSI)?
A: Yes, Browsium Client ships as a .EXE with many available command-line switches available and documented in the Admin Guide for Proton, Ion, and Catalyst. The EXE format is used because Browsium Client installs a combination of 32-bit and 64-bit components, which cannot be packaged together in a single MSI. However, Browsium-ClientSetup.exe can be transformed into two separate MSI files for installation via Group Policy. This process is documented in this KB article.
Q: Does the Browsium Client agent on the client PC require any firewall exception?
A: Technically, the answer depends on the client firewall used and the configuration set. But most client firewalls allow outbound traffic over any port by default, including the built-in Windows Firewall. If that’s the case, then Browsium Client does not require any firewall exceptions as it does not accept any inbound requests. Ion and Catalyst don’t communicate over a network at all, so ports and firewalls are not involved. When communicating with a Proton Server, Browsium Client sends out heartbeat messages and inventory/activity data on the port defined in the Proton configuration in the registry, communicating using HTTPS over that port.
Q: Is there a way to continue to randomize the polling/caching of a new project file in Ion, but force the activation of the project file at a specific time in Ion 4.1?
A: Yes, the option in Ion to update at a specific time already does this. The polling mechanism is randomized but will only signal Project Update Activation once polled after that specific time.
Q: Is there a cost for the upgrade to 4.1?
A: No, if you have a current maintenance agreement, the upgrade to 4.1 is included at no additional charge.
Q: Will Browsium tools tell me about standalone Java applications – not those run from inside the browser?
A: In general, the Browsium discovery and analytics tools are designed to track Java activity initiated from the browser, but there are some exceptions where we gather data on Java usage outside the browser. One example would be for Java applications launched using the Java Network Launch Protocol (JNLP), which is the same technology used to launch Java Web Start applications, but JNLP files can be linked from the OS or within a browser. Conventional Java ‘swing’ apps would not be something Browsium tools track as those launch the JVM in a local, environmentally-isolated manner.
