Software Management

About Software Management

Keeping software applications updated is a major part of any endpoint security strategy. Common third-party, internet-facing software applications like Adobe Reader and frameworks like Oracle Java may become a target of attacks because of possible vulnerabilities. Cyber attacks exploit security flaws. Therefore, maintaining and exercising application version control is imperative to any modern operation, and the Software Management feature was designed with this in mind.

Datto RMM Software Management has the following capabilities:

  • An automatic, policy-based approach to third-party software update management keeps endpoints updated with the latest versions of frameworks and applications.
  • Application update approval can be configured, and applications can be installed on an endpoint if they are not already present.
  • Built-in compliance reporting shows whether endpoints have the latest versions of critical applications and frameworks.

Once a Software Management policy is configured, you can use the following tools to manage and monitor the software compliance statuses of your devices:

NOTE  The third-party software applications you want to manage through a Software Management policy do not have to be downloaded from the ComStore. A Software Management policy can be configured independently of what's already present in your Component Library.

NOTE  Datto RMM uses Aria2, an open source download manager, to download software packages for Software Management.

Advanced Software Management

While Datto RMM's standard Software Management functionality updates key applications, the Advanced Software Management module integrates an expanded library of software applications and enables both installation and uninstallation via a Software Management policy.

For an overview of the Advanced Software Management functionality available in Datto RMM and how to activate this paid-for add-on, refer to Advanced Software Management.

User-level vs. system-level software installations

Some software can be installed at the user level or the system level. As a systems management tool, Datto RMM is only aware of and can only manage system-level installations of software applications. In the event of a clash between user- and system-level software installations, such as the same application being installed via Software Management but already existing at the user level, all user-level copies of the software will be removed in favor of system-level installations.

Software Management summary list

Navigate to the Software Management page by following either of the first two navigation paths described in Security and navigation

The page shows a summary of Managed software compliance on devices and the need for manual approval of software updates.

NOTE  If you're seeking a complete list of software installed on devices, refer to Software.

At the top of the page, click any of the following categories to filter the list:

Category Description
Approval Required Displays the Managed software for which a certain number of devices is non-compliant, meaning the latest version of that type of software is not yet approved for the device(s). Manual approval is required for the device(s) to be considered compliant.
Non Compliant Displays the Managed software for which a certain number of devices is non-compliant, meaning the latest version of that type of software is not yet approved for the device(s). Certain devices may require manual approval (Approval Required status is Yes), and others may not have manual approval available at this time (Approval Required status is No).
Compliant Displays the Managed software for which a certain number of devices is compliant, meaning the latest version of that type of software is approved for the device(s).

To learn how to control whether software approval and installation are manual, are automatic, or do not require management, refer to Software or Advanced Software in Software Management policy.

The Column Chooser allows you to select which columns should be visible in the list. Refer to Column Chooser field definitions for descriptions of all of the available fields. Selecting the Type/Versioncheck box causes both the Type and Latest version columns to show in the table. The columns can be reordered and resized. The order and size of the columns will persist the next time the page is accessed.

You can filter any columns with the filter icon . The Filtered by bar displays all applied column filters. If a filter search term includes wildcard characters (for example, underscores and percent signs), they serve as normal characters if they are preceded by a backslash. For details, refer to Wildcard characters. Click the X next to any filter to remove that filter or click Reset Filters to remove all filters. If no filter is applied, the Filtered by bar displays Unfiltered. The filter selection in the columns will persist the next time the page is accessed.

The table density is set to condensed theme by default. To change it to relaxed theme, click the density toggle icon. The selection will persist across all pages.

The number of results displayed can be specified by selecting the desired number from the pagination control. This selection will persist the next time the page is accessed.

Action buttons

To access all action buttons, click the Row Actions icon.

The action buttons are grayed out or become unavailable if no row is selected in the table or if the action button is not applicable to the selected rows. The check boxes allow you to select one or more rows. Select all rows shown on a page by selecting the check box in the table header. You can also use the drop-down arrow next to the check box in the table header to choose one of the following options: Select none, Select all on page, or Select all rows across all pages. If you choose to select all rows across all pages, the check boxes of the rows will not be selected; however, the page will indicate that all rows have been selected.

NOTE  When all rows are selected across all pages, only certain action buttons are supported, which is indicated in the All Rows column in the table below.

Action Button All Rows Description
Approve

 

Allows you to approve software updates for Managed applications on the selected device(s). This action is available only if the software status for that particular type and version of software on the device(s) is non-compliant and approval is required. This occurs once a software update becomes available and either Manually approve or Manually approve and install if not present is selected for that application within the policy. Refer to Software or Advanced Software in Software Management policy.
In the confirmation dialog box that appears, click Confirm to manually approve the software update or Cancel to close out of the dialog box. Clicking Confirm will cause the Software Status of the selected device(s) to change to Compliant for that application once the action is executed.
This action adheres to the deployment window scheduled in the policy. Refer to Timing in Software Management policy.
Export Selected Rows to CSV

 

In the confirmation dialog box that appears, select whether to show table headers in the file by turning on the toggle for Show table headers in the exported CSV. Click Confirm to download the file or Cancel to close out of the dialog box. Any column selections, filters, and sorting that have been applied to the table will also be applied in the CSV file.
Export All Rows to CSV

This action button is available only if all rows have been selected across all pages in the table. In the confirmation dialog box that appears, click Confirm to download the file or Cancel to close out of the dialog box.

Pop-up notifications will inform you of the start and completion of the CSV export action. Click the X to close the notification; otherwise, the notification will automatically be cleared after five minutes.

Any column selections, filters, and sorting that have been applied to the table will also be applied in the CSV file.

Uncheck All

 

Clears all selected rows. The number of selected rows is indicated next to the Row Actions icon.

Software card

Navigate to the Managed section of the Software card by following the third navigation path described in Security and navigation. A Software Management policy must be targeting the device in order for Managed software to be displayed.

Refer to Software in Device summary.