Pre-Installation Auditor Tool

When you install or upgrade to ePO 5.10 or later, the ePO Pre-Installation Auditor (PIA) utility is integrated into the installer and enabled by default. The PIA tool helps to reduce or prevent installation or upgrade issues.

The auditor automates many of the verification tasks included in the installation or upgrade process to make sure your environment meets the minimum requirements. Additionally, ePO Pre-Installation Auditor allows you to change your ePO Admin password.

The ePO Pre-Installation Auditor utility performs many checks, from confirming ePO and SQL Server hardware requirements to various SQL database compatibility checks. For detailed information on all of the checks this tool performs, see the Pre-Installation Auditor section in the ePO 5.10 Installation Guide.

If you need to run the ePO Pre-Installation Auditor utility outside of the installer, follow these steps:

1. The ePO Pre-Installation Auditor tool is located within the ePO 5.10 Installation files under the ePOIP folder. Double-click ePIP.exe to start the auditor, then follow the prompts.

2. Once all checks have passed, click Finish.

For details on known issues with ePolicy Orchestrator Pre-Installation Auditor, see KB88906(opens in a new tab).

Additionally, review KB87017 (opens in a new tab)carefully to avoid a possible disruption in agent-to-server communication.

ePO Installation Preparation

Best Practices

• Install latest Microsoft updates.

• Update the ePO database server with the latest Microsoft security updates for the database software you use.

• Ensure ports to be used by ePO are available.

• If Endpoint Security (ENS) is installed, disable Access Protection and stop ENS services.

• After ePO installation, install firewall software (for example, ENS) on the ePO server.

• Update your software with the most current intrusion detection signature files.

Prerequisites

Local administrator account credentials

An account with local administrator permissions is required to log on to the Windows server computer to be used as the ePO server.

Product License Key

If you don't have a license key, you can select Evaluation to continue installing the software. The evaluation period is limited to 90 days. You can provide a license key after installation is complete from within the application. For more information, see the product guide or Help.

Authentication credentials

Supports Windows and SQL authentication.

• Microsoft Windows authentication: Credentials for a domain administrator user account

• SQL authentication: Required SQL Server permissions (Discussed later in this module)

Destination folder

Folder for ePO software, if different than the default (C:\Program Files (86)\Trellix \ePolicy Orchestrator\)

Supported SQL Server

It is important to know if you plan to install SQL Server or plan to use a manually installed or existing SQL server.

SQL Server details

• Name of the SQL Server (This name should be formatted using the SQL Server name or the SQL Server name with instance name.)

• Dynamic port number used by your SQL Server

Downloading ePO Software

A grant number is required to obtain ePO software and documentation from Product Download Site (https://www.trellix.com/en-us/downloads/my-products.html(opens in a new tab)).

Click on Download, and the screen below displays.

Installing ePO Software

1. From the ePO server, extract your ePO software files to a temporary directory, then browse to the temporary directory and double click on the Setup icon (Setup.exe), or select File > Open. Wait while the program prepares for the install. Do not attempt to run Setup.exe without first extracting the .zip file. Note: You may be alerted about RAM or monitor requirements. With ePO 5.10, 8 GB available RAM minimum is recommended. The monitor should be 1024x768, 256-color, VGA.

2. Click OK to continue.

1. A welcome window opens. Read the information on the window, then click Next to begin.

2. If any prerequisite software is needed, click Next to install the software. Wait while the software is installed.

Note: Disregard the Restore option as it does not apply to a new install. The restore option is used to quickly recover if the hardware hosting your ePO server fails. It saves your ePO configuration, extensions, keys, and more to Snapshot records in the ePO database.

In the Destination Folder step, click:

• Next to install the ePO software in the default location (C:\Program Files (x86)\Trellix\ePolicy Orchestrator\).

• Change to specify a custom destination location for your ePO software. When the Change Current Destination Folder window opens, browse to the destination and create folders if needed. After specifying the new destination, click Next to continue.

Complete the Database Information window, then click Next.

• Database Server: Select from drop-down list.

• Database Name: The Database Name is populated automatically.

• Database Server credentials: Select and define the authentication type.

  • Windows authentication: Select the domain of the user account to be used to access the SQL Server. If using a previously-installed SQL server, also type the User name and Password. If you are using a previously installed SQL Server, make sure your user account has access.

  • SQL authentication: Type the User name and Password for your SQL Server. Make sure that the credentials you provide represent an existing user on the SQL Server, with appropriate rights.

• Username / Password: Enter user name and password that ePO will use to connect to the SQL server.

The Pre-Installation Auditor starts automatically and begins running checks to on all the components to determine compliance with requirements. A warning appears if the system does not pass all the checks. Click OK and resolve issues as needed, then click Finish.

The ports that ePO uses are predefined and populated by default.

If a SQL Server is installed on the same server as ePO, then ePO uses the dynamically assigned port on a local SQL Server port. The port for the remote SQL server remains 1433. In the example, the local port assignment is shown.

After your installation is complete, you can change only the Agent wake‑up communication port and Agent broadcast communication port. If you need to change your other port settings later, reinstall your ePO software.

Refer to the Installation Guide on the dynamic ports that are assigned to the SQL Server by the SQL Server.

Complete the Administrator Information dialog, then click Next.

• Username / Password: Enter the Username and Password for primary global administrator account.

• Keystore Encryption Passphrase: Enter passphrase (8-20 characters). Required for Disaster Recovery.

After installation, you can reset the Keystore Encryption Passphrase from the Server Settings page (Menu > Server Settings > Disaster Recovery > Edit).

Enter the License Key or select Evaluation, then click Next. The evaluation period expires after 90 days.

Automatic Product Configuration

During an automatic configuration, your ePO server downloads and installs all the products entitled to you by your site license. In most cases, during an automatic configuration, you never see the Automatic Product Configuration process run. It starts running as soon as you finish installing the ePO software and is usually finished before you log on.

If the Automatic Product Configuration page appears when you initially log on to ePO, an error occurred while downloading or installing your products.

Example: If your Internet connection is interrupted.

Make a note of the product that failed to install and click Retry to attempt the product installation again.

To stop the automatic product installation, click Stop. A confirmation dialog box asks you to confirm that you want to use Software Manager to install your products.

IMPORTANT: Once you click OK in the Stop Automatic Product Setup confirmation dialog box, you must use the Software Manager to install your products. The Automatic Product Configuration is available only once during your initial configuration. If a product continues to fail during Automatic Product Configuration, contact Technical Support, or click OK to exit the Automatic Product Configuration page and begin setting up the ePO server. For future product installation status information, open the Software Manager (Menu > Software > Software Manager).

1. Accept the End User License Agreement to continue the installation. Optionally, change the location if different than United States. Click OK to continue.

2. The Ready to Install the Program window appears. Optionally, disable the option to allow Trellix to collect system and software telemetry data, then click Install.

Product Improvement Program The Product Improvement Program collects the data from the client systems where Trellix products are installed and that are managed by ePO. It helps improve Trellix products.

The Product Improvement Program collects these types of data:

• System environment (software and hardware details)

• Effectiveness of installed Trellix product features

• Trellix product errors and related Microsoft Windows events

Trellix product errors and related Microsoft Windows events The collected data is aggregated on the ePO server, then sent to the Product Improvement Program server once a day (default collection period) and stored at \TelemetryData. Trellix uses the data that is collected by the program to analyze and improve the product experience for customers. The collected data is analyzed by Trellix to improve product features and customers' experiences with the product. It is also used by Trellix Technical Support for troubleshooting.

To learn about this program, click the More Information button. (Requires internet access).

Privacy Protection The collected data is used only for product improvement and technical support. The system-specific data is filtered or used in aggregate form, unless it is required for technical support.

1. Wait while the installation program installs ePO. This may take some time.

2. The InstallShield Wizard dialog appears after the installation is complete. Click Finish.