2025.1 Release Notes

Build Number: 2025.1.0.57 Last updated: 21/02/2025

Warning

This upgrade contains a full operating system migration and system setting changes. It is important to review the release notes thoroughly and follow the recommendations below:

  • Review system requirements carefully and update your system to meet the requirements prior to attempting the upgrade

What's New in 2025.1

AlmaLinux Migration

  • Replaced underlying operating system on N-central from CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 9.4

  • Updated System Requirements page for N-central with new system requirements

  • Dropped support for legacy BIOS firmware for new installations. All new installations must be on 64 bit UEFI enabled firmware. When running system backup and restore you must restore to 64 bit UEFI enabled firmware.

  • Dropped support for SNMP based hardware monitoring (RAID, Memory, etc) of the N-central server on bare metal HPE ProLiant G9 and older servers

  • Dropped support for USB-connected, APCC or UPS, devices connected to bare metal N-central servers

Enhanced Remote Control options for Web and Custom RC

In N-central 25.1, we’ve made significant enhancements to the remote control experience, aligning with modern security standards and improving usability. Specifically, the Web Remote Control and Custom Remote Control options have been upgraded to use the Protocol Handler, the same streamlined mechanism already utilized by Remote Desktop remote control. This enhancement eliminates the reliance on the deprecated Java file and its associated .jnlp files, which were cumbersome and posed compatibility challenges with modern browsers and operating systems.

With the adoption of the Protocol Handler, administrators and technicians can now enjoy a more seamless and secure remote control experience. This method reduces setup complexity, removes dependency on Java Runtime Environment, and ensures compatibility with modern web browsers, which have increasingly restricted support for Java-based technologies.

Additionally, the Protocol Handler implementation enhances the performance and reliability of remote sessions, delivering faster connections and a more consistent user experience.

Post GA releases

Here's a breakdown of our new features and updates released since the GA version of N-central.

Patch Management Engine (PME) 2.13

Released: 13/02/2025

Patch Management Engine (PME) 2.13 focuses on enhancing patch detection and installation. The update introduces a hybrid detection approach, combining both our online and offline scanning to improve patch coverage and reliability, especially for devices with corrupted or mismanaged Windows Update Registry Keys. This new method ensures more comprehensive patch identification and continued patch deployment even when the Windows Update Agent (WUA) fails. Additionally, PME 2.13 prioritizes MSU files over CAB files for patch installations, addressing common installation failures linked to DISM issues. This change, already successful in N-central’s offline detection profile, is now applied across all patching systems to provide a more reliable, consistent patching experience.

N-central on AlmaLinux

The current versions of N-central runs on a CentOS 7 operating system and while this has served N-central well this Operating system went end of life in June 2024. After Red Hat discontinued CentOS in favor of CentOS stream we determined this was no longer an optimal solution for N-central. We considered multiple options and ultimately landed on AlmaLinux. In addition to migrating to a fully supported operating system, this updated version of AlmaLinux will enable us to install more modern libraries and help us improve the security of the overall product.

Supported Upgrade Paths

  • Pre-Almalinux Upgrade : N-central-OS-Upgrade-2025.1.0.X.nsp

    • 2024.1.0.0 - Requires access to the NAC (Port 10000)

    • 2024.2.0.0 - Requires access to the NAC (Port 10000)

    • 2024.3.0.0 - Requires access to the NAC (Port 10000)

    • 2024.4.0.0 - Requires access to the NAC (Port 10000)

    • 2024.6.0.0

  • Post-AlmaLinux Upgrade : N-central-Upgrade-2025.1.0.X.nsp

    • 2025.1.0.X

Included updates in N-able N-central

N-central 2025.1

  • Updated the Underlying Operating System from CentOS7 to AlmaLinux 9.4

  • Updated a number of underlying libraries to newer versions for compatibility with AlmaLinux 9.4

Category Summary Issue key
Core Addressed Take Control automatic installation failure and device showing as 'Take Control not configured' despite successful manual install NCCF-438692
Core Corrected Jetty performing unexpected garbage collection and restart, causing N-central to be inaccessible on specific NCOD. NCCF-428597
Core Rectified filters on agent check-in not loading in certain cases. NCCF-415461
Core Fixed GenericDAO.updateCache() from unnecessarily acquiring write locks on the entire cache, creating contention even when operations only require changes at the element level, and redundant locking occurs during deletion attempts when no deletion is needed NCCF-415121
Core

Amended issue where Analytics Dashboard report did not display all devices or device data

 NCCF-384631
Core Eliminated N-central cache from causing page load delays NCCF-380228
Core Mitigated high volume of API calls from impacting server performance NCCF-371550
Core Resolved a System Error when executing Update Asset Discovery NCCF-294612

Known Issues

Upgrading from 24.6 and below

When upgrading from a version below 2024.6.0.19 you will need to upload the NSP upgrade file through port 10000 (NAC) we console.

The following items are for the current version of the N-able N-central software. They include material issues that significantly impact performance whose cause has been replicated by N-able and where a fix has not yet been released. The list is not exclusive and does not contain items that are under investigation. Any known limitations set forth herein may not impact every customer environment. The N-able N-central software is being provided as it operates today. Any potential modifications, including a specific bug fix or any potential delivery of the same, are not considered part of the current N-able N-central software and are not guaranteed.

Autotask PSA

Description

Issue
Partners using Autotask PSA integration are advised not to upgrade to 2025.1.0.57 as there is an issue that can result in the removal of the ticket association between Autotask and N-central. This will prevent tickets from automatically being closed when issues return to normal or when trying to reopen a ticket from N-central. NCCF-535280

Agents & Probes

Description

Issue
When adding a new scheduled task and selecting the option "Update Asset Info When Finished", the selected value is not saved after clicking the Save button. NCCF-453455

Remote Control

Description Issue
Web SSH, SSH, Custom remote control options for windows will not dynamically request an updated path when the saved path is not correct and instead provide a terminal error message requesting the user update the remote control settings path NCCF-506138
Web SSH, SSH, Custom remote control options will not work when launched from a MAC or Linux client NCCF-414079
While calculating the size of the required disk space we look at the size of the last backup on the system, the last system backup on the system must have the "Include Historical Data" option selected in order for the upgrade calculation to be accurate when assessing enough disk space is available. Alternatively downloading then deleting all backups from the system to ensure the backup partition has enough space is an option. Review N-able N-central Backup for details. -
You may run into an error "Not enough space on the root (/) volume for the N-central OS upgrade. We need 'X' GB but there is only 'Y' GB free. Not enough space on the root (/) volume for the N-central OS upgrade. We need 'X' GB but there is only 'Y' GB free". See Not enough space in the root (/) volume for the N-central OS upgrade for details. -