Upgrade WPM Players on remote systems

As described in Configure the WPM Player service on remote systems, the WPM Player Settings tool includes an "Enable automatic update" option.

• If automatic updates are enabled, WPM Player files on remote systems are updated when you launch the WPM Player if a new version is available.
• If automatic updates are not enabled, you'll be prompted to upgrade the WPM Player the next time it runs. See Deploy WPM Players to remote systems.

Either way, WPM Players should retain all information and recorded transactions start running again after the upgrade. If you encounter issues, review the following section that describes the upgrade process, including what to do if the SolarWinds Platform Installer cannot update WPM files on remote systems.

How the WPM Player upgrade process works

The way WPM Players are upgraded was improved in WPM 2020.2.6 Hotfix 3 to avoid MSI Installer FileInUse issues. Now the SolarWinds Platform Installer checks for active WPM processes running on host systems and stops them before updating files.

When you initiate an upgrade, the SolarWinds Platform Installer checks WPM-related processes in this order:

1. SolarWinds WPM Playback Player service
2. Chrome, if upgrading from WPM 3.0
3. ChromeDriver
4. WPM Browser
5. Various tools, including:
   • WPM Player Settings Tool
   • WPM Domain Accounts Configuration Tool
   • SolarWinds Log Adjuster
   • Diagnostics

The next step depends on whether the WPM Player is configured to update automatically, also called silent mode:

• If a WPM Player is configured to update automatically, changes are rolled back and a probe exit -1 code appears in the Transaction Details view. To complete the upgrade:
  1. Review the list of processes above.
  2. Use the SolarWinds Platform Service Manager or Windows Task Manager to stop any active process(es).
  3. Download the latest WPM Player from within the SolarWinds Platform Web Console.
• If you download the latest WPM Player but an active process blocks installation, you'll be prompted to stop each active process manually and click Retry to launch the SolarWinds Platform Installer again.

To investigate a failed upgrade, review the following file on the host system:

C:\ProgramData\SolarWinds\Logs\SEUM\InstallerPlaybackPlayer.log

For tips on interpreting logs, see Understanding Windows Installer Logs.