Whats New in ObserveIT 5.6.

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This document is for informational purposes only.

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1. WINDOWS IMPROVEMENTS

1.1. Reduced Screen Data Storage Requirements
ObserveIT 5.6.9 employs new screen data compression algorithms, which substantially reduce the storage
required for Windows screenshot recording. The new compression applies to all ObserveIT screenshots, whether
stored in an SQL Server database or in the file system. The actual improvement depends on the type of user
activity being recorded, with reductions of 40-50% typical in most usage scenarios.

1.2. Reduced Windows Agent Resource Requirements
The Windows agent now utilizes approximately 25% less CPU power, reducing system overhead in all Windows
environments. In Citrix and Terminal Server environments, this allows running more concurrent monitored
sessions on the same hardware configuration.

1.3. Multiple File-System Storage Locations
Enterprise customers can now extend and manage their file system storage as it fills up, adding as much storage as required
via any number of different storage locations.
Features include:
Multiple disks and file paths are easily configured for both current and archive storage.
Additional storage can be configured dynamically when current or archive disk locations approach maximum
capacity.
Each file path can be either a local or remote/network drive.
Configurable system alerts are generated when storage disk size exceeds a predefined threshold and when a
defined storage path becomes unavailable.


Historical file path locations are retained, allowing
viewing, searching and report generation.

RELEASE NOTES 5.6.9
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Copyright 2014 ObserveIT. All rights reserved.
All trademarks, trade names, service marks and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.
This document is for informational purposes only.

www.observeit.com
2. UNIX/LINUX IMPROVEMENTS

2.1. Secondary Identification
Similar to whats already been available for Windows logins, ObserveITs valuable Secondary Identification
feature is now supported for shared Unix/Linux logins. Upon logging in to a Unix/Linux session using a shared
account (e.g., root), ObserveIT can be configured to also require valid individual credentials before the
interactive user session will open. User credentials may be authenticated via local ObserveIT identification or
Active Directory.
This feature provides added security and an invaluable individual-centric audit trail for shared accounts, without
the expense or overhead of a password vault.


2.2. Configurable Offline Storage Location
Unix/Linux-based server policies now support configuration of the offline storage location (for data recorded by the
ObserveIT agent when access to the ObserveIT Application Server is unavailable). By default, this data is stored under the
directory, /var/run/observeit/, but a different location can now be specified in the server policy.


2.3. Limiting Output Recording in the Absence of User Input
Unix/Linux-based server policies now support a maximum session output recording threshold in the absence of
any user input.
This is particularly useful for preventing the allocation of large amounts of screen data storage in situations
where a session is displaying a lengthy stream of output, but when no actual user activity is occurring. Examples:
ongoing syslog output via the tail -f command or a find command with a large amount of output.


RELEASE NOTES 5.6.9
3


Copyright 2014 ObserveIT. All rights reserved.
All trademarks, trade names, service marks and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.
This document is for informational purposes only.

www.observeit.com
3. GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS

3.1. Access to All Connected Domains in Active Directory Forests
ObserveIT now allows selection of user and group objects from any connected domain within the forest in which ObserveIT
agents or server-side components are installed, as well as trusted domains in other forests.
Including/excluding users/groups from multiple Active Directory domains is now supported by:
o Server recording policies
o Secondary identification policies
o Login message policies
o Ticketing system policies
Access to the Web Console can be allowed/disallowed by Active Directory user/group from all forest domains.
All Active Directory forest domains are available for selection. Cross-forest trusts are supported.

3.2. Additional Supported Platforms
The following platforms are now supported in version 5.6.9:
Windows Agent
Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit only)
Windows 8.1
Citrix XenApp and Citrix XenDesktop 7.0 and 7.1
Unix/Linux Agent
AIX 7.1
Solaris 11, update 1
Solaris 9, update 9
RHEL/CentOS 5.10 and 6.5
Oracle Linux 5.10 and 6.5
HP-UX versions 11.23 and 11.31, Itanium architecture (64-bit)
Application Server, Web Management Console and Database Server
Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit only)
For a complete list of supported platforms and their supported update versions, refer to Product
Documentation: Supported Platforms.