Terms and definitions

To help you understand the iManage Auto Updates concept, all relevant terms and their definitions are listed in the following table:

Table: Terms and definitions related to iManage Auto Updates

Term	Definition
Update Server	An update server is any networked file share or an https server where the latest iManage and third-party software updates are hosted. This location is used by the iManage Auto Updates feature to download the latest applications for the initial installation and whenever these applications are updated.
Channel	A channel is a package of software applications with specific versions. Its label (for example, Beta or Release) indicates the quality and stability status of packaged applications. Channel(s) can be assigned to end-users or can be selected by them if the channel selection option is enabled. Channels give IT administrators the power, flexibility, and convenience to automatically deploy different products with appropriate versions to different user groups. Channels are defined in the `update.ini` file, which is located at `%ProgramData%\iManage\AgentServices\CentralizedConfigs` . You can add any software application to the channel using the aforementioned format.¹
Rollback	iManage Updater supports the ability to roll back software products and versions, when necessary. Rollback allows for a firm to undo an update. For example, if a firm upgraded some users from version 144 to 149 and then decided—for some reason—that the upgrade was no longer desired, the firm can roll back users to version 144. When a rollback occurs, users are presented with the same notice that an update is available. When the update is installed, the user’s software is downgraded to the specified version, instead of upgrading to the latest version.²
iManage Installer	iManage Installer is the first component that gets installed on the user's desktop. It is responsible for kicking off the Auto Updates process by running iManage Updater, which is described later in this section.
iManage Updater	iManage Updater is responsible for the following: Checking for the config files (the `update.ini` and `updateinfo.json` files) Downloading the latest config files Identifying the active channel from the registry or the default channel from the `update.ini` file Based on the assigned channel, installing the appropriate versions of the product Identifying which applications are potentially available for updates Sending a message to iManage Work Agent to inform the user of these updates Executing the updates And finally, sending the message to iManage Work Agent about the successful installation of updates
iManage Agent Services	iManage Agent Services is responsible for providing resilience and auto updates capabilities. It is essentially a package that includes two key components: iManage Stay Exec and iManage Update Manager, which are described later in this section.
iManage Stay Exec	iManage Stay Exec is a persistently running executable used for ensuring that processes located in `C:\ProgramData\iManage\AgentServices\configs\ProcessRegistry` are always running. iManage Stay Exec provides resiliency by automatically restarting the processes in the aforementioned folder. NOTE: iManage Stay Exec does not allow unsigned iManage Work files to run. If it finds any such file, it writes an entry to the log stating that the file is unsigned and cannot be run.
iManage Update Manager	iManage Update Manager performs periodic checks for software updates by running iManage Updater. By default, it checks for updates every 15 minutes; however, it is configurable.³

References:

For more information on adding products to a channel, see Defining Channels.
For more information on using the rollback option, see Defining Channels.
For more information on configuring this value, see Configuring the frequency to check for updates.