Introduction to Reference Configurations

Reference configurations are deployment scenarios that we recommend, which have undergone extensive testing to ensure proper sequencing. The scenarios reduce the need for restarts and improve ease of execution. Use the reference configuration report finder to find the scenario that you need. The search tool allows you to filter reference configuration documents by product, installation type (fresh installation or upgrade), and Windows version.

For more details about reference configurations and answers to frequently asked questions, see KB88274 - Introduction to Reference Configurations.

This reference configuration document is designed for customers who already have our products deployed. This document was created by building a baseline system matching the most commonly deployed versions of our products at that point in time, and then upgrading to recently released product versions. The intent is to provide a roadmap for upgrading to recent releases. 

NOTE: Not all products are included in this document. It represents products that are commonly used. If your product mix is a subset of this configuration, you can skip over any product deployment that does not apply to your needs. The recommended products in this reference configuration don't necessarily represent the latest released versions of many products.
 
Before You Begin
Before beginning the deployment process, there are several preparatory actions that help lead to a successful deployment process.

Review the latest release notes and known issues 
Although we officially recommend this reference configuration, we might discover issues that can impact the success of your deployment. See the "Recommended Product Configuration" table for links to known issues for each product version. 

Plan for restarts 
Some operating system driver modules installed during product upgrades are properly loaded into memory only at runtime. As a result, they need a restart to facilitate the loading of the new drivers. Limitations of the operating system require that only one version of these drivers be loaded at a time. So, depending on which products you're installing, you might need to restart multiple times. This deployment path has been optimized to minimize the number of restarts needed when you update all products listed in the sequence.

If you're planning to update only a subset of products, plan to restart after the updates are complete.

Adapt this guideline to your specific upgrade plan 
Your current deployment baseline might differ from the versions mentioned in the "Recommended Product Configuration" table. If some of your product versions are more recent than this provided baseline, you can still follow the recommended sequence. If you don't use some of the products in the list, you can skip that product.

Recommended Product Configuration
The table below lists commonly deployed products, determined based on telemetry samplings from a large set of customers. We recommend that you deploy these products to take advantage of the recent product offering for ENS 10.6.0. This configuration has been extensively tested for cross-product compatibility using Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 x64, Windows 8.1 x64, Windows 10 Version 1703 (Creators Update), Server 2008 R2, Server 2012 R2, and Server 2016.

NOTE: In the table below, the hyphen (-) means that no upgrade is needed, or not applicable.
 

Products	Common Versions (Client – Windows 7, 8.1, 10 Version 1703 Server – Windows 2008 R2, 2012 R2, 2016)	Recommended Upgrades	Known Issues
ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO)	5.3.2.156	-	-
Data Exchange Layer Broker (DXL Broker)	-	4.1.1.113	-
Threat Intelligence Exchange Server	-	2.3.0.328	KB85172
Active Response Server	-	2.4.0.134	KB88196
Advanced Threat Defense	-	4.4.0	KB89507
McAfee Agent	5.0.6.220	5.5.1.342	-
VSE	8.8.0.1804 (Patch 9)	-	-
ENS	-	10.6.0.357	KB82450
SiteAdvisor Enterprise	3.5.0.1364 (Update 4)	-	-
Skyhigh Client Proxy	-	2.3.4.161	KB83131
DXL Client	-	4.1.1.123	-
Adaptive Threat Protection	-	10.6.0.656	KB88788
Active Response Client	-	2.4.0.134	KB88196
Host Intrusion Prevention System	8.0.0.4210 (Patch 9)	8.0.0.4605 (Patch 11)	-
Data Loss Prevention Endpoint	11.0.2.32	11.0.500.582	KB89301
Drive Encryption	7.2.1.16	7.2.6.6	KB84502
File and Removable Media Protection (FRP) 1	5.0.4.113	5.0.7.111	KB85807
Application and Change Control	7.0.1.275	8.2.0.140	KB87838 KB87839

 
¹ FRP isn't supported on server operating systems. For details, see KB81149 - Supported platforms for File and Removable Media Protection.
 
Installation Process
This section outlines the recommended order of operation:

NOTES:

• Dark green boxes indicate server systems.
• Dark blue boxes indicate when a product upgrade is recommended.
• Light blue boxes indicate a new product deployment.
• Boxes outlined in red indicate that a system reboot is needed to enable that product.