WAPT 2.1: All the improvements of the WAPT console

As announced in a previous article, we are taking advantage of the end of September to release the new version of WAPT Enterprise: WAPT 2.1! But what does this new version entail, you may ask? That’s an excellent question, and we’ll dive into it right away!

What’s New in WAPT 2.1?

WAPT 2.1 is what we call a “minor version”. As such, it does not include “big-ticket” features like ACL management or Windows update management, for example. However, we believe this version is still noteworthy.

Indeed, the focus of our development efforts for WAPT 2.1 has been improving the console. This version includes fixes, changes, and new features aimed at enhancing the console’s usability and performance.

Discover What’s New in WAPT 2.1:

As mentioned earlier, we have focused on improving the usability of the console. This improvement is evident in several ways:

• We have modernized almost all icons within the console. Further modifications are planned to enhance readability.
• We have also reorganized certain tabs and functionalities within the console to streamline navigation.
• TECH Preview: We have introduced a new tab called “WAPT Package Development” which integrates a WAPT package editor directly into the console. This allows users to eliminate the need for installing PyScripter, though not all features like auto-completion and debugging are fully implemented yet.

But that’s not all! We have also implemented Kerberos authentication for accessing the WAPT console and WAPT Self Service. This means no more typing passwords to log in. For WAPT Self Service, Kerberos must be active, the domain available, and the service set to “service_auth_type = waptserver-ldap”.

A preview of the new “WAPT Package Development” tab

What’s New in the “Inventory” Tab:

In this tab, you will find:

• A “Package” icon in the “AD Tree” section of the “Inventory” tab. This allows you to directly see Organizational Units that have packages.
• A “certificates” tab when clicking on a computer in the main grid of the “Inventory” tab. This enables you to quickly view certificates deployed on a machine.
• It is now possible to easily read encrypted logs from the console. This allows sensitive information (licenses, BitLocker keys, passwords) to be retrieved in the “Inventory” tab. Only those with the private key can decrypt the data.
• We have also improved WakeOnLan so that secondary repositories can serve as WakeOnLan relays. This ensures that requests are no longer blocked by local routers.
• Finally, you can “drag and drop” a software package into the main grid of the “Inventory” tab. This helps in determining the installed version on each workstation. The software name must be standardized for this feature to work properly.

What’s New in the “Private Repository” Tab:

Now, you can click on a package and view its dependent packages.

What’s New in the “Windows Updates” Tab:

From this tab, you can remove unaffected Windows updates. This feature is particularly useful for freeing up space on the WAPT server. Additionally, WAPT automatically removes them every night by default.

What’s New in the “Software Inventory” Tab:

The “Normalize Software Name” feature is now located in the “Software Inventory” tab. You can view which workstations have a specific software and take direct actions on these machines from this tab. Additionally, you can take actions on a selection of old or obsolete packages, primarily for removal purposes.

We hope you’ll appreciate the changes aimed at improving the usability and performance of the WAPT console. We’re eager to hear your feedback, whether in the comments or on our social media channels.