DELL Technologies Support Assist for Business PCs with Windows OS User Guide

: July 16, 2024
: DELL Technologies

Table of Contents

DELL Technologies Support Assist for Business PCs with Windows OS
Release Summary
New and enhanced features
Compatibility
Prerequisites to deploy SupportAssist
Known issues
Limitations
Documentation & Others
Contact Dell
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

DELL Technologies Support Assist for Business PCs with Windows OS

Release Summary

This release includes new features, enhancements, and bug fixes to SupportAssist and TechDirect.

Version
3.6.0.56884

Release date
March 2024

Priority and recommendations
URGENT: Dell Technologies highly recommends applying this update as soon as possible. The update contains changes to improve the reliability and availability of your Dell system.

NOTE: If the PCs in your organization are running an older version of SupportAssist for Business PCs, ensure that you update to the latest version. Updating to the latest version ensures that you experience full benefits of the enhanced SupportAssist features.

New and enhanced features

For PCs running SupportAssist for Business PCs version 3.6—the validity of the remote optimization task is extended from 72 hours to 30 days.

NOTE: For PCs running SupportAssist for Business PCs version 3.5 and earlier, the validity of the remote optimization task remains as 72 hours.

Ability to select language preferences while entering the primary and secondary contact information.
Availability of new Dell library remediation scripts—BSOD Remediation and Thermal Optimization.
Ability to automatically apply updates when a new version of the custom catalog is available.
Ability to search for information about the PCs by using rules or PC identifiers.
Performance improvements, security fixes, and bug fixes.

Compatibility

SupportAssist is supported on the following Dell devices:

Laptops and desktops
- Latitude
- Precision *
- OptiPlex
- Inspiron **
- XPS
- Alienware
- Vostro
Docking Stations —For the list of supported docking stations, see Dell Commercial Docking Compatibility.
- Precision Rack and Tower workstations are not supported.
- SupportAssist is not supported on Inspiron 3420.

NOTE: SupportAssist is not supported on virtual machines.
NOTE: SupportAssist is not supported on PCs using the Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) processors.

Prerequisites to deploy SupportAssist

PC requirements
The following are the requirements for a target PC to enable SupportAssist deployment and usage:

Operating system:
- Microsoft Windows 10 version 1809 or later
- Microsoft Windows 11
Software:
- PowerShell script execution
- Latest version of .NET Desktop Runtime 6.0.x. See Microsoft .NET 6.0.

NOTE: .NET Desktop Runtime versions 7.0.x and 8.0.x are not supported.

Installed memory—4 GB
Web browser—latest version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox.

Network requirements
The following are the network requirements for a target PC to enable SupportAssist deployment:

Active Internet connection
Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.2 or 1.3
Elevation of the SupportAssistUI.exe launch command
Ports, communication mode, protocol, and endpoints—the following table describes the usage of ports and endpoints that must be enabled on the end-user PC running SupportAssist for Business PCs:

Table 1. Ports, communication mode, protocol, and endpoints

Port	Communication mode	Protocol	Destination	Purpose
443	Inbound and outbound secure connection

to and from the destination

| HTTPS| https://sacommercial.apis.dell.com| To communicate with Dell to retrieve the configuration settings.
https://saservices.dell.com| To register SupportAssist to TechDirect and upload SupportAssist log files to Dell.
○ https://downloads.dell.com

○ https://dl.dell.com

| ○    To scan for viruses and malware, and download catalog files.
Port| Communication mode| Protocol| Destination| Purpose
---|---|---|---|---
| | | ○    https://dellupdater.dell.com/| ○    To update SupportAssist automatically and install drivers on the PC.
https://agent-api.sa.insights.dell.com| To collect and upload the health, application, and security data of the PCs.
https://apigtwb2c.us.dell.com| To retrieve the PC warranty data.
https://content.dellsupportcenter.com| To verify if SupportAssist is connected to Internet.
https://hb.apis.dell.com| To collect and send the date on which the PC last connected to Dell.
https://api.agent.dcca.dell.com| To collect and upload PC inventory and utilization data to Dell.
https://remediation.dell.com| To diagnose the PCs for issues and remediate them.
○    https://schashcheck.sutherlandglobal.com

○ https://smartcheck.sutherlandglobal.com

| To detect and remediate virus and malware issues.
○ https://www.yahoo.com

○ https://www.google.com

| To check and troubleshoot network issues.
https://api.astra.dell.com| To receive endpoint information and configuration for payload transmission.
○ https://*.blob.core.windows.net

○ https://*.servicebus.windows.net

Table 1. Ports, communication mode, protocol, and endpoints (continued)

Port	Communication mode	Protocol	Destination	Purpose
			SupportAssist user interface.

8883, 8884, 8885, or

8886

| Inbound and outbound secure connection

to and from the destination

| HTTPS| https://www.dell.com| To communicate with the Dell support website.
8883| Inbound and outbound secure connection

to and from the destination

| MQTT| *.azure-devices.net| To apply the

latest changes made to SupportAssist preferences instantly and remotely optimize the PCs from TechDirect.

8883 or 443| Inbound and outbound secure connection

to and from the destination

| MQTT or HTTPS| ○ bapfbr-prod-remediationiothub. azure- devices.net

○ zbkena-prod- remediation- iothub.azure- devices.net

○ labored-prod- remediation- iothub.azure- devices.net

| To run remediation scripts on the PCs.

Gateway or firewall —if the PC connects to the Internet through a proxy server and if you do not want to configure the proxy in system context mode, ensure that you configure the gateway or firewall to allow communication to the following destinations:

Table 2. Gateway or firewall

Connect to the following destinations….	To….
http://crl.entrust.net/level1k.crl	Validate certificates and securely

connect the PCs to Dell.
http://www.entrust.net/rpa
http://ocsp.entrust.net
http://aia.entrust.net/l1k-chain256.cer
http://crl3.digicert.com/DigiCertGlobalRootCA.crl
http://crl4.digicert.com/DigiCertGlobalRootCA.crl
http://crl4.digicert.com/DigiCertGlobalRootCA.crl
http://ocsp.digicert.com
https://www.digicert.com/CPS

Known issues

Unable to view the Central Resource Manager user interface in High contrast mode

Description
- The Central Resource Manager user interface cannot be viewed in the High contrast mode of Windows.
Workaround
- None
Tracking number
- 323
Version affected
- 3.6

SupportAssist hardware scans may not work as expected with older Dell Optimizer versions

Description
- If Dell Optimizer version 4.1 is installed after deploying SupportAssist for Business PCs version 3.6, SupportAssist hardware scans may not work as expected.
Workaround
- Install Dell Optimizer 4.1 first and then deploy SupportAssist for Business PCs version 3.6.
Tracking number
- 7845
Version affected
- 3.6

Interactive tests not working with the Windows Narrator functionalityInteractive tests not working with the Windows Narrator functionality

Description
- Certain user-interactive tests on the Troubleshooting page in the SupportAssist user interface may not work with the Windows Narrator functionality.
Workaround
- None
Version affected
- 3.6

Unused user profiles are not deleted

Description
- The Delete Old Profile remediation script may not delete user profiles even if the profiles have not been logged in on the PC for 60 days.
Workaround
- None
Tracking number
- 7602
Version affected
- 3.5

Notifications are not displayed to the PC user

Description
- When you upgrade .NET Desktop Runtime to version 6.0.x, notifications are not displayed to the PC user.
Workaround
- Restart the PC to start receiving the notifications.
Tracking number
- 6720
Version affected
- 3.4.x and 3.5

Failed driver updates are not recommended in subsequent scans

Description
- When a driver update fails, the driver that failed to update is not recommended in the subsequent driver scans.
Workaround
- None
Tracking number
- 7342
Version affected
- 3.4.1 and later

SupportAssist user interface failing to open for multiple signed-in users

Description
- If a signed-in user has opened and used the SupportAssist user interface and not closed the session, other signed-in users cannot open the SupportAssist user interface on the same PC.
Workaround
- SupportAssist user interface must be closed for another user to open and use it.
Tracking number
- 7735
Version affected
- All versions

Registry entries are not deleted during uninstallation

Description
- While uninstalling SupportAssist for business PCs, some registry entries are not deleted. Therefore, a new version of SupportAssist cannot be installed on these PCs.
Workaround
- Run the SupportAssistUninstall_Cleanup.ps1 script and retry the installation.
Tracking number
- 1685
Versions affected
- All versions

Limitations

SupportAssist is not supported on virtual machines.
SupportAssist is not supported on Precision Rack and Tower workstations.
SupportAssist does not automatically perform diagnostic tests on components that require user intervention.
SupportAssist does not support Transport Layer Security (TLS) versions—1.0 and 1.1.
If Full Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Inspection is enabled in system context mode, SupportAssist may not work as expected.
APIs are not available for partners and their customers.
SupportAssist is not supported on Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) enabled PCs.
SupportAssist is not supported on PCs using the Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) processors.
Driver scans may not work as expected when both SupportAssist and Dell Command | Update are installed on the same PC and different catalog deployment modes are selected.
SupportAssist does not support the proxy auto-configuration (PAC) file.

Resources
This section lists the documentation resources and other useful links that provide more information about SupportAssist for Business PCs.

Documentation & Others

Table 3. Resources

For more information about	See	Available at

Onboarding to TechDirect, configuring, downloading, and deploying SupportAssist on the PC fleet| IT Administrators— SupportAssist for Business PCs with Windows OS Deployment Guide|

SupportAssist for Business PCs Documentation page

Partners— SupportAssist for Business PCs with Windows OS Deployment Guide for Partners
Using TechDirect to manage your PCs running SupportAssist for Business PCs| SupportAssist for Business PCs with Windows OS Administrator Guide

Table 3. Resources (continued)

For more information about	See	Available at
Frequently asked questions and answers about SupportAssist for Business PCs
SupportAssist for Business PCs with Windows OS Frequently Asked Questions
Setting up SupportAssist for Business PCs	_SupportAssist for Business PCs

with_ Windows OS Quick Setup Guide
Data collected from various components of your PC| SupportAssist for Business PCs with Windows OS Data Collected from Connected PCs
Summary of recent changes, enhancements, known issues, and limitations in the release| SupportAssist for Business PCs with Windows OS Release Notes
Using SupportAssist that is configured and deployed on your PC by your administrator| SupportAssist for Business PCs with Windows OS User’s Guide
Enrolling your organization, managing SupportAssist alerts, and parts dispatch requests in TechDirect| TechDirect dashboard| https://techdirect.dell.com
SupportAssist benefits and features| SupportAssist home page| SupportAssist for Business PCs home page

Videos

How to onboard to TechDirect to set up and connect SupportAssist for Business PCs—demonstrates how to onboard to TechDirect and activate the Connect and manage service.
How to view health of your PC fleet using SupportAssist for Business PCs—demonstrates how to view the health of your PC fleet.
How to view application experience for your PC fleet using SupportAssist for Business PCs—demonstrates how to view the application experience data for your PC fleet in Connect and Manage.
How to view security of your PC fleet using SupportAssist for Business PCs—demonstrates how to view the security data for your PC fleet.
How to create remediation rules for your PC fleet using SupportAssist for Business PCs—demonstrates how you can create remediation rules that help proactively identify and automatically resolve issues or threats that occur on the PCs.
How to create and manage catalogs for your PC fleet using SupportAssist for Business PCs—demonstrates how to create and manage catalogs and deploy PC updates remotely.

Contact Dell

To contact Dell for issues on the Connect and Manage service and SupportAssist for Business PCs, perform the following steps:

Go to TechDirect and click Contact us. The Contact Us page is displayed.
Enter the name, email address, phone, and company, and select the region.
From the Services list, select SupportAssist for Business PCs.
From the Subject list, select a required subject.
Enter the Service Tag and a message, attach any helpful files, and then click Submit.

Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

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