This article contains information about the 6300 Scan Engine release schedule for ENS 10.x endpoints. It includes instructions on how to evaluate V3 DAT packages that contain this engine during the Beta and Elective Update periods.

6300 Scan Engine Improvements
The 6300 Scan Engine includes the following improvements:

• Enhanced threat landscape with added support for MPress (LZMAT) and DMG file-type support
• Improved coverage on OLE and Excel file-types
• Better handling of VBA and Jar files and wider coverage for UPX packed files
• Catered multiple research requirements to improve the detection effectiveness with better handling in content
• Several bug fixes, and performance and security improvements

Release Schedule

Phase	Start Date	End Date	Common Updater site
6300 Scan Engine Beta for Endpoint Security	June 1, 2021	June 25, 2021	https://betaupdate.mcafee.com / http://betaupdate.mcafee.com
6300 Scan Engine Elective Update for Endpoint Security	June 29, 2021	No end date	https://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater3 / http://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater3
6300 Scan Engine Managed Throttled Update for Endpoint Security	July 14, 2021	July 29, 2021	https://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater / http://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater Or https://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater2 / http://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater2
6300 Scan Engine General Availability (GA) for Endpoint Security	July 29, 2021	No end date	https://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater / http://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater Or https://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater2 / http://update.nai.com/products/commonupdater2

IMPORTANT: These timelines are estimates and are subject to change.

NOTE: This Scan Engine update is mandatory and is contained within the V3 DAT package. ENS endpoints that currently run the 6200 Scan Engine, and that were not updated during the managed throttled update, will complete updating to the 6300 Scan Engine using the V3 DAT released on July 29, 2021. The GA date is July 29, so the 6200 Scan Engine is no longer present in the V3 DAT released that day.

How to Evaluate the 6300 Scan Engine
During the Beta and Elective Update periods, V3 DATs that contain only the 6300 Scan Engine are made available from the above Beta and CommonUpdater3 sites referenced for these phases. They also persist in these locations until a subsequent engine release cycle replaces them. Keep any test nodes intended to evaluate the 6300 Scan Engine pointed at one of these repositories until July 29, 2021. This approach avoids rolling back to the 6200 Scan Engine during the managed throttled update period. For more information about how content throttling works, see the "Frequently Asked Questions" section below.

Follow the instructions below to configure ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) to download and test V3 DATs that contain the 6300 Scan Engine. Instructions are also provided to revert clients to update with the standard V3 DAT where the release is managed.

To set up a Repository Pull task to pull the V3 DAT evaluation package into the Evaluation Branch:

1. In ePO, select Menu, Configuration, Server Settings.
2. Select Source Sites, and then click Edit, Add Source Site.
3. Type a source site name, select HTTP, and click Next.
4. In the URL field, make sure that DNS Name is selected as the default and type one of the following repositories:
   • betaupdate.mcafee.com
   • update.nai.com/products/commonupdater3
5. Type 80 for the Port and click Next.
6. Continue to click Next until the last screen, and then click Save.
7. Click Enable Fallback, and then click Save.
8. Select Menu, Automation, Server Tasks.
9. Select the Update Master Repository task and click Edit.
10. Click Next to navigate to the Actions tab, and then click +.
11. In the new Actions section, select Repository Pull.
12. Select the source site created in step 3 as the Source site, select Evaluation for Branch, and click Save.
13. Select the Update Master Repository task and click Run.

To change the McAfee Agent policy to pull client updates from the Evaluation Branch:

1. In ePO, edit the McAfee Agent General policy assigned to the endpoints you are using for evaluation.
2. Click the Updates tab.
3. Select Evaluation from the AMCore Content Package drop-down list, and then click Save.

To revert the McAfee Agent policy on completion of the evaluation:

1. In ePO, edit the McAfee Agent General policy assigned to the endpoints you were using for evaluation.
2. Click the Updates tab.
3. Select Current from the AMCore Content Package drop-down list, and then click Save.
4. If no longer needed, you can delete the source site set up for evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need to change anything to update the Scan Engine?
  No. For ENS customers, the Scan Engine update occurs automatically with no option to opt out. No additional action is needed to update the Scan Engine. The instructions provided in this article apply to customers interested to evaluate the Scan Engine before or during the managed throttled update running from July 14, 2021 to July 29, 2021.
   
• What is a managed throttled update?
  A managed throttled update uses randomization to control the number of client nodes that receive an upgraded component, in this case the 6300 Scan Engine, through content updates. During a throttle period, the number of client nodes that receive the new component version increases daily according to a velocity that McAfee Enterprise sets. After the throttle period, every client node that supports the new component receives the updated version by default during their next update. There is no action needed on the client node that receives the update.
   
• How does the managed throttled update work?
  The throttle period is divided into two phases with a different rate of deployment:
  • The first week (July 14-21), about 5–10% of systems received the upgrade. These systems were randomly selected.
  • The second week (July 22-28), about 25% of systems received the upgrade. These systems were randomly selected.
  • After the release on July 28, the throttle is disabled, and all remaining systems receive the upgrade with the V3 content released on July 29.
  
  NOTE: During the throttle period, if a new system has a fresh product installation, it always takes the new engine version, never the old one. (A fresh product installation is one not from an upgrade.)
   
• How do you roll back to a previous Scan Engine?
  The concept of engine updates has changed with AMCore technology. They are no longer separate packages from content. When AMCore content requires an update to any one of its engines that is used during scanning, the engine update is included in the V3 content update releases.
  
  McAfee Enterprise will decide to roll back any component included in the V3 content if such a response is needed. The rollback would take effect in a subsequent V3 content release.
   
• Does this release schedule apply to VirusScan Enterprise?
  No. This schedule applies only to ENS endpoints.
   
• Do the ENS 10.x updates include the 6300 Scan Engine update?
  Yes. Customers currently using ENS 10.x who update to the next ENS 10.x version, including all updates, will receive an update to the 6300 Scan Engine. No additional action is needed to update the Scan Engine.

Feedback and Questions
For any feedback or questions about the 6300 Scan Engine, contact Technical Support.

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