We are happy to announce the public preview of ORF's next update, version 6.9. This release introduces integrated GeoIP Blocking, Automatic Error Reporting, along with a host of other changes and improvements.
Read on to learn what's changed and get the new beta.
Sender Location information is now recorded and displayed in logs.
GeoIP Blacklist statistics are now included in reports.
Introduced the System > Network Settings page, which now includes both DNS and HTTP proxy settings.
Removed the System > DNS page.
Removed the Proxy Settings buttons from individual test configuration pages.
Renamed the management tool-specific Network Settings to Connection Preferences in the File menu.
Renamed the Client IP special field to Remote Peer IP in the External Agent Properties window to improve clarity.
The DKIM Test signature verifier now allows for unencoded headers containing special characters.
The SPF Test now allows for non-standard representation of IPv6 addresses during validation.
-
Be sure to read the Installation Notes before installing the beta version.
A separate download of the ORF management tools is available below. Install this package on workstations to manage ORF remotely. Note that management tools are included in the full installer packages above (for local management).
ORF 6.9 Beta R02 Management Tools-only Installer |
The 6.9 Management Tools are not backward compatible. You can only manage ORF 6.9 installations with the 6.9 Management Tools package. Side-by-side installation of 5.x or 6.x Management Tools is currently not available.
Please consider that this is pre-release software and may contain bugs. Install the beta for testing purposes only.
When upgrading from an existing ORF installation, make sure to create a configuration backup prior the upgrade, as described by the Configuration Backup Guide. If you need to revert back to the previous version, this backup can be used to restore your previous version quickly.
Important Exit from the Windows Event Viewer MMC before the upgrade (see this FAQ article).
The list below contains the issues that we know about the current beta release. This list is maintained during the lifetime of the beta; be sure to check back here before reporting an issue. Issue severity levels are explained in the FAQ.
Severity | Issue |
---|---|
Minor |
Memory usageSlightly increased memory usage (does not affect filtering or system stability). |
Minor |
HTTP proxy setting replicationLocal-only HTTP proxy settings (these settings are not replicated by configuration subscription). |
Minor |
Some website links may not workA few links pointing to our website from ORF and its help system will not be available until the final release of ORF. |
The list below contains the issues that have been fixed since the R01 beta release.
A dedicated support forum is available for the beta version. Please use this forum for technical support and bug reports. Registration is not required.
Go to forum ⇾When reporting bugs, please share any information with us that you consider important for reproducing the bug. A few tips on what we might need:
*.log
) for the time of the issueWhen sensitive information (such as logs) needs to be shared, please send these to [email protected].
You can report issues of all severity, even the smallest things like typos or grammatical errors.
The beta release is fully functional and contains all planned features. It is also time-limited and the current release will expire on April 30, 2024. We will release either the final version or another beta release before the above date.
We define four simple levels for issue severity.
Cosmetic issues are harmless and do not affect any functionality. These are typically typos, grammar mistakes and other interface issues.
Minor issues render some functionality of ORF broken, but they are generally harmless and do not affect the overall operation of the product.
Medium severity issues cause an important ORF functionality to be broken. If you rely on the affected functionality, you may not be able to use the beta until a fix is released.
Major issues affect the overall reliability of the software. If such issue is published, you are recommended to stop using the beta until a fix is released. Make sure to read the description to understand the risks.
Unknown severity is assigned to issues where the scope of the issue has not been determined yet.
You may receive "DeleteFile failed; code 5. Access denied." error from the
Setup regarding orfeesvc.exe
when updating an existing ORF
installation.
This is caused by a program that locks the Windows Event
Log message resource embedded in the ORF Service
binary orfeesvc.exe
. The typical offenders are
the Windows Event Viewer MMC and software
that uses WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) for reading
the Windows event log.
To fix this problem, exit from the Event Viewer MMC and click "Retry". If the file is still locked, shut down any software temporarily which monitors the Windows event log and try again.
If the above does not help, go to the ORF installation
directory and rename orfeesvc.exe
to orfeesvc.bak
,
then click "Retry".
We are happy to hear your suggestions and they may make it into a future ORF version.
The system requirements have not changed since the last ORF release. Check the current system requirements here.
The Management Tools package can be installed on any modern Windows desktop OS (Windows XP or later).
Early ORF releases were tested in-house by Vamsoft developers for weeks on various platforms. Due to this, we expect that most issues that may arise will be lightweight.
Be sure to visit the beta forums every once in a while, we will publish any bug reports there. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed of the beta forum.
Yes, the beta setup is fully backward compatible and will update any earlier ORF Fusion or Enterprise Edition release.
Yes, you will be able to upgrade from the beta in-place.
You can revert by uninstalling ORF Beta and installing a previous ORF version. Once the installation is complete, restore the configuration backup you made previously (see the Configuration Backup Guide).
It depends on the beta test progress. We are committed to release a stable ORF version to our clients, so the final release can be expected only once the preview release reaches a reasonable level of reliability.
Your subscription guarantees access to any new ORF releases within the validity period — this includes ORF 6.9. Be sure not to let your subscription expire and you will get the new ORF at no additional cost.
Contact our Customer Service, we are happy to answer any questions you may have.