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Changes for Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers, and deprecating support for Chrome versions 64 and 83
On October 18, 2021, we will implement synthetics monitoring behavioral changes for Internet Explorer (IE) 11 and Firefox, and deprecating support for Chrome versions 64 and 83 browsers. This change is part of an effort to bring our synthetics monitoring to a single browser architecture, allowing us to innovate faster and provide more value-added capabilities to better support our customer needs.
This guide will help you make needed changes to avoid any disruption in your services.
Contents
- What is changing and when?
- Why deprecate IE 11, Firefox, and Chrome versions 64 and 83?
- How do I execute jobs using Headless Chrome?
- If I am using Chrome 64 or 83, what actions do I need to take?
- How can I tell what browsers I am currently using?
- How do I manually move jobs to Chrome 86?
- Are there any additional resources?
What is changing and when?
On September 13, 2021, we announced the depreciation of certain browser versions previously supported with our synthetic monitoring capabilities, effective October 18, 2021. These versions include: Internet Explorer (IE) 11, Firefox, and Chrome versions 64 and 83 browsers.
To ensure you have adequate time to make the necessary changes, we will keep a migration window open until November 18, 2021, to assist with any support issues.
Why deprecate IE 11, Firefox, and Chrome versions 64 and 83?
- Internet Explorer 11: Microsoft has announced that they will be ending support for Internet Explorer starting June 15, 2022. To comply with our Information security policy, AppDynamics will not support the deprecated 3rd party software
- IE 11, Firefox, and Chrome 64 and 83: Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers all use the Chrome engine. so availability and performance data will be similar to the Headless Chrome browser. For Chrome specifically, this is part of our continued development and support for the more modern version of the browser.
How will using Headless Chrome impact jobs executed with IE and Firefox?
On October 18, jobs currently being executed in IE or Firefox will automatically start being executed in headless Chrome 86, with IE 11 and Firefox user agent. While customers will not lose the ability to monitor the availability and performance in IE 11 and Firefox, this change could impact any custom scripts you may be running (see below for details).
NOTE: Based on our analysis, the availability and performance of jobs executed in headless Chrome with IE 11 and Firefox user agent is similar to the availability and performance of jobs executed in native IE 11 and Firefox.
If I am using Chrome 64 or 83, what actions do I need to take?
You will need to move to Chrome 86 before the deprecation either manually (see the details below), or by reaching out to us through a Support ticket.
- Move the jobs to Chrome 86: Customers are encouraged to move jobs from IE 11, Firefox; and required to move Chrome versions 64 and 83 to Chrome 86 before we make the described changes. This can be done manually (instructions below) or by submitting a support ticket.
- Update the scripts: Many customers use scripts to leverage synthetics monitoring. For example, selenium-based python scripts to create synthetic monitoring jobs. Some of these scripts may break or fail with timeout errors when the jobs are migrated to Chrome. This would most likely be due to an incompatibility between the selenium commands and the Chrome web driver used in Chrome 86. For example, the selenium commands supported in Chrome 64 may not be supported in Chrome 86. Fixing these issues may require you to update existing scripts.
- Update timeout and alerting configurations: Customers may also have to address changes in performance between the existing browser and Chrome 86. This could require some fine-tuning of your current timeout and alerting configurations.
- On-premises customer only: Update the Synth Server to a version equal or newer than 21.4.2 and update to the latest version of Linux PSA 21.9
- For details about other changes in Chrome 86, refer to our Chrome 86 documentation.
How can I tell what browsers I'm currently using?
To determine which browsers you are currently using:
- In the User Experience section, under Synthetics, click Sessions
- From there, use Fields to filter using the Browser and Browser Version options
How do I manually move jobs to Chrome 86?
Repeat this process for each of your jobs:
- Start by going to the specific application which has enabled synthetics monitoring, and go to Jobs.
- Then select the specific job and click Edit for options to update the browser type.
- Once the pop-up window for the new job appears, click on the Browser button.
- From there, scroll down to the Select Browser configuration option, check Chrome and select version 86 from the dropdown. Click the Save button in the bottom right corner.
Are there any additional resources?
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