End of support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 & 2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1
Dear Users,
ManageEngine Desktop Central announces the end of support for Windows XP SP1, SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 from March 31, 2015.
Why?
In the recent past, the industry has witnessed quite a few cryptographic attacks upon SHA-1. And Microsoft is deprecating SHA-1 signed binaries due to Pre-Image attack vulnerability. Desktop Central agent binaries, which were signed with SHA-1 codes, will now be signed using SHA-256 codes.
Since SHA-256 is not supported in Windows XP SP1, SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1, we will not be able to extend support for these versions.
For more details, you can view Microsoft's official announcement of these Service Packs' EOL here.
Impact:
Beyond March 31, 2015,
- Technical support would not be provided for computers running on Windows XP SP1, SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1.
- When you migrate to the latest version of Desktop Central, Agent upgradation will fail on computers running Windows XP SP1, SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 as they do not support SHA-256 certificates. Hence, you will not be able to manage those computers.
What are your options now?
1. Upgrade your Windows OS to Windows XP SP3 or Windows 2003 SP2 or later versions.
2. You can continue to use the older version of Desktop Central to manage your computers till December 26, 2015 (expiration date of the previous certificates). However, as said above, we will cease to offer technical support for these versions.
If you have any queries regarding the transition, please feel free to contact desktopcentral-support@manageengine.com.