Privileged Remote Access 26.3.1 Pre-release notice
Coming Soon: Automatic Version Upgrades
Applies to BeyondTrust Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access, cloud and on-premises appliances
Summary
BeyondTrust takes customer security and stability seriously. With this in mind, BeyondTrust is happy to announce that, starting with the 26.3 release (General Availability targeted for October 15, 2026), optional automatic upgrades features will be available in Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access deployments that have enabled automatic updates.
Upgrades, and any updates that require downtime, are installed only during the maintenance window you've selected (day of week and time of day), with advance notification, and on the version cadence you choose via your Automatic Updates Channel.
This new behavior builds on the Automatic Updates Channel setting introduced in 25.3, and will ensure your solution remains current and on a fully supported version, regardless of which track you select.
Terminology
- Patch: fixes applied to your current version. Your version number does not change.
- Upgrade: moves your deployment to a new version.
- Update: used in the /appliance interface to refer to both patches and upgrades.
What is changing
Today, the Automatic Updates Channel setting is available, but automatic upgrade functionality has not yet been activated. Beginning approximately four weeks after 26.3 reaches GA, deployments with automatically install the latest updates during maintenance day(s) and time enabled:
- continue to receive all available patches for their current version during their maintenance window, regardless of channel, and
- be upgraded to the target version for their channel during their next eligible maintenance window.
Your channel selection affects upgrades only. It has no effect on which patches you receive.
Rollout schedule
Channels are activated one release at a time so that every customer receives a full release cycle of notice before their first automatic upgrade. No deployment will ever be automatically moved to a version older than 26.3.
| Release | GA (approx.) | Upgrades begin | Fast Track | Standard Track | Enterprise Track |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.3 | October 15, 2026 | Mid-November 2026 | Upgrades to 26.3.x | Not yet active | Not yet active |
| 27.1 | Q1 2027 | GA + 4 weeks | Upgrades to 27.1.x | Upgrades to 26.3.x | Not yet active |
| 27.2 | Mid 2027 | GA + 4 weeks | Upgrades to 27.2.x | Upgrades to 27.1.x | Upgrades to 26.3.x |
| 27.3 and later | Ongoing | GA + 4 weeks | Current release | N - 1 | N - 2 |
Each channel always receives the latest maintenance release for its target version. Automatic upgrades only move your appliance forward; if you are already at or beyond your channel's target, no change is applied until a newer target version for that channel is established.
What this means for the 26.3 release
- Fast Track: Your site will be upgraded to 26.3.x during your maintenance window beginning approximately mid-November 2026.
- Standard Track: No automatic upgrade this cycle. Your first automatic upgrade (to 26.3.x) will occur after 27.1 is released.
- Enterprise Track: No automatic upgrade this cycle or the next. Your first automatic upgrade (to 26.3.x) will occur after 27.2 is released.
Critical security updates
Critical security patches are not affected by your channel selection and continue to follow their existing behavior: non-disruptive critical patches install as soon as eligible, and disruptive critical patches install during your maintenance window when Automatically install disruptive critical updates during the Maintenance Window is enabled.
Who is affected
Automatic version upgrades require the Automatic Updates Channel setting introduced in 25.3.1. Both Cloud and On-Premises deployments running 25.3.1 or later with automatic updates enabled are in scope.
Deployments on 25.2 or earlier will not be automatically upgraded. Each version remains supported for two years from its GA date under BeyondTrust's support policy. To participate in automatic upgrades, upgrade manually to 25.3.1 or later and select a channel.
How to review or change your settings
- Log in to the /appliance administrative interface.
- Go to Updates > Maintenance Window.
- Confirm your Maintenance Window Start Time, Maintenance day(s), and Minimum days notice before installing updates.
- Select your preferred Automatic Updates Channel: Fast Track (receive updates as soon as they are available), Standard Track (receive updates on a regular cadence), or Enterprise Track (receive updates on a slower cadence).
- Click Save.
How to opt out
Clear Automatically install the latest updates during maintenance day(s) and time and click Save. You will continue to receive notifications when updates are available and can install them manually at any time from the same page.
Questions
Contact BeyondTrust Support or your account team.
