Flexera One Blog — JBorchers (Flexera Software)
Inventory Beacon Release 25.3.0 - Conversion of FlexNet Beacon to a 64-bit application - Action needed!
With the March 2026 update in the EU and the April 2026 update in the US, FlexNet Beacon transitions from a 32‑bit to a 64‑bit application. This change delivers improved performance, more efficient memory usage, and better compatibility with modern operating systems, while also enabling greater scalability and future‑proofing the Beacon infrastructure.
Important: Beginning with version 25.3.0, the Beacon runs as a 64-bit application and requires 64-bit drivers, such as the x64 Access Database Engine, depending on the features in use. Manual actions needed!
Managing Beacon upgrades
If you have Beacons configured to automatically upgrade, you may choose to disable the auto-upgrade for the time being so that you can manually arrange for the Beacon upgrade and any of the below-mentioned component updates to be done at the same time, avoiding any unplanned interruption to the successful operation of Beacons.
Alternatively, you should arrange for the below-mentioned components to be updated soon after the Beacon auto-upgrade occurs to minimize the period when associated operations may fail. Until dependent components have been updated to their 64-bit versions, associated Beacon processes will continue to fail.
Important: If the items in the following sections are not updated as indicated, data flow from the Beacon may stop flowing as expected.
Note: After FlexNet Beacon is upgraded to a 64-bit version, automatic downgrade to a previous 32-bit version is not supported. To downgrade to a 32-bit version, you must first manually uninstall the 64-bit version, then install the 32-bit version.
Breaking change summary - what changes and what to do:
What changed: Starting in 25.3.0, Inventory Beacon is a 64-bit application.
Who is impacted: Beacons that use:
- File-based adapters (CSV/XLS/XLSX);
- Direct Oracle connections;
- IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) via DB2.
- CyberArk Credential Provider
What you must do: Install the required x64 drivers/providers for the features you use (examples below).
When to do it: Update drivers/providers at the same time as the 25.3.0 upgrade (recommended) to avoid adapter failures.
Importing data from CSV/XLS/XLSX (file-based adapters)
Impact if not updated: File-based adapters fail after the Beacon upgrade.
Required action: Uninstall the 32-bit Microsoft Access Database Engine (ACE) and install the 64-bit ACE on the Beacon server.
Get the driver: Download and install the x64 Microsoft Access Database Engine from Microsoft Download Center (select the 64-bit installer).
When: Perform the ACE update at the same time as the 25.3.0 Beacon upgrade.
Common error when ACE is missing/mismatched: The 'Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0' provider is not registered on the local machine.
"An error has occurred when trying to run the query [select * from [data-file.csv]]. The error message is [The 'Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0' provider is not registered on the local machine.]."
Oracle-related inventory data (direct Oracle connections)
Impact if not updated: Oracle inventory collection fails after the Beacon upgrade.
Required action: Install a 64-bit Oracle Provider for OLE DB driver that supports the versions of the Oracle databases this Beacon connects to.
Note: You may need to uninstall the existing (32-bit) Oracle driver before installing the x64 driver.
Get the driver: Review Oracle’s supported platform details and download the appropriate x64 driver from Oracle.
IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) with a DB2 database
Requirement: Install a 64-bit DB2 client/driver on the inventory Beacon so it can connect to the ILMT DB2 database. You can download it from the IBM website.
Recommended: Use the IBM Data Server Driver Package (DS Driver) (includes ODBC/OLE DB components).
Alternative: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2 (v2.0+). Use only if it is already approved in your environment and licensing implications are understood.
Further action: Ensure the driver architecture matches the Beacon (64-bit) and that it supports your DB2 version; then validate connectivity (server, port, database, and credentials) before running the ILMT adapter/import.
CyberArk Credential Provider
Requirement: CyberArk integration requires the x64 CyberArk Credential Provider.
Note: For configuration details, see Configuring CyberArk for Use with Password Manager in System Reference.
Related references:
