Re: Update Wizard parameters

From: Geoff Walker (geoffw_at_m-v-t.com)
Date: 03/01/04 

Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 14:56:58 -0700

Is there a specific reason why my options are greyed out on 2003 when
running the wizard? Clients are able to postpone indefinitely, and i am not
able to change that....I am setting the package to be advertised, at which
point it is automatically assigned.

Still waiting for deployment windows...where can i find an article (if
written yet) on changes/release date for SP1? 

-- 
--Geoff Walker
  Mesilla Valley Transportation
  http://www.m-v-t.com
"Adam Welker [MSFT]" <adamwel@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:upVh%23w7$DHA.1032@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> The ability to do what you want differs between SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003.
> The command line you included indicates that this is SMS 2.0 and not SMS
> 2003 so some of the information below may not apply to you.
> Specifically the /n and /l:xxx switches aren't applicable except on SMS
2003
> advanced clients.  Also I believe the wording of the wizard is slightly
> different.
>
> Also TimeDetected is the time the udpate is first detected as applicable
to
> the system.
> TimeAuthorized is the time you set in the wizard when you add the update
to
> the package (default is now.)
>
> Your understanding here looks pretty good overall.  Please check the
> patchinstall.log to verify that the updates were actually installed and
that
> something else like a pre-install restart of the system wasn't required.
A
> pre-install restart will be required if there are Pending File Rename
> operations detected by PatchInstall.exe.
>
>
>       Command Line Parameter Distribute Software Updates Wizard Setting
> Description
>       /g:xxx (hours) Three radio buttons on the first Configure Agent
> Settings page:
>         a.. Require updates to be installed as soon as they are advertised
> (/g:0)
>         b.. Users can postpone updates indefinitely (no /g parameter)
>         c.. Allow users to postpone installation for: (/g:xxx, where xxx
is
> specified in the Allow user to postpone installation box.
>      Use this switch to set the grace period (in hours) after which the
> installation of the software update becomes mandatory.
>       The grace period is based on either the date/time property created
> when the software update is authorized for deployment, or the date/time
> property created when each software update is initially inventoried.
>
>       To determine when the grace period will expire, the authorized time
or
> detected time (subject to the /d option, below) will be added to the grace
> period then compared to local time. This calculation is influenced by the
> Coordinated Universal Time setting.
>
>       The range of values for this switch is from zero (0) to 999 hours.
The
> default setting is 336 hours, or 14 days.
>
>       If you enter a value of zero (0) for this parameter the grace period
> expires immediately, making update installation mandatory, with no
> opportunity to postpone installation.
>
>       The /g switch is optional. If you do not specify it, the grace
period
> feature is disabled, and the update will never expire (installation will
be
> optional for users).
>
>       /d The From setting associated with the Allow user to postpone
> installation setting on the first Configure Agent Settings page. Use this
> switch to specify that the grace period is based on the time that the
update
> was first determined to be applicable to the SMS client computer rather
than
> the time the update was authorized.
>       The default value for this switch, after which the installation of
the
> software update becomes mandatory, is the time of authorization plus the
> grace period specified by the /g parameter discussed above.
>
>       /s The Report inventory changes only when inventory is scheduled
check
> box on the second Configure Agent Settings page. Use this switch to
suppress
> the hardware inventory agent from initiating a hardware inventory cycle
> after update installation.
>       Initiating hardware inventory at times other than the scheduled
> hardware inventory frequency can increase network and server load. The /s
> switch is used as the default setting when the Distribute Software Updates
> Wizard configures the program command line for the Software Updates
> Installation Agent.
>
>       /p The After Waiting field on the first Configure Agent Settings
page.
> Use this switch to specify that the default action that the Software
Updates
> Installation Agent takes on behalf of an unresponsive user is to postpone
> installation of the update.
>       If you use this switch, the Software Updates Installation Agent does
> not install software updates automatically until the installation grace
> period (specified using the /g parameter) expires. However, each time the
> advertisement for the update occurs, the user will have the opportunity to
> install the software updates even if the grace period has not expired.
>
>       By default, without the /p switch, the Software Updates Installation
> Agent automatically installs the updates for unresponsive users after the
> countdown period specified using the /c parameter expires.
>
>       /i Force installation of required updates only check box, on the
first
> Configure Agent Settings page.  Use this switch to enforce the grace
period
> for each update individually, rather than enforcing the grace period for
the
> group of updates within the same SMS package.
>       When you specify this switch, the Software Updates Installation
Agent
> applies grace period expiration to individual updates, rather than to an
> entire package of updates. This means that mandatory installation only
takes
> place for software updates for which the installation grace period has
> expired.
>
>       With the /i parameter in effect, when the user clicks Install Now in
> the Software Updates Installation Agent user interface, expired updates
and
> optional (currently unexpired) updates are both available for
installation.
> The list of updates shown to the user will include expired updates and
> optional updates with an indication of the state of each update, allowing
> the user to proactively install unexpired updates along with the expired
> updates.
>
>       Without the /i switch, when one of the updates expires and the user
> clicks Install Now, all of the updates in the package will install.
>
>       /z:s|w|sw The Postpone automated system restarts setting and
> associated settings on the second Configure Agent Settings page.  Use this
> switch to suppress automatic post-installation restart requests, and to
> allow the user to postpone restarting the computer after installation.
>       This switch can be useful in server environments or in cases where
you
> do not want the computers that are installing the updates to restart by
> default. However, note that causing a computer to restart after
installation
>  ensures that software updates take effect, and that suppressing
> post-installation restart requests can leave your system in an insecure
> state.
>
>       The s|w|sw arguments allow you to turn off automatic restarts by
type
> of SMS client computer, as follows. (Note that the /z command cannot be
used
> without the s|w|sw arguments)
>
>         a.. The default case (without the /z command) allows automatic
> restarts if required.
>         b.. /z:w disables automatic restart (if required) for workstations
> only.
>         c.. /z:s disables automatic restart (if required) for servers
only.
>         d.. /z:sw disables automatic restart (if required)for both servers
> and workstations.
>
>       /f The Force client programs to close and discard any unsaved data
> check box on the second Configure Agent Settings page. Use this switch to
> force automatic post-installation restart requests, even if there are
> running programs with unsaved data on the SMS client computer. This switch
> takes precedence over the /z switch, above.
>        Caution
>
>         a.. Use caution when using this switch. If a computer is forced to
> restart with this command-line switch in effect, users could lose any
> unsaved changes on the desktop. Therefore, only use this switch when
> business needs require that the software updates take effect immediately,
> regardless of possible data loss.
>
>       By default, without the /f switch, the Software Updates Installation
> Agent uses the built-in Shutdown process of the operating system, allowing
> each open application to display a File Save dialog to the user.
>
>        Important
>
>         a.. If you use this switch, the forced restart will only take
place
> if the Software Updates Installation Agent finds indications that a
restart
> is needed. This witch explicitly does not mean that the computers will
> always be forced to restart after any update installation. If used, this
> switch only applies to the current scheduled run of the advertisement.
>
>       /c:xx (minutes) The Specify how long the agent should wait for a
user
> or unresponsive update: setting and associated settings on the first
> Configure Agent Settings page. Use this switch to set the countdown period
> (in minutes) after which the Software Updates Installation Agent will take
> action on behalf of an unresponsive user. The action taken following the
> countdown depends on the other settings that have been specified, and can
> include: automatic installation of the update, postponement of
installation,
> or post-installation system restarts (configured using the /p the /z, and
> the /f parameters).
>       This countdown is useful in cases where a software update
installation
> is necessary, but no user is present to provide input. The delays that
could
> be caused by such cases are important, because while the user interface
for
> software update installation is displayed, all other software distribution
> using SMS is blocked for that computer. After the countdown expires, the
> update installation cycle proceeds automatically.
>
>       Following the installation, if a system restart is needed and has
not
> been explicitly disabled, a countdown beings allowing users time to save
> their work. The value that you enter for the countdown is used for both
the
> pre-installation countdown (automatic installation if no user input is
> received) and the post-installation countdown (restart the computer if
> restart is not suppressed).
>
>       The range of values for this switch is from zero (0) to 99 minutes.
> The default setting is 5 minutes.
>
>       If you enter a value of zero (0) for this switch, installation will
> start immediately.
>
>       /t:xx (minutes) The Wait <N> minutes for the update and then cancel
> installation setting on the first Configure Agent Settings page. Use this
> switch to set the failsafe timeout (in minutes) after which a software
> update is considered unresponsive and that particular update installation
is
> terminated.
>       Because software updates can come from a wide range of sources with
a
> wide array of behaviors, it is recommended that you proceed with the
> installation of an update even if it appears to have become unresponsive.
> However, if a software update is permitted to remain unresponsive for a
long
> period of time, it could leave the system in a vulnerable and inconsistent
> state. Therefore, it is necessary to set the timeout value to allow an
> unresponsive update to be disabled.
>
>       If one or more software updates in a package reach the time-out
limit,
> the Software Updates Installation Agent assumes that a system restart is
> needed to ensure the system can be restored to a consistent state (this
> parameter is subject to the /z restart suppression parameter).
>
>       The range of values for this switch is from zero (0) to 99 minutes.
> The default setting is 30 minutes.
>
>       If you enter a value of zero (0) for this switch, the update will
not
> be given any time to install. To avoid this problem, a minimum of 10
minutes
> should be allowed for this timeout value.
>
>        Note
>
>         a.. The Software Updates Installation Agent will continue to
record
> exit codes for as long as it can. However, after the failsafe timeout has
> expired, the currently executing update will be terminated and its exit
code
> will indicate failure.
>
>       /q The Use notification balloons or dialogs setting on the third
> Configure Agent Settings page. Use this switch to configure the Software
> Updates Installation Agent to install the specified updates without user
> interface or interaction. When you specify this switch, the only user
> interface that appears on the client is the operating system's progress
> dialog box that indicates that a system restart is being initiated.
>        Important
>
>         a.. Because this switch allows no user interaction by definition,
> you should not use it in combination with other switches that assume that
> user interaction is available. In particular, you should not use this
switch
> without also specifying the /g switch, because this would mean that the
> software updates in the package would be indefinitely postponed. In
general,
> you should specify /g:0 when using /q.
>
>       /x The Create reference computer templates during processing setting
> on the third Configure Agent Settings page. Use this switch to create a
> reference software updates authorization list file that you can use to
> distribute software updates to your enterprise in an expedited manner. You
> use this switch when you use a reference computer for expedited approval
> processing.
>       When you run Patchinstall.exe with the /x switch, a local copy of
the
> software updates authorization list, type_patchauthorize.xml (where type
is
> the software update type) is output to the temp directory of the current
> user (%temp%). This file contains a list of all software updates currently
> applicable to the SMS client computer, whether installed or needed.
>
>       /n The Provide reminders and allow users to reschedule software
> updates until they become required setting on the third Configure Agent
> Settings page. Use this switch to enable the persistent notification icon,
> an Advanced Client feature that provides local reminders and allows users
to
> reschedule software updates on computers running SMS Advanced Client. This
> reminder process is independent of the advertisement schedule, and allows
> the administrator to reduce the advertisement frequency when advertising
> software updates to collections of computers running the SMS Advanced
> Client. The interval at which the reminders occur is hard-coded to every
> three hours.
>       Users can interact with the notification area icon to:
>
>         a..
>         b.. Check for upcoming installations
>         c.. Schedule installations and restarts to occur at convenient
times
> of day
>         d.. Install software updates immediately
>         e.. Remind users of a need for a restart until the requirement is
> satisfied, if restart is postponed during initial software update
> installation
>
>        Note
>
>         a.. The /n switch has no effect on computers running the SMS
Legacy
> Client.
>         b.. If the /q switch is specified, the /n switch is ignored.
>
>       /l:xxx The Use a change window setting and associated settings on
the
> third Configure Agent Settings page. Use this switch to specify the
duration
> of the change window (the time within which configuration changes are
> permitted in scheduled software updates installations.)
>       The range of values for this parameter is from zero (0) to 480
> minutes. The default setting is 90 minutes.
>
>       If you enter a value of zero (0) for this parameter, the update will
> not be given any time to install. To avoid this problem, a minimum of 30
> minutes should be allowed for this software update installation window.
>
>       The start time for the scheduled software update installation is the
> scheduled start time for the advertisement. For more information, see
> Configure Scheduled Software Update Installations.
>
>
>
> "Jim Cross" <jim.cross@cgi.com> wrote in message
> news:175901c3fbe0$2f2f2210$a501280a@phx.gbl...
> > We are sending out an update using the update wizard and
> > the advertisement is not performing the way I think it
> > should. I believe my problem lies in the (time detected,
> > time authorized) options. Here is what we want - we want
> > the ad to wait 30 minutes for user intervention and if no
> > response to postpone the installation. We want the
> > advertisement to be available for the users to install
> > from AP. The ad should run every day and not install
> > without user intervention for 3 days. After the 3 days
> > expires it should install and reboot the system.
> > What is happening is, we advertised the program yesterday
> > and it installed and rebooted the systems right away.
> > I think the reason is that I am not understanding the
> > time authorized/detected explanation. If the program was
> > detected as applicable more than 3 days ago is that why
> > it is installing right away? I need to know where my
> > syntax is wrong. This is the way it is currently -
> > PatchInstall.exe /g:72 /i /c:30 /t:10 /p /z:ws /s
> > Any help with this is appreciated. I have only sent out a
> > few ads and have always had trouble with confidence that
> > they would perform as needed. It is important that it
> > doesn't install right away and reboot so our clients
> > aren't disrupted.
> > Since then I looked at the properties of the update and
> > noticed that the Time Authorized was set to the time that
> > I created the package. I then thought this is why it is
> > installing right away. I made the package last week, and
> > when I send it out today the grace period has passed and
> > it installs right away. I then changed the authorization
> > date to today and added some more systems to test. I now
> > felt sure that it would give the user the 3 day grace
> > period. I now had it set to detect and postpone restarts
> > for None as well so it would reboot after the install in
> > 3 days. Wrong, it installed right away to the new systems
> > I added to the collection and gave them an option to
> > postpone the reboot. These are the modified parameters. I
> > need and expert to examine them and explain why it is not
> > performing the way I think it should.
> > PatchInstall.exe /g:120 /c:30 /t:10 /p
>
>
>