RE: MS Software Update Service

The most recent version of SUS has a few more options about patch rescheduling, for working around the issue of scheduled installation times.

We have a number of users that work from home, and I am currently experimenting with self-patching via SUS. SUS does not download the patches at the scheduled time - instead, it pre-downloads the patches, stores them locally, then installs them when the scheduled time occurs, if you have set it for that option. Until we get SUS SP1 rolled out, I have been experimenting with the option of having the end users be notified to install the patches when they have been downloaded. The two users that I have been working with have been successful in triggering automatic updates, even though they do not have administrative privileges.

-----Original Message-----
From: Anonymous [mailto:cripto@ecn.org] Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 12:48 PM To: focus-ms@securityfocus.com
Subject: Re: MS Software Update Service

The biggest problem that I have with SUS is that in the scenario described below (roll out patches at 3:00 am), laptop (which are presumable at users homes) and workstations (which are sometimes turned off at night) will never get updated. Even if you tell users to leave their machines on you have no guarentees. If a user doesn't have administrative privledge to their machine there are very few options for scheduling the install and reboot. Basicly you are forced to pick a time and make it happen. Which is better, at night when only workstation that have left on (or are in use) get the updates, or reboot in the middle of the business day (management loved this option)?
I'd use SUS if the client simply checked at boot up to see if it missed a scheduled update and, if so, performed it then.

Has anyone found a way around that?

Regards Received on Mon Feb 24 18:08:53 2003