HP Client Manager + Softpaq Delivery Save the Day

We've always used the HP Client Management Suite to help supplement the hardware inventory in our environment. One piece of the solution had been under utilized until a custom application started having problems with a display driver. This issue appeared sporadically in Help Desk tickets, but the exact issue was unclear. Management was preparing for the developers to run through the code -- an expensive option by any measure.

Identifying the Problem

Turns out our custom app did not play well with an older version of the display driver for the HP D530 desktop machine. The solution appeared to be installing a newer driver to each of the problem machines. Before utilizing HPCMS, this was a manual process done by an on-site tech or the end user; not a very good (or cost effective) solution when talking about pesky drivers.

Manual or Automatic?

The question eventually came from management "Is there some way we can push drivers to users?" The answer, with HPCMS, is of course yes. The hesitation immediately began as previous solutions tended to either push something to every computer, or not identify the particular model or SKU of the computer needing the driver correctly. All the Altiris team had to do was pull up the HPCMS quick start and show how the Softpaqs are downloaded and AUTOMATCIALLY assigned to pre-created collections of computers based on their HP model.

Problem Solved

Using the reports in HPCMS, we identified 457 D530 desktops with an older 2003 version of the Video Driver. We setup a test pilot group of 25, pushed the Softpaq, and the issue with the custom software went away. We then received authorization to hit everyone else. The problem was solved by HPCMS with no on-site techs calls, and no developer time.