Login to participate
Endpoint Management & Virtualization ArticlesRSS

Stage Bulletins Without Downloading Them

Timaroo's picture
Timaroo
October 19th, 2009
Filed under: , , , ,

If you have an existing Notification Server with Patch Management that has already downloaded all or most MS Bulletins, there is no need to re-download them every time you install Patch Management on a new server.  You can copy the bulletins from one server to another and Patch Management is clever enough to detect if the bulletins are already available in "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Patch Management\Packages\Updates", and stage them as normal.

How to do it:

  1. You need an existing Patch Management installation that has already downloaded the MS Bulletins that you want.  Copy the "Updates" folder, which contains the MS Bulletins, from "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Patch Management\Packages\", either to DVD or an external HDD.

  2. The new Notification Server must have an internet connection.

On the new Notification Server:

  • Install and configure Patch Management Solution as normal

  • Rollout the Software Update Agent

  • Download the Qchain and PM Import

  • Pull a Vulnerability report to see what patches are required

  • At this point you would usually stage the required bulletins to download them, DON'T

  • Instead, copy the "Updates" folder from your DVD or external HDD to "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Patch Management\Packages\"

  • In the Altiris Console go to View - Solutions - Patch Management - Tasks - Manage Software Udates

  • Stage the bulletins that you require

If the bulletin already exists in "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Patch Management\Packages\Updates", Patch Management will use the existing files.  This can be confirmed in the Altiris Log viewer.  Follow the download process in the Log Viewer, you will see "Skipping download since it's already downloaded - C:\Program Files\Altiris\Patch Management\Packages\Updates\.....".

0 votes