Client Management Suite

So we are experimenting with using Patch mgmt for Adobe products (we use WSUS and are happy with it for MS patches). We were / are using Managed Software delivery for the product. For example,

Flash 10.1.85.3 is set up in our "core software" managed software delivery policy. So I turned on the update for 10.1.102.64 to see if it could save us some work from us manually doing the patch install files for flash and adobe etc.

However, I had to find the "installed software" for Adobe Flash Player 10, define a bogus package for it, create my own detection for it, and set up my Adobe Flash Player 10 10.1.85.3 (our current production version) as "superceded" by the new software, and in the "core software" policy, I had to tell flash not to install if it was superceded. I think this is a lot more work than if I had just make the entire thing from scratch myself. I think Adobe will be similar, althoughI haven't look at the differences with the GUIDs or detection rules for 4.0.0 vs 4.0.1 yet.

Does anyone know of a good solution? If not, I think I will have to drop Patch Management because it is more work than doing it by hand.

Thanks

Patch Management, the product, which does Adobe Patches?

I have used Adobe PM over the last three months, it’s been somewhat useful, however with the Reader 9.4.0 update, I used software delivery instead to retain custom settings made with the Adobe Customization Wizard, which would have been lost otherwise.  Same with the latest Flash update, I am using software delivery as well, so I can run “uninstall_flash_player.exe” first to strip out remnants that would be left behind otherwise. Doing it this way, means PCs without the software already, get accounted for as well.

I used Adobe PM with the Reader 9.4.1 update though and find the reports for checking compliance helpful.

and thanks for posting this. I wonder, with this feedback if a general software task\job with a filter target of machines not at version 'x' of a product might be easier than the method detailed in the first post.

Could you describe what does not work in Patch Management Solution and why are you trying to use managed software delivery for deploying Adobe updates?

Deploying the particular patch for Reader 9.4 reset an number of configured settings. This suggests to me it was more the patch than anything else.

I provided feedback about this previously:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/deploying-adobe-reader-94-update

To sum it up, Reader 9.40 isn't a patch at all, it's a full installer and when executed, it uninstalls the current version and then installs 9.4.0.  This is all very well but doing it this way you lose customizations.

With Flash, the installer it leaves behind old versions (Flash10k.ocx etc) and I have had reports of some Flash issues here, so decided to use SwD running this tool first.

what is Adobe PM? if it is a software where do i get it? my company is using altiris deployment 6.9 however i can't seem to get the adobe flash to work by deploying it.

The Altiris Patch Management Solution 7.1, which is part of Altiris IT Management Suite, Altiris Client Management Suite and Altiris Server Management Suite, provides support for Adobe Acrobat, Reader, and Flash. 

Adobe PM = Adobe Patch Management

Same with the latest Flash update, I am using software delivery as well, so I can run “uninstall_flash_player.exe” first to strip out remnants that would be left behind otherwise.

May I ask how you are running the uninstall_flash_player.exe using software delivery.  No matter what I do I can't seem to run this application with any switches so it runs silently.  I have tried /silent /clean /s any / switch I use generates an error in altiris (1073741819) outside of altiris in the event console I get event id 1000 fault address (0x000022ef).  One thing to note the uninstaller is the lastest version.

Hi jlawson,

The Flash uninstaller needs to use the following command line:

Uninstall_FlashPlayer.exe -uninstall -force

That is the command we run in our install/upgrade script.

Thanks this (-uninstall -force) works great

another issue with flashplayer patching is that an near as I can tell it does not detect that browsers are open and then will fail when attempting to install.  I have not found a way to schedule around this.  Does anyone have any suggestions?