Software Deployment and Update

The Software Deployment and Update (KSDU) add-on module automates the deployment and updating of software on managed Windows machines. This first release:

• Provides a Master Catalog of popular software titles and versions, already configured for silent installs.
• Organizes and deploys software titles and versions using a local Software Catalog that you control.
• Supports the creation of custom installers.
• Deploys and updates by software title and version on a recurring schedule.
• Uses profiles to deploy and update bundles of software titles by policy, to different populations of assigned machines.
• Can assign profiles by machine group, organization or view.
• Can run pre-install and post-install agent procedures.
• Scans machines on a recurring basis for software and version profile compliance.
• Supports both auto approval and manual approval when a new version is available.
• Provides alerts, dashboards, status views, reports and logs to monitor software deployment and update activities.  
• Designates a machine to act as a file source for downloaded files for other machines on the same LAN.

Master Catalog

A Master Catalog contains a pre-defined set of popular, "silent-install" software titles, organized by category, software title and version. Compare that to the effort of searching the internet for the download location of each software title you're interested in, setting command line switches for silent installs, keeping track of new versions as they become available, and updating local copies of each version on a network location manually. The Master Catalog does it all for you automatically.

Local Software Catalog

To begin configuring deployments you only have to drag and drop software categories, titles, or versions from the Master Catalog to your own "local" Software Catalog. Selected installers are ready to deploy by recurring schedule and profile, or they can be deployed immediately.

Installer Properties

With each pre-defined or custom installer in your local Software Catalog, you can specify:

• Pre-install and post-install agent procedures
• Reboot required

For custom installers, additional parameters include:

• Name, description, version, language, installer file and command line arguments
• Scanning attributes used to detect the custom install on machines

Profiles

A deployment profile specifies the software titles and versions to be deployed to machines. Changes to a profile affect all machines assigned that profile. Attributes for each profile include:

• Auto approve
• "In development" status for profiles for testing
• Auto run scan
• Default deployment schedule

Attributes for each software title in the profile include:

• Version
• Always deploy latest version available
• Language

Scanning and Software Compliance

A recurring latest scan of machines determines the compliance status of software titles and versions maintained in your local Software Catalog. Baseline scans are also supported. Status information shows the version required by the profile and the version installed on the machine. Compliance status results from a scan include:

• Software on machine, not in profile
• Does not match profile
• Matches profile

Status compliance results can be selected by software title or machine.

Auto Deploy Latest

The latest version of a software title can be automatically added to the local Software Catalog, if specified for that software title in a profile. Auto Deploy Latest works in conjunction with Auto Approval to automate the deployment of version updates, freeing you from attending to updates after the initial configuration of a profile.

Auto Approval / Manual Approval

• If Auto Approval is enabled for a profile, any new version added to the Software Catalog will be automatically deployed at the next recurring schedule.
• If Auto Approval is not enabled for a profile, the VSA user can view the new software versions added to that profile and decide whether to deploy them using a Pending Approvals page.

Test Deployments

A test deployment lets you test installers before you commit to deploying them. You can test deployment of individual installers or an entire profile. You can designate a particular agent machine as your default test machine.

Language Code Preferences

You can specify the set of language-specific installers you want displayed in the Master Catalog. Language Neutral installers are always shown. Language code preferences also determine the language codes displayed when defining a custom installer.

Ignored Cabinet

You can optionally "trim" the Master Catalog folder tree of folders, software titles and versions that are of no interest to you, by moving them to an Ignored cabinet.

Assignment

Profiles can be assigned to machines, either by profile or by machine.

Manual Deployment

Any software title and version in your local Software Catalog can be manually deployed to multiple machines, either by software title or by machine.

Scheduling

• Software Deployment and Update introduces a new user interface feature called schedule patterns. A schedule pattern is a named, pre-configured, recurring schedule that displays in scheduling drop-down lists. This saves you the trouble of configuring the same recurring schedule repeatedly for different tasks.
• Default recurring schedules are defined, by schedule pattern, for deployments and scans.
• You assign a schedule pattern for deployment when a profile is created or maintained. The assigned schedule pattern only applies to machines newly assigned to that profile.
• Use the Schedule page to reschedule any existing recurring or run-once schedules, by machine.

Reboot Actions

If an installer specifies a reboot is required, a Reboot Actions page determines the reboot action, by individual machine.

Alerts

Software Deployment and Update supports the following types of alerts:

• Auto Approval for Always Have Latest Version
• Deployment Complete
• Deployment Failed
• New Category
• New Software
• New Software Source
• New Version in Local Catalog
• Scan Complete
• Scan Failed
• Software Detected Not in Profile

Deployment Analysis

A Deployment Analysis page displays a sortable, filterable table of every software title and version installed on every machine managed by Software Deployment and Update. The table identifies the software titles that are in compliance or out of compliance.

Dashboard

The Dashboard page displays a dashboard view of Software Deployment and Update activities, including:

• Deployments - Last 24 Hours
• Software Status (By Machine)
• Alerts
• Top 5 Deployed Software

Logging

The Application Logging page displays a log entry of every VSA user action performed in the Software Deployment and Update module.

Reports

The following reports are provided with Software Deployment and Update.

• Profile Status by Machine
• Recents Deployments
• Software Installed by Machine
• Machine Changes

Overview

An Overview page illustrates the stages of configuring and operating Software Deployment and Update, with links to the relevant pages and to online help.

Setup

A Setup page provides an easy-to-use, interactive checklist for configuring Software Deployment and Update quickly. Selecting a task displays the appropriate page, with links to online help.

File Source Sharing

Software Deployment and Update provides file source sharing. When a file source is enabled and a machine on the same LAN requests a download from the internet for the first time, files are downloaded to the file source machine, then copied to the requesting machine. From then on the file does not need to be downloaded from the internet. Other machines—on the same LAN and using the same file source—copy the file from the file source machine. Doing so speeds delivery to multiple machines throughout the same LAN and reduces network bandwidth issues.