Pushing updates to Windoze boxes?

[sticky_chicken]

I've been doing research on how best to manage a mixed windows/linux
network as far as single-sign-on goes, and it seems the biggest sticking
point is having something to push internal software updates to the
windows boxes.

Is there something like software update services or some other reasonable custom-update system for windows boxes on a samba domain?

[mbottrell]

Yup.. depends however...

I use Samba for both PDC/BDC (no Microsoft Servers here anymore! :D)
I am now using Shavlik HFNetChkPro (free for < 10 boxens). :)

I just schedule this to push to both desktops.
Works a treat.. :) Works with not only critical but ALL Windows patches. ;)
Just schedule it to run regularly.. ;)

Cheers,

Matt.

[sticky_chicken]

Yup.. depends however...

I use Samba for both PDC/BDC (no Microsoft Servers here anymore! :D)
I am now using Shavlik HFNetChkPro (free for < 10 boxens). :)

I just schedule this to push to both desktops.
Works a treat.. :) Works with not only critical but ALL Windows patches. ;)
Just schedule it to run regularly.. ;)

Cheers,

Matt.

I don't have any windoze servers at work either. Does Shavlik HFNetChkPro work in a linux environment?

[sticky_chicken]

Yup.. depends however...

I use Samba for both PDC/BDC (no Microsoft Servers here anymore! :D)
I am now using Shavlik HFNetChkPro (free for < 10 boxens). :)

I just schedule this to push to both desktops.
Works a treat.. :) Works with not only critical but ALL Windows patches. ;)
Just schedule it to run regularly.. ;)

Cheers,

Matt.

Matt,

This looks like it's only available for windoze... is there a linux solution for this that you're aware of?

[mbottrell]

You can run it from a Windows client.. .and push to all clients on that domain... no... don't know a Linux solution to date that pushes to Windows clients.... :(

[sticky_chicken]

You can run it from a Windows client.. .and push to all clients on that domain... no... don't know a Linux solution to date that pushes to Windows clients.... :(

Ahh ok. Hmm Damn there has to be something out there.

I've got more than 50 pc's on my work network and I really want to find an automagic way to push out patches without having to rely on Microsoft SMS or SUS servers....

Does anyone else know of any other way to do this via Linux?

[mbottrell]

Follow this thread (http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/history/172689)

[mbottrell]

You might be able to utilise this article (http://www.serverwatch.com/tutorials/article.php/3304921) with a bit of coding and hacking. :)

[sticky_chicken]

Follow this thread (http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/history/172689)

Yeah, I'd had a look at linuxquestions before - even posted a question, but had no replies to it as yet.

[sticky_chicken]

You might be able to utilise this article (http://www.serverwatch.com/tutorials/article.php/3304921) with a bit of coding and hacking. :)


Hmm. This looks pretty ugly ;) I'd only look at doing this as a last option.

[mbottrell]

Could try http://www.bigfix.com/

[simonb]

We have this (http://windowsupdate.cse.unsw.edu.au/).

Its basically a mirror of the windows update files, plus a registry patch that makes the automatic updates of the windows boxes use the mirror rather than MS. You may be able to setup something similar at your place.

Pushing would be somewhat harder. I'm pretty sure our windows guys push from a windows box using some tool (possibly HFNetChkPro) when a patch needs to be forced out. Not aware of a push from linux though.

[mbottrell]

*nods* Yup... that's a popular method... whlist not elegant.. .it does work.

There are many commercial packages to do it .. however I'm yet to find a good 'free' one... that specifically runs under Linux. :(