Enterprise-Wide HotFix & Service Pack Management

Enterprise-Wide HotFix & Service Pack Management
Last Updated: 24 Mar 2005
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*** PLEASE NOTE: Link(s), If Provided, May Be Wrapped ***


Here are some tools for managing NT/2000 Service Packs and
Hotfixes across your entire network:

MICROSOFT TOOLS

• SRVINFO ................ Resource Kit
• QChain ................. http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=296861
• QFECheck ............... http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=282784
• MSBA ................... http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.mspx
• SUS .................... http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/sus/
• WSUS ................... http://www.microsoft.com/wsus/
• Systems Mgmt Server..... http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/evaluation/capabilities/patch.asp


3RD PARTY TOOLS

• Advanced Hotfix Mgr .... http://www.codeproject.com/tools/whotfixcheck2.asp?print=true
• AutoProf ............... http://www.autoprof.com/
• BigFix ................. http://www.bigfix.com/
• GFI LANguard N.S.S. .... http://www.gfi.com/lannetscan/wppatchmanagement.htm
• HFNetChk (and Family) .. http://www.shavlik.com/
• HotFix Control ......... http://www.jpldata.net/~magnus/hotfixcontrol/
• MBSAFU ................. http://mbsafu.sourceforge.net/
• PatchLink Update ....... http://www.patchlink.com/products/
• ECM SUM ................ http://www.configuresoft.com/product_sum_overview.htm
• Service Pack Manager ... http://www.securitybastion.com/
• SPcheck ................ http://www.altusnet.com/spcheck.htm
• UpdateEXPERT ........... http://www.stbernard.com/products_updateexpert.asp


CORPORATE WINDOWS UPDATE SITE (WINDOWS CATALOG)

• http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/catalog/en/?site=corporate
• http://support.microsoft.com/directory/worldwide/en-gb/windowsupdate.asp


SERVICE PACK ROADMAP

• http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/servicepacks.mspx


MICROSOFT SUS (SOFTWARE UPDATE SERVICES)

• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/Windows2000Pro/maintain/w2kmngd/17_2kupd.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=A7AA96E4-6E41-4F54-972C-AE66A4E4BF6C&displaylang=en
• http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/sus/susdeployment.asp
• http://www.susserver.com/FAQs/
• http://asia.cnet.com/itmanager/tech/0,39006407,39080069,00.htm
• http://www.serverwatch.com/tutorials/article.php/1475101
• http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBL/tip5700/rh5785.htm
• http://www.winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=26677
• http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=39823


USING & DEPLOYING SUS

• http://www.unc.edu/itswin/susconfig.htm
• http://www.susserver.com/FAQs/
• http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1760


HOTFIX ISSUES

• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=816915
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=194080
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=296861
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=282784
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=238552
• http://www.winnetmag.com/windowsnt20002003faq/Article/ArticleID/14791/
• http://www.winnetmag.com/windowsnt20002003faq/Article/ArticleID/14787/


DELETING SERVICE PACK ARCHIVE FOLDERS

• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=290402


WHITEPAPERS & TECH DOCUMENTS

• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/topics/patch/
• http://www.microsoft.com/security/whitepapers/patch_management.asp
• http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1760
• http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2003/0303patchrev.html
• http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=39823
• http://www.winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=39383
• http://www.winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=39545


PERSONAL NOTES

• Mar 2005: The new version of SUS is now called WSUS,
  and is currently in beta. It supports patching of the OS
  as well as Office and other Microsoft applications.

• I have used UpdateEXPERT with some success across NT4
  and 2000 Server.

• Microsoft SUS allows you to maintain your own internal
  Windows Update servers

• Shavlik wrote HFNetChk for Microsoft.  Additionally,
  they provide several free tools which are updated more
  frequently than Microsoft's tools are.