How to Create a Software Update Definition
Software update definitions in System Center Updates Publisher are created by using the Create Update Wizard. The definitions contain the software update properties, such as update title, classification, vendor, product, update source and download location, rules to test for update applicability, and so on.
Important
Updates with the Driver classification type or update bundles cannot be created or modified.
Use the following procedure to create a software update definition.
To create a software update definition
In the Updates Publisher console tree, select System Center Updates Publisher, <vendor name>, or <product name>.
Right-click the selected console tree node, and then click Create Update to start the Create Update Wizard.
On the Update Information page, configure the following software update information:
Update Title: Enter the name of the software update. This is a required field. Click the Localized Properties icon to open the Localized Properties dialog box where titles can be created for any language supported by Windows Server Update Services 3.0. The title for the new update that is displayed in the Updates Publisher console will be the same as the Updates Publisher language version.
Description: Enter the description of the software update. This is a required field.
Classification: Select a classification type from the drop-down list. You can select from the following values: Critical Updates, Feature Packs, Updates, Security Updates, Service Packs, Hotfixes, Tools, and Update Rollups. This is a required field.
Bulletin ID: Enter the bulletin ID for the software update. This is an optional field.
Vendor: Enter the vendor name for the software update. If the Create Update Wizard is started from the Vendor or Product node, this value is pre-populated. This is a required field.
Product: Enter the product name for the software update. If the Create Update Wizard is started from the Product node of the console, this value is pre-populated. This is a required field.
Click Next.
On the Extended Properties page, configure the following properties for the software update:
Article ID: Enter the article ID for the software update. This is an optional field.
CVE ID: Enter the Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVE) ID that provides the security information about the software update. This is an optional field.
Severity: Select a severity type from the drop-down list. You can select from the following values: None (default), Critical, Important, Moderate, and Low. This is a required field when selecting the Security Updates classification on the previous page. For all other software update classifications, this is an optional field.
Support URL: Enter the URL that provides support information about the software update. This is an optional field.
More Info URL: Enter the URL that provides more information about the software update. This is a required field.
Impact: Select an impact category from the drop-down list. You can select from the following values: Normal (default), Minor, and Requires Exclusive Handling. This is an optional field.
Reboot Behavior: Select the reboot behavior from the drop-down list. You can select from the following values: Never reboots, Always requires reboot, and Can request reboot (default). This is an optional field.
Click Next.
On the Define Prerequisite Rules page, provide the higher-level rules used as an initial check to determine whether the software update is needed on the client computer, and then click Next. Providing prerequisite rules is optional.
On the Select Package page, configure the following package properties:
Installer Type: Select the type of installation required for the software update from the drop-down list. You can select from the following values: Command Line Installation (.exe), Windows Installer File (.msi), and Windows Installer Patch (.msp). This is a required field.
Update Package Source: Enter or browse to the path for where the software update source file is located. This is a required field. The package source path must be created and the update source file must be accessible to the user running the wizard before proceeding to the next page.
Download URL: Enter the URL or UNC path to the publish location for the software update. This is a required field. The download location must be accessible to the user running the wizard before proceeding to the next page.
Binary Language: The wizard detects the language from the Update Package Source file for Command Line Installation (.exe) and Windows Installer File (.msi) software updates and automatically populates the language field. For Windows Installer Patch (.msp) type files, you must select the language for the software update from the drop-down list. This is a required field.
Success Return Codes: The wizard detects the success return codes for Windows Installer File (.msi) and Windows Installer Patch software updates and automatically populates the Success Return Codes field. For Command Line Installation (.exe), you must specify the success return codes for the software update. This is an optional field.
Success Pending Reboot Codes: The wizard detects the success pending reboot codes for Windows Installer File (.msi) and Windows Installer Patch software updates and automatically populates the Success Pending Reboot Codes field. For Command Line Installation (.exe), you must specify the success pending reboot codes for the software update. This is an optional field.
Command line (quiet): The wizard detects the command-line arguments for a silent software update installation (unattended setup with no user intervention) for Windows Installer File (.msi) and Windows Installer Patch software updates and automatically populates the Command line (quiet) field. The quiet installation (/q) and no restart (/n) parameters are not supported by the Windows Update Agent and should not be used. You should remove these settings when creating or modifying updates. There is currently a fix available for Updates Publisher 3.0. For more information, see Knowledge Base article 944693 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108521). For Command Line Installation (.exe), you must specify the command-line arguments for the software update. This is an optional field.
Important
For Updates Publisher 4.0, the command-line arguments for a silent software update installation are not automatically populated for Windows Installation files or Windows Installer Patch software updates.
Click Next.
On the Define Applicability Rules page, define the rules used to determine whether the software update is applicable to a specific client computer.
Important
Applicability rules are optional, but software updates created without applicability rules and published to the update source will never be applicable to clients and therefore will never be installed. You should always create software updates with at least one applicability rule.
Click Next.
On the Define Installed Rules page, define the rules used to determine whether the software update is already installed on the client. The installed rules are optional, but the software update cannot be published until at least one installed rule is defined.
On the Summary page, which displays a summary of the configured properties for the software update, click Next to create the update.
The Progress page displays the status and progress while creating the software update, and then the Confirmation page displays a summary of the configured properties for the software update that was created. If an error occurred during the software update creation process, the error message displays in the properties pane.
Click Close to exit the wizard.
Note
If an error occurs during the software update creation process, review UpdatesPublisher.log in the user %TEMP% folder for more information.
See Also
Tasks
How to Create Rules in Updates Publisher
How to Delete a Software Update Definition
How to Modify a Software Update Definition
How to Use the Expression Builder
Concepts
About the Create Update Wizard and Modify Update Wizard