Applications - Best Practices

[rbisset]

Hi All,

 

I'm pretty new to ConfigMgr and I'm just wondering how you guys handle updated applications.

For example if there is a new version of say, Chrome.
How do you handle that?

Pretty much all of my deployments are Available as we are using Software Centre as a self service portal.

 

Thanks,

Rob

[ZeZe]

That depends on your requirements.

 

But if you have Google Chrome version 46 and a new version comes out, you just create a new application with that version. You link that new version to the old version. You retire the old application and deploy the new one to the same collection where the other was. While configuring the supersedence you'll see an option to select the kind of action you want toward the old version (upgrade) and you can also select the removal.

 

This process it's really straightforward and for the users it works really well because you just relax while the old version is upgrade.

 

if you chose self service portal, I'm not sure you can have the same result. Keep in mind if the goal is to level up your configuration with the latest software available on your workplace, then a good solution is the required and not available.

 

By the way, I'm not sure if upgrades support the "available" option. I think it will upgrade the old version if you link the new version with the old. Let me know if you have any doubts.

[rbisset]

Thanks for you help.

 

All required software is deployed as part of the initial task sequence that we image with so everything else is optional.

 

I did think of this way but I also wanted to keep the Application name simple and use the version field to specify the version.

With the way you've stated I would need to call the Application's Chrome 46 and Chome 48, correct?

 

At the moment I've been creating a new deployment type, changing the version in the application properties and then deleting the old deployment type, then selecting Update Content on the new deployment type.

[ZeZe]

I don't think you need to delete anything - if you wish to have history in your reports.

 

just link the application and deploy it to the same collection - by doing this, it will detect there is relation between this two applications and upgrade the old version. Note that to this to work correctly you need to retire the old application.

[rbisset]

Does that mean you put the version number in the application name?

I was really trying to avoid that, just for neatness.

[ZeZe]

You have a field with Software version. Use that

[rbisset]

That depends on your requirements.

 

But if you have Google Chrome version 46 and a new version comes out, you just create a new application with that version.

 

Ah so you meant Deployment Type here, not Application?

So then manually change the software version each time on the Application?

 

That's very similar to what I'm doing now except I'm then deleting the old Deployment Type instead of superseding.

 

Is this really what is suggested by Microsoft?