ConfigMgr 2012 product patch servicing model

I thought I’d check out the new Cumulative update servicing model for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, but as there are no updates available yet, since we’re weeks past RTM, I cannot explore it fully.

So I made some notes from reading over the documentation, handy for picking up the key points before diving into the actual documentation itself:

Patches will not be released individually, they are rolled up into what is known as an update bundle.

Update bundles will be released on an as-of-yet unpublished frequency. I’ll expect we’ll see back-to-back monthly releases on ultra rare occasions but generally, we won’t see these for several months at a time hopefully.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager update bundles:

Are self-extracting files (SFX)

Can only be run on a site server

Bundles contain

License files if required

Site server patch MSI’s

Client and Console MSI’s

Database scripts

Files required to interact with the site server (I need to open a Update Bundle to see what they are)

A VBScript called setup.vbs that manages the deployment of the patches in the update bundle and contains the interactive wizard called Software Update for Configuration Manager <KB Number> Setup Wizard which I’ll come back to shortly.

Patches are for three distinct Types of systems

Server - CAS, Primary, Secondary and Remote SMS Provider (if you reinstall the Provider you need to patch again)

Client

Admin Console

X86 and X64 platforms are supported. 32-bit is for the 32-bit DP support.

Each patch

logs to \\<Server Name>\SMS_<Site Code>\hotfix\<KB Number>\<Update Type>\<Platform>, but note that if a Site server patch is uninstalled, the hotfix folder path will remain.

can be added to the Site servers WSUS using SCUP. There is a CAB file for each patch automatically generated when you deploy the update bundle to the first site server.

can be removed depending on the patch type. We can remove Client, Console and remote SMS Provider hotfixes easily using MSIEXEC /X|UNINSTALL, and we can remove Site server patch bundles from Programs and Features (I assume), but site server patches that update the database cannot be removed without a database restore.

Updates Publisher 2011 is the supported tool of choice for importing patches into ConfigMgr.

The Software Update for Configuration Manager <KB Number> Setup Wizard is the piece most needing a look over, but until one arrives I’m just reading off the documentation. From what I gather the setup wizard will help us deploy the patches on the site server it’s being run on, and it’ll help us to configure Software Deployment end to end and provide us with a Software Update deployments catalogue file (\\<ServerName>\SMS_<SiteCode>\hotfix\<KB Number>\SCUP\SCUPCatalog.cab) which we can import using Update Publish 2011 and deploy to collections.

So, the only thing to do is to take patch bundles containing SQL database updates very seriously, database patches are permanent, and cannot be removed without rolling the entire database back using a pre-SQL-patch-applied backup, the rest is plain sailing patch-wise and it looks like patching this product just got super cool, or in management speak, patching of the patching product can now be fully managed!

I’ll be looking out for an update bundle release so I can check this out more, and write a proper guide on the feature.

All of this was taken from the following two TechNet links, I suggest you check them out:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj553405.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/configmgrteam/archive/2012/08/10/new-cumulative-update-servicing-model-for-system-center-2012-configuration-manager.aspx