How to package Microsoft updates

[amjadrehman24]

Hi folks,

I tried to package "Windows6.1 -KB958830-x64-RefreshPkg.msu" but no success till now.
If any one know to do that please share it, i am using Adminstudio 9.5. Waiting for expert comments urgent.

Regards,

AJ

[Cary_R]

Hi There,

The general idea behind AdminStudio is to convert non-msi installations into *.msi installations.

Unfortunately, windows installer isn't designed to deploy OS updates. So trying to repackage these types of files is not going to be fruitful. In particular, Microsoft lists these as a Non-Virtualizable package type when talking about App-V.

SCCM is capable of rolling these out natively, or if you are on SMS 2003, it requires an update to roll this out:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953592

For other deployment types, you can run these update packages via a commandline call to wusa.exe:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934307

[Darwin1]

AJ,

Is not advisable to repackage products that are very "intimate" with operating System, some examples are, Service Packs, Windows Updates, Internet Explorer, etc.

But you have a great tool to deploy Windows updates - WSUS. Is a free Microsoft Product and it really works.

I assume that you are using Active Directory to deploy your MSI products, so it's easy as a breeze to implement WSUS in your production environment. If you have tools like SCCM or SMS, you can deploy the product using a simple command line as stated by Carl R. BUT YOU DON'T NEED SCCM OR SMS. Use it only if you already have it.

As a final note to avoid misleading future readers, Repackage is not the same as Virtualization and it's not the answer to your question. SCCM, SMS, use the WSUS in its core to deploy updates. Ignore all comments related to Virtualization. You'll be in the wrong path.

Good xLuckx Wisdom!

[Cary_R]

I apologize; I didn't mean to mislead anyone into thinking Repackaging and Virtualization were the same thing. A more relevant quote from Microsoft on the topic comes from the "Tao of Windows Installer" articles on MSDN:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windows_installer_team/archive/2006/05/12/595950.aspx

Rule 10: Do Not Repackage Microsoft Updates
Microsoft uses a different packaging technology to create Service Packs and other updates for many products, including Windows, Internet Explorer, Exchange Server, SQL Server and ISA Server. This technology is not related to the Windows installer and it is completely unsupported to convert the updates to Installer packages. Refer to the following article for support details:

Repackaging software updates to use Windows Installer is not supported

You may be aware that Windows Service Packs ship with an “Update.msi” package that can be used to deploy the Service Pack via Group Policy. This package simply calls the normal .exe-based install as a custom action. This is the only supported use of this package and it is not supported to create your own similar MSI wrapper for Service Packs or other updates. Apart from the one situation mentioned, deploying updates in this way is not tested by Microsoft and the results cannot be guaranteed and hence are unsupported.