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Summary

Sometimes you need to publish a package that hasn't yet been installed on your hosts. As such, this new deployment needs to pass WSUS/SCCM applicability checks and installs when it is being deployed. This article guides you on how to create such packages and use the SVM Software Package System not only to publish security updates, but to publish all third-party updates you want.

Synopsis

The Flexera Software Package System is a powerful tool to deploy security updates, but not only that in fact.
SPS allows you to also configure New Custom Package that can be deployed based on your judgment, and not only based on what SVM detected in your network.

This gives you the chance to utilize the package integration of SVM with WSUS/SCCM to further publish brand new deployment packages to hosts that hadn't had those installed prior to that.
For this purpose, you only need to perform certain configuration of your new Custom Package to be able to utilize it properly.

Even though each package published via SVM requires to be wrapped in a script similarly to how update packages are done, you don't really need to script it yourself, just use a little trick.
You can copy the script from any Update Package in SPS and further place it accordingly in the configuration of your new Custom Package, to get it working just fine.


Discussion

Before creating the new Custom Package, you must ensure certain prerequisites that are mandatory.
  • Download the executable file of the program you are to distribute. Alternatively, find the direct download link of this program which can also be used in your package.
  • Determine the correct silent installation parameter that works for this package - it's mandatory that it has one. If the program does not support silent install, this package cannot work on hosts.
  • Create a WSUS group or SCCM Collection (depending on what you use) that gathers precisely the hosts that are intended to receive the new custom package installation.
    • Consider that your package will deploy to any machine that is being targeted - neither WSUS nor SCCM will have any evaluation control over this package after it's published.
  • You must, at the very minimum, have at least one blue program entry listed under SPS central view - it could be any program e.g. Adobe, Java, VLC - you'll use it to copy its script.

Workaround

Once you've made sure the prerequisites are met, the following steps are your course of actions:
  • Go to SPS view and right-click on any blue program entry.
  • Select 'Create Update Package' and accept the following warning screen that may appear.
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  • Enable the 'Edit Package Contents' checkbox at step 1 of the SPS
  • Click 'Next' to move to step 2 then.
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  • Copy the existing script in the 'Execution Flow' window starting from the 5th line, which is the first line with comments under 'OptionalParams' variable.
  • Cancel the package wizard after you've copied the script.
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  • Return to SPS central view
  • Find the button 'New Custom Package' at the top frame of the central view and click it.
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  • At step 1 of the new package wizard, enable 'Edit Package Content' checkbox (and enable the 'Use Flexera Custom Naming' if deploying via SCCM).
  • At step 2, paste the script that you've copied earlier into the 'Execution Flow' script. Select everything starting after the 3rd line ('Var optionalParams') and paste the previously copied script on top of it.
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  • Use the 'Add Local File' button under the execution flow to integrate your program installer in the package.
    • If you prefer using direct download link, use the 'Add Download Link' button to paste it there.
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  • Look at Line 3 of the Execution Flow script named 'var optionalParams = "";
    • You should add the mandatory silent installation parameter that corresponds to your package.
    • Add it in-between the quotes e.g. "/S"; (given that /S is the correct one)
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  • Click the 'Create SPS File' button to export the current package configuration on the file system.
  • Take the sps.exe exported file and execute it on client that does not currently has your application installed.
    • If the 'sps.exe' exported file install silently and directly as you run it, your package is ready to deploy over SCCM or WSUS.
      • If you encounter an error, you should revise the silent parameter and you should confirm that you copied/pasted the script precisely as instructed above.
  • Click 'Next' at step 2 to move forward.
  • At step 3, mandatory tick the checkbox 'Mark Package as AlwaysInstallable'
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  • You can continue with 'Next' until you 'Publish'.
    • Only approve this package in WSUS for Groups (or send it to collections) where all hosts to the very last one are intended to install this package.
    • This package will not be regulated by your deployment server like Update Packages usually are.

Additional Information

This functionality is provided and used 'as-is' and Flexera support does not take course to troubleshoot failing custom packages.
The current guide is provided for users' convenience and for usability purposes, but users are strongly advised to perform package testing before deploying.
Using the Create SPS Package function at step 2 allows you to easily export, test and confirm the package applicability. Make sure it is being used each time.
You should expect your package to install at its default directory as being implemented by the vendor.

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Version history
Last update:
‎Aug 07, 2018 01:40 PM
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