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Using Minor Impact

I am wondering how much people are using "Impact: Minor" with their 3rd party packages. For example, Flash nor Java require a system or service restart. Minor specifies that this update does not require a system or service restart to be applied. The WUAgent setting “Allow automatic updates immediate installation” is used in conjunction with this value to determine if updates can be installed immediately, or must wait until a directed or scheduled event. I have "Allow Automatic Updates immediate installation" enabled in GPO. If we could get Java and Flash updates to install immediately, I think that would be a clear win! Thoughts? -mark

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LGarvin

Greetings Mark.

It's not so much that Flash nor Java do not typically require a system or service restart, but the fact must be that they never will require a system or service restart -- in any conceivable scenario. The first thing to note in this point is that the Java packages in SolarWinds Patch Manager do potentially involve a system restart. At a minimum, we terminate the JavaQuickStarterService (if running), and other services may be terminated as a result of forcing file locks to be removed. Flash has a service - AdobeFlashPlayerUpdateSvc - that could be running at the time the update is applied. Granted, these odds are astronomical, but the standard for Impact=Minor is *zero* probability.

With regard to "Allow automatic updates immediate installation", the updates will be installed upon detection. It would be a fairly rare scenario in which this installation would occur as a result of a directed or scheduled event. (i.e. the approval occurs after a client's last check-in and the end-user runs a "Check for updates", or Patch Manager is used to launch an Update Management task shortly after the approval is set.

In addition, because the updates will be installed at detection, the odds that Flash is in use on any given client desktop system at that moment is exponentially increased (over doing a scheduled deployment during non-business hours). If Flash is in use, this could actually trigger a system restart condition if the files are locked and the Flash installer stages those files for overwrite-at-power-on.

strict

Thanks Lawrence. So I set the Java 7u11 update to Minor and Can request reboot, then let it fly. I had Java 7u11 installed on my entire company network in less than an hour without anyone knowing or being bothered by the update. It was awesome!

LGarvin

Yeah.. those are inconsistent settings... but then, the "Can request reboot" is an informational only field, so it has no real impact on anything operationally.

However, by definition, if Impact="Minor", then Reboot Behavior should be "Never requires reboot".

But... your results are most interesting, nevertheless. I will call attention to the packaging team about your 'experiment', and let them ponder it some. ;-)