Knowledge Base

Category: General
Topic ID: 864
Title: Carlson Software Update Patch Management
Created: 2014-07-30Last modified: 2014-07-30

Patch Management

After the initial release of a major version, there are typically a few software service patches to fix errors. These service patches are delivered as update installs that contain only the updated program files. These update installs are not the full install and they designed to be installed onto an existing installation.

Check Patch Status

To see the software build that you are currently running, go to the Help->About Carlson command and look at the build number which is the date of the build. This number has six digits where the first two are the year, the next two are the month and the last two are the day. For example, a build on July 4, 2013 would have a build number of 130704.

Patch Notification

There are two ways to be notified of new patches. One way is that the program is setup by default to check the Carlson server once a week for new patches. This check is done when the Carlson program is started. If there is no update, the check routine displays a dialog reporting that the check didn't find a new patch. If there is a new patch, then the routine prompts for whether to install the update. If you choose to install the patch, the routine downloads the patch and steps through the install. You have the option to turn off the checking in the check status dialog by checking the "Never check again" toggle. If the checking is turned off, it can be turned on again by running Windows->All Programs->Carlson Software->Check For Updates. The other method to be notified of new patches is to go to the Carlson website, www.carlsonsw.com, and go to Support->Downloads. Then select the product name from the product list. Then on the download page, there is a field for entering your email address for getting an email notification when updates are posted. This way you get notified immediately when an update is ready.

Manually Installing a Patch

There are two ways to manually install a patch. One is to run the Check For Updates function under the Windows->Programs->Carlson Software menu. This routine checks the Carlson server for the latest build version and compares to your build version. If the server has a more recent build, the program downloads the patch and steps through the install. The second method is to go to the Carlson website, www.carlsonsw.com, and go to Support->Downloads and select the software from the list of products. Then there is a list of the full install and the latest patch. The you can download and run the patch.exe. To install the patch, you need Windows write permission to the program folder.

Managing Patches Centrally

Depending on your company administration policies, three different approaches to the central patch management can be considered: 1. Portion of the application is installed centrally, on the server, so that the files can be updated in the single central location instead of doing it on every workstation 2. Local patch downloads are disabled and instead a patch is downloaded to central location and launched on every workstation through the script 3. Local patch downloads are enforced, even if user chose to disable them manually.

Method 1: Partial central install on the server

This method involves running usual installation of Carlson product on the server as if it is a regular workstation. The installation path should be a folder which is accessible through the network share. Next the product is installed on the workstations using the "Remote install" option: User will then get a prompt to select the location where the program is installed on the server: This will result in a smaller local installation with vital updatable files located centrally. The update process is performed on the server by ether installing patch manually or running "Check for updates" from Programs menu.

Methods 2 & 3: Using Windows mechanisms to control local installation of the patches by the end-users

The setting controlling whether the local install on the user workstation is automatically checking for updates is located at the following location in registry (Carlson 2013 on IntelliCAD 7.2) : On 32-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Carlson Software\SurvCADD\2013\ICAD7 On 64-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Carlson Software\SurvCADD\2013\ICAD7 The value name is NONET and value "1" (string) disables automatic update. Value of "0" or no value allows automatic updates. Domain administrator can configure these settings to be changed using group policies on the domain server: - Run "Group Policy Management" tool located in Control Panel, Administrative tools - Navigate to your domain, Group Policy Objects - Create new policy by right-clicking and selecting "New" - Give policy a fitting name - Right-click on policy and select Edit - Right-click on Startup, select properties - Click on Show File and copy your script (see below) into the folder which opens - Click "Add" and select the script you copied Other methods for running scripts on startup or login will work as well, as long as they are configured to run with administrative rights. Save the following snippets into batch file (.bat or .cmd) and place then where your launching setup is looking for it. To re-enable automatic check for updates (for 32-bit Windows): reg delete "HKLM\Software\Carlson Software\SurvCADD\2013\ICAD7" /f /v NONET To disable automatic check for updates (for 32-bit Windows): reg add "HKLM\Software\Carlson Software\SurvCADD\2013\ICAD7" /f /v NONET /t REG_SZ /d 1 Patches are delivered using InstallShield PackageForWeb tool. These packages can be installed interactively by user as long we they are launched by a script with Administrative rights. User interaction with patching process can be controlled in the following manner. To minimize interaction, but still provide user with information on patching progress, please use the following switches: Patch_file.exe -s -a minimal To avoid any interaction, resulting in unconditional delivery of the patch as needed, please use the following switches: Patch_file.exe -s -a stealth
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