I am so pleased to announce that thanks to the amazing work of Allan Rafuse we have released “PatchSolution”

We have decided to make to this available for how much… Guess it…. $$$$ … Free!!

Why you ask? Well it’s because we love the community and feel that this type of solution should be available to everyone.

This is the same solution that I recently demoed in my session during the MVP Virtual Conference.

 

 

Here is a little write up on just what the solution can do for you!

 

Project Description

Patching is a problem or that topic that most people don’t want to talk about. There are many great solutions to managing patches, but the problem is defining when computers can actually install these approved patches. This is where the Patch Solution comes in.

Overview

The idea behind the patch solution is to apply approved patches to a computer at a specific time. Some computers may be part of a QA/Test environment and some may be part of a Production environment. Using the same solution and by modifying the XML configuration file, the solution can tell each type of computer when it’s allowed to patch.

As these scripts use free tools, and in order to help companies and individuals environments keep their environments more secure, this solution is also free.

Features

  • Uses free tools
  • Automated
  • Control when each computer starts patching and reboots
  • Configure Patch Schedules
  • Examples:
    • Every day at 00:30
    • Monday, Wednesday, Saturday at 22:00
  • Central Reporting (Only if WSUS is used)
  • Creates an Excel sheet with all outstanding updates/computers
  • Excel report is saved on a file share
  • An email is sent a day before showing machines that will be patched
  • Ability test servers in Maintenance Mode
  • Requirements
    • Active Directory
    • Computer has Access to
      • Microsoft Windows Update
        or
      • Access corporate WSUS 2012R2 (Free/Preferred)
    • Computer is a member of Active Directory
    • PowerShell (v3+ Preferred)

 

You can download and follow our project at http://patchsolution.codeplex.com