Software Updates Home Page

The Software Updates console tree node is the home page for the software updates feature in Configuration Manager 2007. It displays a summary of software updates compliance, contains the Update Repository, Update Lists, Deployment Templates, Deployment Management, and Deployment Packages sub nodes, and is located in the console tree as follows:

System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Computer Management / Software Updates.

The software update status is displayed in the Software Update Installation Status Summary results pane and is based on specified values for vendor, update classification, and month and year. The data displayed is updated based on the home page summarization schedule, which is 4 hours by default, or by manually using the Run Homepage Summarization action.

The software updates are displayed with the following information:

Article ID: Specifies the article ID associated with the software update. The article contains detailed information about the software update. Click the link to open a Web page with more information about the specific software update.
Bulletin ID: Specifies the bulletin ID associated with security software updates. Security bulletin details can be found by searching on the bulletin ID at the Microsoft Security Bulletin Search Web page (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=58313).
Title: Specifies the title for the software update.
Severity: Specifies the predefined vendor severity rating for the software update. The severity can range from low to critical and cannot be modified.
Deployed: Specifies whether the software update has been deployed to clients.
Total: Specifies the total number of clients that are in the All Systems collection.
Installed: Specifies the number of systems that have installed the software update and no longer require it.
Required: Specifies the number of systems that require the software update.
Not Required: Specifies the number of systems that do not require the software update.
Unknown: Specifies the number of systems in which the software update state is unknown.
% Compliant: Specifies the percentage of clients on which the software update is installed or not required over the total number of clients in the All Systems Collection.
% Compliant (graph): Specifies in a bar graph the percentage of clients on which the software update is installed or not required over the total number of systems in the All Systems Collection.

Before information is available in any of the update repository console tree nodes, the following steps must be taken:

Enable the Software Updates Client Agent (enabled by default).
Enable and configure the Software Update Point.
Specify at least one update classification, product, and language, and initiate update synchronization. Depending on how many updates are synchronized, this process might take a long time to complete.

For details about configuring Software Updates, see Administrator Checklist: Configuring Software Updates.

UI Element List

The Software Updates home page displays data for software updates based on defined criteria that is configured in the Software Update Installation Status Summary pane, which contains the following elements:

Vendor: Specifies the vendor that created the software updates, for example, Microsoft. Select a vendor from the list to limit the software updates displayed on the home page to only the updates that are from the specified vendor.

Month and year: Specifies that software updates created or revised in the configured month and year are displayed. The software updates displayed on the home page are limited to the updates last revised within the specified month and year.

Update classification: Specifies the classification for software updates, for example, Security Updates, Service Packs, Applications, and so on. Select a classification from the list to limit the software updates displayed on the home page to only the updates that are in the classification.

Go: Retrieves the software updates that meet the defined Vendor, Month and year, and Update classification criteria.

Links and Resources

The Links and Resources section of the Software Updates home page provides links to Configuration Manager 2007 console items where Software Updates components can be configured, along with links to common Software Updates reports and links to help and external resource information.

The following links and resource information is available:

Navigation: Provides links to other sections of the Configuration Manager 2007 console where software updates components are configured.

Web Reports

Provides links to common Software Updates Web reports. For any of the following reports, click the link on this page to open the specified report:

Compliance 1 - Overall compliance: Returns the overall compliance for the set of software updates in a specific update list and collection.
States 1 - Enforcement states for a deployment: Returns the enforcement states for a specific software update deployment.
Scan 1 - Last scan states by collection: Returns the count of computers in each of the compliance scan states returned by client computers in a specific collection during their last scan for software updates compliance.
Management 1 - Updates required but not deployed: Returns all vendor-specific software updates that have been detected as required on clients but that have not been deployed to a specific collection.

Resources

Provides links to software updates resources. Click the link to open the specified resource.

Software Updates Checklists: Opens the administrator checklists in the local help file. The checklists provide the steps necessary to plan for and prepare the software updates components, configure the software updates components, assess software updates for compliance, deploy software updates, and monitor deployment progress.
Software Updates Troubleshooting: Opens the software updates troubleshooting content in the local help file.
Microsoft Update Catalog on Microsoft.com: Opens the Microsoft Update Catalog external Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=99032). This Web site is a service from Microsoft that provides a listing of updates that can be distributed over a corporate network. You can use it as a one-stop location for finding Microsoft software updates, drivers, and hotfixes.
ConfigMgr TechCenter on Microsoft.com: Opens the System Center Configuration Manager TechCenter Web site on TechNet (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=74317).

Actions for the Software Updates Home Page

General actions are available from the software updates home page and specific actions are available for software updates when they are selected from the Software Update Compliance Status Summary pane. The following tables list the actions that are available on the software updates home page.

General Software Updates Home Page Actions

The following actions are available from the software updates home page.

Action	Description
Schedule home page summarization	Specifies the schedule for the software updates home page summarization, which is how often the data displayed on the home page is updated with the most recent data in the site database. Configure summarization to occur every x days, hours, or minutes. By default, summarization is scheduled for every 4 hours.
Run home page summarization	Specifies that the software updates home page summarization occurs as soon as possible. The data displayed on the home page is updated with the most recent data in the site database. The scheduled summarization will still occur on its schedule interval.
Give feedback	Opens a Configuration Manager 2007 Web site where feedback can be given.
View	Provides the following view options: Add/Remove columns: Specifies which columns display in the results pane. Select the column name from the Available columns window, and click Add to add the column to the displayed columns. Select the column name from the Displayed columns window, and click Remove to remove the columns from the displayed columns. Click Restore Defaults to display the default columns. Click OK to save changes. Export list: Exports the data in the results pane to a Text or Unicode Text file that is tab or comma delimited. Hide search bar: Specifies to hide the search bar located above the results pane. Customize: Specifies which items are displayed in the Configuration Manager 2007 console window.
New windows from here	Opens a new console window using the current node as the root node.
Refresh	Refreshes the display with the most current information.
Help	Opens the associated help topic.