When the Software Updates Client Agent in Configuration Manager 2007 is enabled, a policy that requests that the software updates components are enabled on client computers assigned to the site. These components work together to perform compliance assessment scans, install software updates at their configured deadline or when they are manually initiated, and reevaluate whether previously installed software updates are still installed, and if not, install them again. The Software Updates Client Agent properties are site wide client settings.

Note
Before software updates can be deployed, the software updates environment must be prepared and the components required by software updates must be configured. For more information, see the Administrator Checklists for Software Updates.

Use the following procedure to enable the Software Updates Client Agent and configure the client agent properties.

To configure the Software Updates Client Agent

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Site Management / <site code> - <site name> / Site Settings / Client Agents.

  2. Right-click Software Updates Client Agent, and then click Properties.

  3. On the General tab, configure the following settings:

    • Enable Software Updates on Clients: Verify that this setting is selected to enable the Software Updates Client Agent, which is enabled and installed on client computers by default. If the client agent is disabled, the client agent components are put into a dormant state but not removed on clients. Reenabling the Software Updates Client Agent will initiate a policy to request that the components on clients be enabled. The Software Updates Client Agent is configured on a site-by-site basis and only affects clients assigned to that site. Disabling the Software Updates Client Agent at a site prevents software update compliance assessment and prevents software updates from being deployed.

    • Scan schedule: Specifies how often a scan for software updates compliance is initiated on client computers. By default, a simple schedule is configured to run the scan for compliance every 7 days and the site database is updated with any changes since the last scan.

      Note
      When a custom schedule is selected, the actual start time on client computers is the start time plus a random amount of time up to 2 hours. This prevents client computers from initiating the scan and connecting to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) on the active software update point server at the same time.
  4. Click the Update Installation tab, and configure the following settings:

    • Enforce all mandatory deployments: specifies whether to enforce all mandatory software update deployments that have deadlines within a specified period of time. When a deadline is reached for a mandatory software update deployment, installation is initiated on clients for the updates defined in the deployment. This setting determines whether to also initiate the installation for software updates defined in other mandatory deployments that have a configured deadline within the specified period of time. The acceptable values allowed are 1 to 23 hours or 1 to 365 days.

    • Hide all deployments from end users: Specifies that display notifications and notification area icons for the software updates in all deployments will not display on client computers. This setting is not enabled by default. When this setting is enabled, the software updates only in mandatory deployments are available for installation and the silent installation will initiate by the configured deadline. Hidden deployments will become visible on client computers when this setting is not enabled.

  5. Click the Deployment Re-Evaluation tab to configure the schedule that specifies how often the Software Updates Client Agent reevaluates software updates for installation status. If the updates are still required, they are reinstalled if they are no longer found on client computers. By default, a simple schedule is configured to run deployment reevaluation every 7 days.

    Note
    When a custom schedule is selected, the actual start time on client computers is the start time plus a random amount of time up to 2 hours. This prevents client computers from initiating the scan and connecting to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) on the active software update point server at the same time.
  6. Click OK to exit the properties dialog box.

See Also