Software update definitions can be exported in System Center Updates Publisher by using the Export Wizard. The wizard can export specified software updates, or all updates with the publish flag set, to a cabinet (CAB) file that can be imported by other publishing tools, or it can be used to export a test catalog Extensible Markup Language (XML) file for testing.

Export Software Updates to CAB File

When the Export selected updates to a cabinet file that can be imported by other publishers option is selected in the Export Wizard, all software updates in the highlighted node and all subnodes, or individual software updates selected in the results pane, are exported to a CAB file when the wizard successfully completes. This option is best used for exporting pre-production software updates.

When the Export all updates in the updates publisher database that have the publish flag set option is selected in the Export Wizard, all software updates that have the publish flag set are exported to a CAB file when the wizard successfully completes. This option is recommended for creating production software updates catalogs. The catalog is exported to the location specified in the wizard as well as the UpdatesCatalog.xml file that contains catalog signature information.

Note
System Center Updates Publisher 4.0 supports updates that have dependencies, such as drivers and bundles. During the export process for these updates, the update and its dependencies are exported. Updates with dependencies that are not in the local Updates Publisher database can be exported, but a warning message might display before the export process completes.

The CAB file can be imported from another location by selecting the Import option in Updates Publisher. If the software updates contained in the imported catalog are already present in the database, a message appears asking if the current update should be replaced with the new one.

Important
When you distribute your catalog file, always copy UpdatesCatalog.xml to the same location as UpdatesCatalog.cab. Otherwise, Updates Publisher cannot tell whether it has retrieved the most recent version of the catalog.

Export Software Updates to an XML File for Testing

Note
This section applies only to Updates Publisher 3.0 and Updates Publisher 4.0. Updates Publisher 4.5 no longer supports exporting software updates to a test catalog.

When the Export selected updates to a test catalog XML file and supporting scan files for testing option is selected in the Export Wizard, the wizard creates a folder in the specified location with the scan tool, schema files, software updates test catalog, and a script with the appropriate command-line parameters. The files in the export-for-test folder provide the ability to test a catalog without publishing the catalog to an update server.

Important
Updates with dependencies, such as drivers and bundles, cannot be exported for test and will be skipped during the export for test process.

Export for Testing Process

After the Export Wizard completes, the following steps are performed by the wizard:

  1. The wizard retrieves the software update definitions from the database, creates a temporary test catalog file in the user %TEMP% folder, renames the test catalog file to TestCatalog.xml, copies the file to the destination folder specified above, and deletes the temporary test catalog from %TEMP%. If a TestCatalog.xml file already exists in the destination folder, it is deleted.

  2. The following export-for-test files are copied from the Updates Publisher installation folder to the %TEMP% folder:

    • RunScan.cmd: The tool used to scan the client for the updates defined in the catalog.

    • CSTScan.exe: The scan engine used to test the update definitions in the catalog.

    • ScanReport.xsl: The XML style sheet, which formats the scan results into a report.

    • ExecuteOnExport.cmd: An optional file that is copied from the Updates Publisher installation folder if it exists.

    • \Data folder: Contains the XSD files used to validate the schema of the TestCatalog.xml when starting the scan. These files are copied from the Data folder located under the Updates Publisher installation folder.

    • \Logs folder: Contains the LOG files created during a client scan. The log files are named CSTScan_<computername>.log and contain detailed scan information for the client.

When the RunScan.cmd file is run, the client computer is scanned for applicable software updates and the results are appended to the TestResults.xml file. Local and remote client computers can run the test scan to determine whether the software update definitions created in Updates Publisher provide the expected scan results. For more information, see How to Use the Export for Test Catalog.

Exporting Software Updates When Compatibility Mode Is Enabled

When compatibility mode is enabled in Updates Publisher 3.0, localized titles and descriptions for software update definitions might be removed. For more information about compatibility mode, see About Updates Publisher Compatibility Mode.

Note
The compatibility mode setting is available only in System Center Updates Publisher 3.0.

See Also