Deploying software using Microsoft System Center Essentials (SCE) 2010

Scenario

Well done old bean, you’ve successfully installed and configured System Center Essentials (SCE) 2010. You now need to deploy software to your electrical minions (client PCs).

Find out below how to spread software throughout your IT estate, like a spreadable, creamy butter:

Solution

  1. In the Essentials console, click Software.
  2. In the Software Overview pane, in the Tasks list, click Create new package to start the New Software Package Wizard:
  3. Proceed through the New Software Package Wizard:



  4. On the final page of the wizard when software package creation is in progress, select Show deployment options when this wizard closes, and then click Finish: 
  5. In the Add and Remove Approvals dialog box, select the computer groups that contain the computers to which you want to deploy the software, or click Create New Group to create a new computer group:
  6. Select Publish Update(s) to ‘Add/Remove Programs’ if you want the program to appear in the list of installed programs on target computers.
  7. Select Set a deadline for this group to schedule the deployment for a specific time, and then click OK:
     
  8. A successful approval will look like this:
  9. The new software package will now be distributed via the normal WSUS process.
  10. To force a client PC to check for new updates, navigate to Computers, select the client PC, then click Detect Software and Updates Now:

    I imagine this runs the wuauclt /detectnow command remotely.

Here’s a great post on creating dynamic groups: http://blogs.technet.com/b/systemcenteressentials/archive/2010/05/12/creating-a-dynamic-group-based-on-installed-software.aspx