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I am using WSUS for Microsoft patching but would like something that will inventory and patch Adobe, Java, Firefox, Quicktime, etc.

I have used Lumension in the past and it was OK but it is too expensive. I have used Kaseya and don't like it. Shavlik is also too expensive. ECORA's website is difficult to navigate and I am not interested in starting a trial simply based off that.

I downloaded a trial of GFI LANguard which looked nice but it is a standalone .NET application with no web or remote console and crashed throwing .NET errors.

With that said, can anyone suggest me a reasonably priced/free patch management application that will do 3rd party applications, and maybe work with WSUS? A remote client or web interface would be nice also, I also have off-site (VPN) or dis-joined systems.

ThorinOak
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  • Haven't tried it out, but Desktop Central 7 is free up to 25 workstations: http://www.manageengine.com/products/desktop-central/index.html – gravyface May 02 '11 at 17:14

5 Answers5

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enter image description here WPKG
http://wpkg.org
 "W-package" (GUI and Command line) is an automated software deployment, upgrade and removal tool for Windows.

  • WPKG is open source software.
  • It can be used to push/pull software packages, such as Service Packs, hotfixes, or program installations from a central server to a number of workstations.
  • It can run as a service to install software in the background (silent install), without user interaction.
  • It can install MSI, InstallShield, PackagefortheWeb, Inno Setup, Nullsoft, other software installers or .exe packages, .bat and .cmd scripts and similar: no more repackaging to perform software installation.

Here's a list of software that have already available silent installs, upgrades, and uninstalls configurations (yes, Adobe flash/reader, Java, Firefox, Quicktime are included here). You can write your own too, and contribute to the community.

It doesn't include a full "software-push" feature, but we solved this by using psexec to run it on all our client/hosts, from a remote computer.

You can use the wpkgCreateReport tool to generate a report showing which packages are installed on which computers.

check out the other user contributed software/tools, might come in useful

LUP

http://localupdatepubl.sourceforge.net

Another solution could be using software called Local Update Publisher. It allows you to publish 3rd party software updates through your WSUS server. It seems to use WSUS API feature called "Local Publishing". I haven't used it though, here's what claims to do:

  • Publish applications to a domain or workgroup.
  • Create rules to define install behavior.
  • Monitor progress of installations.
  • Use WSUS groups for approvals.
  • Utilize existing WSUS architecture. Support multiple parent and child servers.
  • Import and export standard update catalogs.
Community
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l0c0b0x
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    This is the very reason I wrote Local Update Publishe. The best place to start is http://www.localupdatepublisher.com. – Bryan Dam May 27 '11 at 14:02
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We've started using PDQDeploy, which is free and has worked very well so far (mostly Adobe Flash/Acrobat/Reader updates). Their support is also pretty good.

Jason Duffett
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You can use WSUS to deploy all sorts of updates...step by step guide to doing it with Java updates is here.

Also stuff on there for doing it with Adobe updates..

rnxrx
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itguru1982
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Look at GFI's RemoteManagement. It's cheap. It works. It's a hosted web-based console. It uses LANguard for patching, so everything you liked without the errors you didn't.

Jason Berg
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We use Ninite. They don't support arbitrary apps, but they do have a curated collection that includes pretty much every high-quality free program you've ever heard of.

Kevin DeGraaf
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