Microsoft Installer Technologies

1
Microsoft Installer Technologies

• and patch management approaches

2
Internal Competition Breeds Variety

• MSI (Microsoft Installer Service)
• Microsoft Update
• Office Update
• SUS (Software Update Service)
• SMS (System Management Server)
• Others (MS SQL group, MS Exchange Group,)

3
Stated Goals end of 2004?

• One method for updating applications (MSI version
  3.0)
• One method for updating operating systems
  (update.exe)

4
Current Problems

• Inconsistent UI
• Inconsistent features
• Inconsistent reporting results
• All leading to unpatched machines

5
MSI Capabilities

• Compatible installers can be deployed via Group
  Policies
• Compatible installers can be created by 3rd
  parties
• Transforms can be used to add customizations
  without requiring installer source code access
• Applications can be made self-healing

6
MSI Capabilities continued

• Users do not need to be local administrator
• Introduces UI consistency into application
  installers
• Handles removal as well as installation

7
MSI problems

• New versions of MSI cant be deployed using MSI
• Not all MSI installers can be used with Group
  Policies
• Microsoft HotFixes and QFEs cant be installed
  with MSI
• MSI cant update core OS components

8
Microsoft Update Features

• Web interface
• Can install core operating system components

9
MS Update disadvantages

• Mostly a pull technology
• Users must be member of local administrator group
• Specific to Microsoft issued code
• No role based deployment
• Subject to denial of service attacks
• No self-healing
• Can be confused about what has been installed

10
Office Update

• Nearly the same as Microsoft Update
• Simply another web site with a different group
  maintaining a different set of configuration
  files (and ActiveX controls?)

11
SUS

• Locally maintained version of Microsoft Update
• SUS only supports OS updates at this time (no MS
  SQL Server or Office Updates)
• Can only distribute Microsoft signed binaries, no
  3rd party support
• SUS administrators get to decide which updates
  from Microsoft to deploy locally

12
SUS and machine roles

• Like Microsoft update, SUS does not have the
  concept of roles
• Sites desiring role based machine deployment
  need multiple SUS servers

13
SMS

• Microsofts heavy weight solution
• Used by Microsofts internal ITG for deployment
  and patch management
• Can be used to deploy OS components, MS
  applications, 3rd party applications
• Role based or global
• Can support downlevel products
• Central deployment of hotfixes

14
(over stated ) Conclusion

• Microsoft will continue to NOT meet our needs
  over the next two years
• Lack of support for 3rd party applications via
  update.exe
• Lack of self-healing via update.exe
• Lack of OS patching via MSI
• A continuing revenue stream from SMS