upgrade agents with the packager

Question

Hello,
I just updated my server to version 2.9.2.
For all my clients, I had deployed the 2.8 agents by gpo thanks to the packager with which I had generated a package.
I would like to update them to 2.9.1 still in gpo and regenerating the agent with the packager.
But on the wiki, it's noted "don't use OCSPackager to upgrade OCS Inventory Windows Agent.
Create deployment package with "OCS-NG-Windows-Agent-Setup.exe" on zip file and launch with command example: OCS- NG-Windows-Agent-Setup.exe /S /UPGRADE /SERVER=ocs_server_address".
I don't understand this note... I can't use the packager to update the agents?
Thanks !

Answer 1

When you use a script, you can launch OCS-NG-Windows-Agent-Setup.exe with lot of switch

/server /now /....

and you can use /upgrade which can really upgrade, stop the service, install new file, restart service. Did you think to the problem : change service program when the service is running ?

If you use packager, it's not possible to use /upgrade, so you need to uninstall Agent and then install new agent.

(You have others things than GPO for managing hundreds of PC ...)

Answer 2

thank you ! What are the others things than GPO ??

Answer 3

I've worked in a company with nearly 8-9k hardware (6-7 under windows).

For Windows hardware, as users are NOT local admin, they can't install themselves any software (and it's good obviously).

But there is a folder on C: call 'teledis' (for teledistribution) and a small service launched at start of hardware which scan this folder to look application to install as local admin (as the service). (Obviously there is a verification from a server, so a clever user are not able to create an application directly in the folder, and even if the folder is only for local admin).

With OCS it's easy to produce a package to put an application into the 'teledis' folder, and the installation start only at starting the hardware (=not during normal usage due risks).

(For me, GPO are not a miracle : it's easy to create but quickly you can have lots of GPO and it's not optimal or time consumer, specially if you have an important set of hardware = thousands)

I understand : find a easy and convenient solution to deploy efficiently softwares on thousands hardware, is a great and mandatory task ... (and there is many solutions ... all imperfect)

Answer 4

Sorry, I didn't quite understand your message.
I don't understand your service system in teledis folder.
In any case, ocs is used to inventory our customers' computers.
Each client has about 20 positions maximum, so these are very small structures.

For me, the best deployment system remains GPOs (which is also the basic system recommended by Microsoft).
So, I still tried to update by GPO the agent generated by the packager (without the /upgrade option), and it seems to work fine, I don't see any particular problem.
Do you think I can continue to deploy all my clients this way ?

Another thing, since version 2.7, the installation file is now called "OCS-Windows-Agent-Setup.exe", there is no longer the "NG"...
Is this normal ?
Because when I use the 2.8 packager, it always wants the exe name with "NG".

Thank you !

Answer 5

Hello,

Someone to help me ?

To give me good practice to update agent via gpo.

Thanks !

Answer 6

hy, to upgrade the agent this should work until today

https://miloszengel.com/how-to-update-ocs-ng-inventory-agent-for-windows-to-2-1-1-3/

Answer 7

Hy jacquesh

what doe this mean ?

"With OCS it's easy to produce a package to put an application into the 'teledis' folder, and the installation start only at starting the hardware (=not during normal usage due risks)."

I thought the installation is verifiedby a certificate .. so it should not be possible to just put something into that folder ? can you please  explain this a little bit more detailed ?

Answer 8

@mamaxv

IMHO the best way to install and to upgrade is execute a single line like 'OCS-Agent-Setup.exe /S /NO_SPLASH /NO_SYSTRAY /SERVER=.... /SSL=. /CA /UPGRADE' (with /UPGRADE if you create a package for upgrade agent)

@sokatra

I worked during 1 year for a company with nearly 7k Windows PC for upgrade the OCS solution (old = 2.0.5). I upgrade the server to 2.8.1. For Windows agent, it was possible to execute a package with a small .cmd with the line. But it's was not as secure as wanted.

So as each 2 years, it's mandatory to upgrade Windows edition (1909, 20H1, ..), in the process, the agent is upgraded with the small .cmd.

But on any Windows computer, there is a small service, run only at starting :

There is a folder C:\TELEDIS. Under there is folders with software installation scripts.

The service run as 'Local Admin', scan folders under C:\TELEDIS, when a folder exist, there is a verification with a server, and the software is installed.

This is a way to install software when the user start it PC and without user is Admin.

So best usage is use OCS to create a 'store' package to create subfolder inside 'C:\TELEDIS', and not directly execute installation script when user is running the computer.

Answer 9

@ jacquesh

but the teledis folder ist your own construct right ? and you are using something like a gpo or startup script ? right ?

Kind regards sokatra