What’s New in the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates Revision 3
The Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) was released in August of 2005. ITMU integrates the Windows Server Update Services client software update technology with Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003, and shares the same security update, update rollup, and service pack data offered by this technology. ITMU enhances software update management by providing automatic command-line parameters at install, full language catalog, and support for the latest Microsoft products including Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Vista™, as well as a migration path for software updates to the next version of SMS. In SMS 2003 Service Pack 2, ITMU was updated to include new scan collections that target 64-bit operating systems as well as new hardware inventory data that record the version of the Windows Update Agent currently installed on a client computer running ITMU. This latest version of ITMU provides support for a new offline catalog format provided by Microsoft and Windows Update. This catalog is used by the Windows Update Agent. It also includes performance improvements and setup changes to create collection memberships that target Windows Vista client computers. What Has Changed in the Latest ITMU?Support for New CatalogITMU and other software updating tools use a catalog from which to pull software updates information for distribution to client systems. With each security release, the number of update files contained in the catalog grows. The original software updates catalog, wsusscan.cab, can contain a maximum of 64,000 files. As this limit is reached, older updates will be removed from the catalog as new updates are added. To resolve the file limitation, Microsoft is releasing a new version of the catalog - wsusscn2.cab. The new version of ITMU has been updated to use the new software updates catalog. Older versions of ITMU will continue to reference the old catalog, and after March, 2007, older versions of ITMU might not have the most current software update information. As a result, it is recommended that customers upgrade to the new version of ITMU as soon as possible. You can find more information about this issue in Knowledge Base article 926464. PerformanceThe updated version of ITMU includes performance enhancements that significantly decrease the amount of time needed to scan a client computer. Scan times and benefits will vary based on the profile of the client computer and available resources at the time of the scan. Updated Collection and Program InformationThe scan collections that are created during a clean installation of ITMU on an SMS 2003 site have now been updated to include client workstations running Windows Vista. In addition to the new collections, the scan program properties have been updated to include All Platforms. As a result, you can use SMS 2003 SP2 or later with ITMU to manage software updates to Windows Vista systems. NOTE: Windows Vista is not a supported platform in SMS 2003 SP2. Support for Windows Vista is expected in the next service pack for SMS 2003. When you upgrade, the new version of ITMU will not automatically modify collections or programs to target of client computers running Windows Vista. After you upgrade, you must manually modify collections and programs. Modifying Collections Change collection query properties to include Windows Vista specific hardware inventory data: Change collection query properties to include Windows Vista specific hardware inventory data:
Modifying Programs Change the program properties of the scan program to include All Platforms.
|
.gif){kind=icon}
Top of page