Approving Packages
2/9/2009
Before you distribute a package by using Mobile Device Manager software distribution, you must approve it to be delivered to specific groups of managed devices. You can approve a package for installation, which installs the software on the device, or for removal, which uninstalls the software from the device.
You can approve a package differently for each device group. For example, you can approve the package for installation on one device group, approve it for removal on another group, and not approve the package on a third group.
If you do not explicitly approve a package for a device group, then the group inherits the approval state of its parent group. For example, if Group2 belongs to Group1, and you approve a package for installation on Group1 but do not approve Group2 explicitly, then the package will be installed on all devices in Group2 as well as in Group1. If you do not want the package installed on devices in Group2, then you need to explicitly set Group2 to Not Approved. Once you explicitly set the approval state for a group, it will not be affected if you change the approval state of its parent group. All groups initially inherit the approval state of the All Devices group.
If you approve a package for multiple nested groups, then the software is installed or uninstalled based on the group that is nested the deepest. If the groups are at the same nesting level, then a package approved for installation takes priority over a package approved for removal, and this takes priority over a package that is not approved.
For example, suppose that a package is approved as shown for the following device groups.
All Devices
Group1
Group2
Group3 - approved for removal
Group4 - approved for removal
Group5
Group6 - approved for install
If a managed device is a member of device groups Group3 and Group6, then the software will be removed from the device because Group3 is nested deeper than Group6. If the device is a member of Group4 and Group6, then the software will be installed on the device because the approval for installation takes priority over the approval for removal.
Keep the following in mind as you approve packages:
- When approving a package for removal, the package status may not be updated in software distribution reports until two device management sessions have passed.
- If you specify Automatic Approval rules in Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), packages in MDM software distribution may be approved automatically as well.
- If a device switches to roaming after the updates have begun downloading, then the updates will finish downloading and will be installed even if the Group Policy setting Configure device management when roaming is set to Disabled or Not Configured, or the policy is set to Enabled and the option Allow software download and Windows Update is not selected. If the device switches to roaming before the package download begins, and the above policy is not enabled, or it is enabled and the option is not selected, then the package is not downloaded to the device unless the user selects Retry in the download agent on the device.
The following procedure shows you how to approve packages in MDM Software Distribution Console. You can approve packages for all managed Windows Mobile devices or for specific device groups. You can perform this procedure for one or more packages.
To approve packages
In the navigation pane, expand Packages, and then select the group that contains the packages that you want to approve. The console tree groups packages by classification.
In the details pane, filter the packages to display the packages that you want to approve.
In the list of packages, select one or more packages.
Right-click one or more packages, and then select Approve.
In the Approve Packages dialog box, in the Device Group section, select the icon next to a device group and then select Approved for Install or Approved for Removal. If you do not want the package delivered to a device group, select Not Approved.