Lesson 3: Upgrading Software

You must be able to upgrade users' software to ensure that users' computers have the most current version of an organization's software. There are two types of upgrades: mandatory and optional. Knowing how to deploy both mandatory and optional upgrades helps you to keep existing software installations current. You should also understand the requirements and implications of upgrading software and know when to make an upgrade mandatory or optional.

Mandatory upgrades automatically replace an older version of a program with the upgraded version. For example, if users are currently using version 3.0 of a program, this version will be removed, and version 4.0 of the program will be installed.

To deploy a mandatory upgrade, in Software Installation, right-click the new version and click Properties. In the package file's Properties dialog box, select the Upgrades tab. In the Packages That This Package Will Upgrade section, click Add, and then select the older version of the program that you want to upgrade. If both versions of the program are native Windows Installer packages, this step will be done automatically because native Windows Installer packages detect the native package files that they update. If the older version has been installed, it will be replaced with the newer version the next time that the user activates the program. You can use this same strategy to change from one vendor's product to another.

Optional upgrades allow users to use either the old or the new version of a program. After an optional upgrade, users can also install and use both versions of the application simultaneously. To deploy an optional upgrade, right-click the new version in Software Installation and click Properties. Then select the Upgrades tab in the package file's Properties dialog box.

In the Packages That This Package Will Upgrade section, click Add, and then select the older version of the program. If both versions of the program are native Windows Installer packages, this step will be done automatically. Clear the Required Upgrade For Existing Packages check box, and then click OK.

If the older version has been installed, existing shortcuts will still launch the older version. The next time the user logs on, the user can install either version from Add/Remove Programs. Document invocation will only install the newer version if the GPO deploying the newer version has the highest order of precedence.

If the older version has not yet been installed, the next time that the user logs on, advertised shortcuts will start an installation of the newer version. The user can install either version from Add/Remove Programs, and document invocation will only install the later version if the GPO deploying the later version has the highest order of precedence.

If you want new users to install the newer version of the program but don't want to uninstall the application for people who are currently using the older version of the program, deploy the newer version as an optional upgrade, and then disable the older version. Disabling software is discussed later in this chapter.

Windows 2000 makes deploying service packs and software patches remarkably easy. When you mark a package file for redeployment, the application is readvertised to everyone who has been granted access to the program, either through assigning or publishing. Then, depending on how the original package was deployed, one of three things happen:

• If the application was published and installed, the Start menu, desktop shortcuts, and registry settings relevant to that application will be updated the next time that the user logs on. The first time that the user starts the application, the service pack or software patch will be automatically applied.
• If the application was assigned to a user, the Start menu, desktop shortcuts, and registry settings relevant to that application will be updated the next time that the user logs on. The first time that the user starts the application, the service pack or software patch will be automatically applied.
• If the application has been assigned to a computer, the service pack or software patch will be automatically applied the next time that the computer is turned on. The application does not need to be activated for this to occur.

To redeploy a software package, obtain the service pack or software patch from the application vendor and place the files in the appropriate installation folders. The service pack must include a new Windows Installer package file (.MSI file). If it does not, you will be unable to redeploy the software because the original package file will contain instructions for deploying the new files added by the service pack or software patch. Open the GPO that originally deployed the application. In Software Installation, right-click the package filename, point to All Tasks, and click Redeploy Application. In the Redeployment dialog box, click Yes.

Windows 2000 provides two options for dealing with software you no longer want to deploy in your organization: you can either remove the applications, or you can disable them.

To remove software, right-click the package file name in Software Installation, point to All Tasks, and then click Remove. In the Remove Software dialog box, select one of the options explained in Table 7.2, and then click OK.

Table 7.2 Remove Software Options

Option	Description
Immediately Uninstall The Software From Users And Computers (Forced Removal)	Software is automatically deleted from a computer, either the next time the computer is turned on (in the case of a computer group policy setting), or the next time a user logs on (in the case of a user group policy setting). Removal will take place before the desktop appears.
Allow Users To Continue To Use The Software, But Prevent New Installations (Optional Removal)	Future installations of the software are not installed, but users can continue using existing installations.

Only software that has been installed from a Windows Installer package file can be removed using Group Policy. When software is installed from a package file, an information cache is created on the local hard disk. This cache contains information regarding the applications that were installed, in addition to instructions on how to uninstall them. When you issue a Group Policy command to remove software, that command is directed to the local cache. If the steps for removing the software can be found in the information cache, the program will be removed. If those steps cannot be found, the order to remove the software will be ignored. Any software that was installed without using Windows Installer will have to be removed manually.

There are two types of upgrades: mandatory and optional. Mandatory upgrades automatically replace an older version of a program with the upgraded version. You can use this same strategy to change from one vendor's product to another.

Optional upgrades allow users to use either the old or the new version of a program. After an optional upgrade, users can install and use both versions of the application simultaneously. The next time the user logs on, the user can install either version from Add/Remove Programs. If the older version has been installed, existing shortcuts will still launch the older version, but document invocation will only install the newer version, if the GPO deploying the newer version has the highest order of precedence.

Windows 2000 also makes deploying service packs and software patches easy. When you mark a package file for redeployment, the application is readvertised to everyone who has been granted access to the program, either through assigning or publishing. In addition, Windows 2000 provides two options for dealing with software you no longer want to deploy in your organization: you can either immediately remove the applications, or you can allow users to continue to use them but prevent new installations.