Service Pack Manager for Windows NT
In Affiliation
with CNET, Inc.
=@MACARLO MICROSOFT= =@MACARLO YAHOO= =@MACARLO WEBALIAS= =@MACARLO ALTAVISTA=
Service Pack Manager for Windows NT In Affiliation
=@MACARLO MICROSOFT= =@MACARLO YAHOO= =@MACARLO WEBALIAS= =@MACARLO ALTAVISTA=
|
We tested on our NT Server 4.0 the Service Pack Manager for Windows NT. Service Pack Manager is a tool for monitoring and controlling Windows NT Service Packs and Hotfixes. It allows you to query Microsoft FTP sites on the Web for all available Service Packs and Hotfixes. It also allows you to query the computers on your network to determine what Service Packs and Hotfixes are installed.
READ ALSO
SP6 for NT 4 Just Released
We
Tested It on Server
SERVICE PACK 6a
Microsoft re-released service pack 6 recently, calling it SP6a, to include
some new fixes. Confused? Here are some links to help.
http://www.ntsecurity.net/go/2c.asp?f=/news.asp?IDF=180&TB=news
Fixes, part1
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q241/2/11.asp
Fixes, part 2
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q244/6/90.asp
Service Pack Manager presents the results of the above-mentioned
queries in a comparable format, thus, making easier for you to decide what is
the status of your networked computers and what still has to be done. You can
download the desired Hotfixes from Microsoft FTP site to your local computer.
Then, designate the computers on the network you would want to install a particular
Hotfix on, and finally, to perform Hotfix installation on those computers.
But first, please verify that you have a valid Internet connection. Service
Pack Manager works with Proxy Server and firewalls. Internet Connection discusses this topic
in more details. In the photo below you can see Service Pack Manager running
on @Macarlo's NT 4.0 Server fixed by SP6:
Service Pack Manager 4.0 for Windows NT is a comprehensive solution for managing Service Packs and Hotfixes on Windows NT systems. It allows System Administrators to efficiently monitor and control Service Packs and Hotfixes both on enterprise-wide networks and stand-alone desktops.
Service Pack Manager gives you an instant knowledge of the state of your networked computers, and the latest detailed information on what is available from Microsoft, in comparable format. You can download multiple updates from the Web, and install a desired Hotfix on multiple networked computers simultaneously.
Service Pack Manager provides you the following capabilities:
1. Query Microsoft
sites in real time to find out what
Service Packs are available from Microsoft and what
are the latest updates (Hotfixes) corresponding to
every Service Pack.
2. With the information
received from the query you can
browse through the Service Packs and Hotfixes
and instantly view detailed information associated
with every Service Pack and every Hotfix. Please
read the note "SERVICE PACK MANAGER IS A TOOL,
THE DECISIONS ARE YOURS" at the end of this article
with regards to importance of this information.
3. Query a remote
computer, an entire domain, multiple
domains, a network, or any combination of these
network resources, to find out what Service Packs
and Hotfixes are installed on Windows NT systems.
(Just mark the check boxes of the desired network
resources, and click NetQuery button on the toolbar).
4. Then, you can
easlily view the status of the Service
Pack and Hotfixes of any computer that was included
in the query process, and compare it against the
Hotfixes available from Microsoft.
5. You can download
a single or multiple Hotfixes directly
from Microsoft to your local machine. The machine you are
running the Service pack Manager serves as a local
repository of Hotfixes. (Just mark the corresponding
check boxes and click Download button on the toolbar).
The download status of the Hotfix is indicated by
associated yellow indicator.
6. AFTER YOU HAVE
THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED A PARTICULAR HOTFIX BY READING THE HOTFIX DETAILED INFORMATION,
you can install
that Hotfix on a desired computers on the network
(Just mark the check boxes of desired computers,
domain, or network, then, highlight the Hotfix and
click Install button on the toolbar).
It takes about a 60-90 sec for a Hotfix
to get installed
on remote or local machine. (This minor limitation might
be removed in the next version of Service Pack Manager).
To verify the installation status of the Hotfix on a
target computer, repeat network query or query that
particular computer by marking its check box and clicking
the NetQuery button on the toolbar. When successfuly
installed, the Hotfix will be associated with a green
indicator.
7. You can schedule
query of Microsoft site by using simple
but convenient scheduler. You can control the timeout
and number of retries Service Pack Manager uses to
connect to Microsoft sites.
8. Service Pack Manager
includes an embedded web browser,
you can also download
Service Packs using it.
Hotfix Download
Service Pack Manager allows you
to download the Hotfixes from Microsoft site to you local (this) computer. You
can download a single Hotfix, or multiple Hotfixes simultaneously, either on
the Status tab or on the Information tab. The steps you have to take are identical:
The download progress is shown on the
status bar as a percentage of the total download size. After completion, the
downloaded Hotfixes are designated in the Hotfix list by a yellow indicator
and the download date.
NOTE: In order to perform Hotfix Download on Status tab you have to perform
NetQuery at least once since you have started your
current Service Pack Manager session.
SERVICE PACK DOWNLOADS
SERVICE PACK INSTALLATION
SERVICE PACK README FILES
LIST OF BUGS
WINDOWS NT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
REPAIRING
IMPORTANT MICROSOFT SUPPORT LINKS
CONTACT AUTHOR
Gravity Storm Software
gstorm@san.rr.com
http://home.san.rr.com/gravitystorm
|
|
|
@Macarlo, Inc.
@Macarlo's Shareware & Web
OS/2
Java Lobby Member
Java Site Accredited
