3.3 Deploying Updates

  1. (Optional) Before deploying the updates, ensure that the health of the Primary Servers and the database in the Management zone is conducive for the deployment by performing diagnostic tests on the Primary Server using the ZENworks Diagnostic Center tool.

    For detailed information about the ZENworks Diagnostic Center tool, see ZENworks Diagnostic Center in the ZENworks Command Line Utilities Reference.

  2. (Optional) If you want to use deployment stages, set them up if you have not previously done so.

    For more information, see Section 1.2, Creating Deployment Stages.

    NOTE:If you are using profiling or monitoring tools during the System Update, ensure that you use the Java Development Kit (JDK) binaries (jvisualvm.exe) from the custom installation of JDK, and not the binary files installed by ZENworks. If you use the ZENworks binaries, during the update, when JDK gets upgraded, it will fail to update any in-use binary file(s), causing the System Update to fail.

  3. In ZENworks Control Center, click Configuration in the left pane, then click the System Updates tab to display the Available System Updates panel.

  4. (Conditional) If new updates are not being displayed, click Action > Check for Updates.

  5. (Optional) To view the content of an available update, click the name of the update (in the Update Name column) to display the Release Details page:

    For more information, see Section 5.0, Reviewing the Content of an Update.

  6. To download an update, select the check box, click Action, and then click Download Updates.

    After an update is downloaded, the status automatically changes to Downloaded. The time taken to download an update depends on its size and system hardware configuration.

    You can download multiple updates at a time, but you can deploy only one. Because these steps are repeated for each update, you only need to download the update that you plan to deploy.

    After downloading, the system update is automatically prepared.

    For more information, see Preparing an Update

  7. (Optional) After preparing the update, the update should be configured. To configure an update, select the check box for the system update that you want to configure, click Action, and then select Configure Update.

    If the update requires any configuration inputs, only then you will be asked to configure the update.

    For more information, see Configuring an Update.

  8. To deploy an update, you should authorize the update. To authorize an update, select the check box for the system update that you want to authorize, click Action, and then select Authorize Update.

    For more information, see Section 2.8, Authorizing an Update

  9. To deploy an update, select the check box for the update that you want to deploy, click Action > Deploy Update to Devices.

    You can deploy only one update at a time.

    If you want to review the content of the update that you downloaded, see Section 5.0, Reviewing the Content of an Update.

    If you want to download a different update for deployment, return to Step 5.

    This starts the Create System Update Deployment Wizard for deploying the update to all applicable devices. If deployment stages are enabled, they can be used.

    The Deployment Wizard provides you with many options, including scheduling the deployment.

  10. In the Deployment Wizard, complete the following steps:

    1. On the Choose the System Update and Deployment Option page, select a deployment option (all of them can be scheduled in a subsequent wizard page).

      NOTE:Depending on the size of your ZENworks system, we recommend as a best practice to deploy the selected update to one ZENworks Primary Server before deploying the update to other Primary Servers and to the managed devices that contact those servers.

      We recommend that you perform the following actions in order:

      1. Designate a ZENworks Primary Server to download the system update.

      2. (Optional) After the system update is in the Downloaded state, assign the update to only the designated Primary Server you chose above.

      3. Refresh the ZENworks Updater Service, and allow the system update to complete. After the system update is completed, reboot the system.

        The refresh can be performed by using the zac zeus-ref command, or it will be performed based on the default time settings.

      4. After the Server is restarted and running, update the other Primary Servers in your system, followed by managed devices.

      In a production environment, we recommend that you use the Deploy System Updates to Selected Devices in the Management Zone option to update the first Primary Server, update the remaining Primary Servers, and then update the managed devices. Or you should use the Deploy System Updates Using Stages to Devices in the Management Zone option to deploy the update to a stage containing the first Primary Server before deploying the update to other stages containing the remaining Primary Servers and managed devices.

      • Deploy System Updates to Selected Devices in the Management Zone: Deploys the selected update to only the devices that you select in Step 10.c. Stages are not used. If you choose this option, the next page of the wizard lets you select the reboot behavior for the devices included in the deployment.

      • Deploy System Updates to All Devices in the Management Zone: Deploys the selected update to all devices in the Management Zone. Stages are not used. If you choose this option, the next page of the wizard lets you select the reboot behavior for the devices included in the deployment.

        NOTE:This option is available to administrators only if they have Deploy Update rights and View Leaf rights to all devices in the zone.

        This option does not guarantee that ZENworks Servers are updated before managed devices. In a large ZENworks system or in a production environment, we recommend that you use one of the other options.

      • Deploy System Updates Using Stages to Devices in the Management Zone: The selected update is deployed to only the devices that have membership in one of the stages. The stages are executed one after the other; that is, a stage does not start until the previous stage completes. After all stages complete, the All Devices stage is run. If you choose this option, and because the reboot behavior is set per stage, the next page of the wizard lets you select the reboot behavior for the All Devices Stage, which runs automatically after all other stages.

        NOTE:This option is available to administrators only if they have Deploy Update rights and View Leaf rights to all devices in the zone.

        For more information on stages, see the Section 1.2, Creating Deployment Stages.

    2. Click Next and select one of the following options, and then click Next:

      • Prompt User to Reboot When Update Finishes Applying: After the update has been applied, a request to reboot is immediately displayed. If the user initially rejects rebooting, the user is periodically requested to reboot the device, until the device is rebooted. This is the default.

        • Reboot device when no user is logged into the system: Select this option to reboot the device even if no user has logged into the system.

        • Reboot device when the device is locked (only on Windows 8.1 and earlier): Select this option to reboot the device if the device is locked. Prompt will not be displayed before rebooting the device.

        The above options are applicable on agents only when they are upgraded to ZENworks Update 2 or later version.

      • Do Not Reboot Device: The device does not reboot; however, the user is periodically requested to reboot the device, until the device is rebooted.

      • Force Device to Reboot: After the update has been applied, the device is automatically rebooted without user intervention, if a reboot is required by the update.

      Some updates do not require a device to be rebooted after they have been deployed to a device. However, if a reboot is required to complete the update process, the deployment is not completed until the device is rebooted.

    3. (Conditional) If you selected Deploy System Updates to Selected Devices in the Management Zone in Step 10.a, the following wizard page displays:

    4. To add devices or groups to the deployment configuration, click Add, browse for and select the devices or device groups to include in the update deployment, then click OK.

    5. Click Next to display the Choose the Deployment Schedule page.

    6. Fill in the fields:

      Schedule Type: Select one of the schedule options:

      • Now: Immediately deploys the update when you finish the wizard.

      • Date Specific: Deploys the update according to the schedule that you set. The following options are displayed for the Date Specific option:

        Fill in the fields:

        • Start Date: Select the deployment date from the calendar.

        • Run Event Every Year: Select this option to deploy the update every year on the start date.

        • Process Immediately if Device Unable to Execute on Schedule: Do not use this option for updates. It does not apply to updates.

        • Start Immediately at Start Time: Lets you deploy updates at the start time you specify.

        • Start at a Random Time Between Start and End Times: Lets you deploy updates at a random time between the times you specify. Fill in the End Time fields.

    7. Click Next to display the Review Deployment Options page, and review the information. Click Back to make changes.

  11. Click Finish to start the deployment.

    WARNING:While updating ZENworks to 11.4.2 or later versions on a Windows 10 device, before the System Update begins, a pop-up window is displayed with the Windows Explorer will be restarted before ZENworks System Update message if Show System Update Progress is enabled in the device, folder or zone settings.

    After restarting Windows Explorer:

    • All unsaved changes will be lost.

    • All opened applications will be restarted.

    • All opened folders will be closed.

  12. In the Status Link window, click the URL to view the deployment status.

    For more information, see Viewing the System Update Deployment Status.

  13. (Conditional) If you chose the deployment schedule type as Now in Step 10.f, the update is deployed only during the next device refresh schedule. However, if you want to immediately apply the update to the device, you must manually refresh the managed device in one of the following ways:

    • Click the Devices tab > the Managed tab > Servers or Workstations, then select the check box next to the devices you want to refresh, click Quick Tasks > Refresh Device.

    • On the managed device, right-click the ZENworks icon icon, then click Refresh.

    • On the Linux unmanaged device, open a terminal, change your current working directory to /opt/novell/zenworks/bin/, and execute ./zac ref for managed devices and ./zac zeus-ref for Primary Servers.

  14. To observe the progress of the update deployment, do any of the following:

    • In ZENworks Control Center, observe the panels on the System Updates page:

      • The Available System Updates panel automatically displays Baselined in the Status column when the deployment has completed.

      • The Deployed System Updates panel displays the update in its listing when the deployment has completed.

  15. To verify that the update was successfully deployed:

    1. To verify that the MSIs or RPMs have been installed and the update process is complete, review the following log files:

      Windows: %zenworks_home%\logs\system-update\<SU_GUID>\system-update.log

      Linux: /var/opt/novell/log/zenworks/system-update/<SU_GUID>/system-update.log

    2. Test the ZENworks software on the device to ensure that it is working properly.

    3. To ensure that the update has been deployed, do one of the following to determine whether the version number has been incremented (for example, the first update for ZENworks should change the value from 10.0.x to 10.0.2):

      • Open the Windows Registry and browse to the following:

        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Novell

        For the ZCM key, the update process should have incremented the version value.

      • On a Windows device, review the following file:

        Installation_path\Novell\ZENworks\version.txt

      • On a Linux device, review the following file:

        /etc/opt/novell/zenworks/version.txt

    4. Repeat Step 15.a through Step 15.c for each test device.

  16. (Conditional) If you are receiving email notifications at the completion of the deployment stages and are ready to begin the next stage, go to the Deployed System Updates panel, then click Action > Advance to Next Stage.

  17. To deploy another update, repeat from Step 5.

3.3.1 Upgrading the Agent in VDI environment

Perform the following steps to upgrade Master image:

  1. Switch on the master image and deploy the SU to master image.

  2. Backup the initial-web-service file from the %ZENworks_Home%\conf location.

  3. If you want to add a registration key, you can add in the initial-web-service file.

    The first line of the initial-web-service file contains the list of IP addresses and host names of the server to which this device has registered. Add the registration key in the second line.

  4. Unregister the device by using the zac unr command.

  5. Clear the Workstation GUID by using zac fsg -d command.

  6. At the command prompt, go to %ZENworks_Home%\bin\preboot folder, then run the ZISWIN.exe -w command to clear Image-safe Data.

  7. Clear the cache by using the zac cc command.

  8. Copy the backed up initial-web-service file to %ZENworks_Home%\conf location.

Shutdown the master image, take the snapshot, and use the snapshot for recomposing the desktop pools. For more information about updating master image, see Update Linked-Clone Desktops (VMware).