How to create a patch policy in Systems Management

Information applies to:

Patch policies in Systems Management enable the administrator to have greater control of the rollout of Windows updates to the network.

By configuring a number of options from the Administration console, the administrator can easily fine tune the delivery of patches to all Windows devices.

Steps to create a patch policy

1. Open the PCSM Administration console.
2. Select Policies from either the Account or Site levels and click New policy (Account or Site) …
3. Select Patch management in the type of policy.
4. Add the target.
5. Configure the different options for the new policy:
   
   
   • Patch Management Policy Options: Select a schedule for the patches to be deployed: daily, weekly or hourly and for how long (in hours).
   • Power Options:
     
     
     • Allow forced reboot(s), if required enables the forced reboot included in the update to run. This option is off by default.
     • Shutdown after update completed
   • Patches to install: define how patches will be installed:
     • Install all patches
     • Filter them by the following criteria:
       
       
       
       For example, the network admin can set the policy to only install patches with a severity of Recommended or Higher and to ignore the rest.
     • Install individual patches. Here you can define the criticality of the individual patches.