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>>>At what point you’re better off going with something like Shavlik or Patchlink?
For a 1700 users environment, WSUS will do.
>>>What do they give you that WSUS doesn’t?
They do give you some bells and whistles, but you will have to download a trial version of each, install them and compare. Then you ask, do you NEED all the other things the other products give you, and is it worth the money you have to pay for those other things? Or, do you like free, even if you have to do some work?
>>>But we’re not sure how to architect the whole thing (how many servers, layers, and where-what’s the cutoff point:bandwidth, # of users?-).
It's difficult to sit here and answer this query for you. It depends on your environment, structure, policies, etc. >>>So we’re not sure how can we do this, with so many patches MS puts out every Tuesday
You mean every second Tuesday of every month? That too much for you?
>>>without going insane!
Since you are in healthcare, this should not be an issue, right? I mean, going insane is par for the course for any sys admin, but you are surrounded by healthcare professionals, so you are in good hands :)
>>>Anybody out there had to deal with similar issues?
Yes. Believe it or not, you are not alone. Nobody is out to get you. We all have to go through similar things. Sincerely, _____ (, / | /) /) /) /---| (/_ ______ ___// _ // _ ) / |_/(__(_) // (_(_)(/_(_(_/(__(/_ (_/ /) (/ Microsoft MVP - Directory Services www.akomolafe.com - we know IT -5.75, -3.23 Do you now realize that Today is the Tomorrow you were worried about Yesterday? -anon From: Alex Alborzfard Sent: Wed 9/13/2006 6:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] OT: Management Solutions What is the largest environment WSUS can be deployed effectively? At what point you’re better off going with something like Shavlik or Patchlink? What do they give you that WSUS doesn’t? We’re trying to put in place a patch management solution for a company that’s midsize (~1700 users), but with offices scattered all over the world. But we’re not sure how to architect the whole thing (how many servers, layers, and where-what’s the cutoff point:bandwidth, # of users?-). The other issue is the industry we’re in: healthcare. We’re constantly audited and for every single task we have to test, write validation and justification. So we’re not sure how can we do this, with so many patches MS puts out every Tuesday, without going insane! And this is just for desktops; servers are a whole different ball of wax. Anybody out there had to deal with similar issues? Alex From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brian Desmond I use WSUS for patching in some decent size places. My strategy has been to combine a variety of free products into a single system – I’ve gotten good at it and I’ve also written glue when I need to. My overall feeling is that I get more flexibility just gluing things together than with a single baked product. Thanks, Brian Desmond [EMAIL PROTECTED] c - 312.731.3132 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Robert Rutherford I agree with Brian that Ghost does tend to be the front runner for imaging (IMHO).. I’ve tested and used many but Ghost is a mature project which does what it says on the tin. You’ll be surprised how forgiving it is and how much you can do with varying software and hardware with a little work. In terms of helpdesk… well it’s a minefield and a road of I have travelled many times. I have actually found that most of the time it’s actually easier to get a dev guy to come in and build a system which actually meets your requirements. I have found this to be cheaper (most of the time) in the larger organisations as every organisation has different I just recommend going onto sourceforge.net and typing ‘helpdesk’ initially. This should get you going and you may find something that suits your needs or something you can amend to fit. Yes, you can go for the bigger boys, i.e. Hornbill but you’ll pay for it….. have a sniff around and see what fits your requirements. In terms of patch deployment… I do like Patchlink. It will give you patch deployment across most applications with good reporting. You also get software and hardware inventory included in the price. Cheers, Rob Robert Rutherford T: +44 (0) 8456 440 331 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brian Desmond I have a lot of experience using Ghost for all of that but helpdesk. Helpdesk I have worked with Peregrine (will empty your check book & very complex), TrackIt (kind of basic but folks seem to like it), and customized free open source package called Liberum (so far my favorite). From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Alan J. Gendron I would love some feedback from those that actually use some of these products. We initially started looking at a Helpdesk solution. It has now evolved into an asset management, OS deployment, patch management and license compliance package. I can’t tell you whether it’s evolved to this because the package we are looking at has it or because it was decided we could use the additional functionality. The current front-runner is Altiris. Could anyone provide some helpful insight into this package or a comparable solution we could look at? If we’re going to spend the money, I’d like to see us spend it wisely. Thank you in advance. Alan Alan J. Gendron Senior Network Specialist
Sunset Corporate Center 10733 Sunset 314.885.6596 |
- Re: [ActiveDir] OT: Managem... Susan Bradley, CPA aka Ebitz - SBS Rocks [MVP]
- Re: [ActiveDir] OT: Ma... Albert Duro
- Re: [ActiveDir] OT... Susan Bradley, CPA aka Ebitz - SBS Rocks [MVP]
- RE: [ActiveDir] OT: Ma... Akomolafe, Deji
- Re: [ActiveDir] OT... Susan Bradley, CPA aka Ebitz - SBS Rocks [MVP]
