Windows Server 2003 : Maintaining Software Deployed with Group Policy (part 1) - Upgrading Applications Deployed with Group Policy

1. Redeploying Applications Deployed with Group Policy

You can redeploy an application previously deployed with Group Policy if there are small changes that need to be made to the original software deployment configuration. For example, you might have deployed only Word and Excel in your original Microsoft Office software deployment. You might now need to include PowerPoint in the Office deployment. As long as you make changes to the original Office package deployed with Group Policy, you can redeploy the application to the network.

To redeploy applications deployed with Group Policy, complete the following steps:

1.	Open the GPO console for the deployed application. In the Computer Configuration or User Configuration node, open Software Settings.
2.	Click the Software Installation node.
3.	In the details pane, right-click the package you want to redeploy, click All Tasks, and then click Redeploy Application.
4.	In the dialog box for the package, click Yes to redeploy the application to all computers on which it is already installed.

2. Upgrading Applications Deployed with Group Policy

Several events in the life cycle of the software can trigger an upgrade, including the following:

• The original developer of the software might release a new version with new and improved features.

• The organization might choose to use a different vendor’s application.

Upgrades typically involve major changes to the software and normally have new version numbers. Usually a substantial number of files change for an upgrade. To establish the procedure to upgrade an existing application to the current release, you must first create a Windows Installer package that contains the upgrade and then configure the upgrade in the Upgrades tab in the Properties dialog box for the package.

Note

The Upgrades tab is not available for packages created from application files (.zap files).

To upgrade applications deployed with Group Policy, complete the following steps:

1.	Open the GPO console for the deployed application. In the Computer Configuration or User Configuration node, open Software Settings.
2.	Click the Software Installation node.
3.	Create a new Windows Installer package that contains the upgrade. Assign or publish this new package.
4.	In the details pane, right-click the Windows Installer package that will function as the upgrade (not the package to be upgraded), and then click Properties.
5.	In the Upgrades tab of the Properties dialog box for the upgrade package, shown in Figure 1, click Add. Figure 1. Properties dialog box for a package, Upgrades tab
6.	In the Add Upgrade Package dialog box, shown in Figure 2, select one of the following options: Current Group Policy Object (GPO), if you want to upgrade a package in the current GPO. A Specific GPO, if you want to upgrade a package in another GPO. Then click Browse, select the GPO you want, and then in the Browse For A Group Policy Object dialog box, click OK. Figure 2. Add Upgrade Package dialog box A list of all the packages assigned or published within the selected GPO appears in the Package To Upgrade list. Depending on the GPO, this list can have zero or more entries.
7.	Select the package you want to upgrade in the Package To Upgrade list.
8.	Select one of the following options: Uninstall The Existing Package, Then Install The Upgrade Package, which removes the existing package before the upgrade is installed. This option is used if you want to replace an application with a completely different one (perhaps from a different vendor). Package Can Upgrade Over The Existing Package, which installs the upgrade without removing the previous version. This option is used if you want to install a newer version of the same product while retaining the user’s application preferences, document type associations, and so on.
9.	Click OK.
10.	In the Upgrades tab in the Properties dialog box for the package, select the Required Upgrade For Existing Packages check box if you want the upgrade to be mandatory, and then click OK. If this is an upgrade under the Computer Configuration node of the Group Policy Object Editor console, the check box appears dimmed and selected, because packages can only be assigned to computers, not published. Note If the Required Upgrade For Existing Packages check box is not selected, users have the option of applying the upgrade, which could cause application version variances within an organization.
11.	Click OK.