The Windows Catalog tab determines whether the catalog operates in Online or Offline Mode and defines a number of options.
Defined options include locations (such as location of the source files, the repository, the signature file, and so on) as well as filters and whether local copies of the files are created on the target server or downloaded directly during deployment.
Note
After a catalog option update, ensure you update the patch catalog for the catalog option update to take effect.
The following sections provide more information about the Windows Catalog tab:
Depending on whether you are creating an online or offline patch catalog, perform the following prerequisites steps to download and use the patch metadata files:
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Select one of two options:
- Source from Vendor (Online Mode): Use this mode if the TrueSight Server Automation Application Server is installed on a server with Internet access.
- Source from Disk Repository (Offline Mode): Use this mode in a secured environment where download occurs on a server, with Internet access, outside of the environment.
Enter the following information:
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Payload Source Location (NSH Path) | (Offline only) NSH path to the location of existing metadata and payload files
Metadata files stored in this location are copied to the catalog automatically. |
Repository Location (NSH Path) | NSH path to the location of the patch repository
BMC recommends that this location have ample free space. Repositories typically contain many files, usually totaling gigabytes of data. The repository can be on either a Linux or Windows host computer. |
Note
When specifying a host within an NSH path, you can use either the host name of the IP address (IPv4 or IPv6).
Filters limit the amount of information brought into the catalog. You define a combination of product and language (such as Microsoft Windows Server 2012— English). There is no limit on the number of filters you can create but you must have at least one. Only those hotfixes and bulletins that match the combinations you define are added to the catalog.
The product_categories.xml file contains product metadata information that is downloaded from Ivanti (previously known as Shavlik). Information contained in this file is used to populate the filter selection lists found in the patch catalog wizard. If you want to add a new product to the filter list, you must add a new product_category tag in the product_categories.xml and add a vendor node. You can also add specific information to the optional nodes (family, version, product, include_products, exclude_products).
- Navigate to the Configuration > Patch Global Configuration > Windows tab.
- In the Windows Filter Configuration File field, download the the product_categories.xml file by clicking the
button. Customize the products in the exported product_categories.xml file based on your requirement. For more information about how to customize using product_categories.xml, click the following link:
Customizing the product_category.xml file
- To export patch metadata from the Shavlik to a CSV file, run the offline Patch Downloader utility for Microsoft Windows with the following command:
windows_downloader.bat -configFile <DownloadConfigurationXMLFile> -exportIvantiProductCatalog <CSVFile>
Using this option, a CSV file (see sample ProductCatalog.csv) containing the Ivanti product information with Product Name, Vendor Name, Patch Key, Version fields is generated. - Find your product from the CSV file that you want to add to the filter list (for creating category). Refer to the CSV file generated in step a.
- Customize the product_categories.xml depending on the products. The following tags are used in the product_categories.xml :
- product_category - This represents the name you want to display in the filter list.
vendor - (Root node) This represents all software vendors which are supported by Shavlik like Microsoft, Firefox, and so on. If you want to add all the products for a specified vendor, ensure that you must mention only the vendor name. For example, to add all products for Notepad++, use the following block:
<product_category name="Notepad++">
<vendor name="Notepad++"/>
</product_category>
family - (optional node) This represents a product line or categorization supported by vendor. Under each vendor tag, there can be one or many family tags. If you want to add all the products for a specified family of a vendor, ensure that you must mention the vendor name and the family name. For example, to add all products for Yahoo Messenger (Family) of Yahoo (Vendor), use the following block:
<product_category name="SCCM">
<vendor name="Microsoft">
<family name="SCCM"/>
</vendor>
</product_category>
version - (optional node) This represents a major version or release of a product family. Under each family tag, there can be one or many version tags. If you want to add all the products for a specified version of a family, ensure that you must mention the vendor name, family name, and version name. For example, to add all products for SQL Server 2012, use the following block:
<product_category name="SQL Server 2012">
<vendor name="Microsoft">
<family name="SQL Server">
<version name="SQL Server 2012"/>
</family>
</vendor>
</product_category>
product - (optional node) This represents a specific product edition or release. Under each version tag, there can be one or more produdct tags. If you want to add a specific product, ensure that you must mention the vendor name, family name, version name, and product name. For example, to add Visio 2007 MUI, use the following block:
<product_category name="Microsoft Office Visio 2007 MUI">
<vendor name="Microsoft">
<family name="Office">
<version name="Visio 2007">
<include_products>
<product name="Visio 2007 MUI"/>
</include_products>
</version>
</family>
</vendor>
</product_category>
include_products - (optional node) This repesents the list of products to be included in the filter list. This tag needs to be added under version tag. You can use either include_products tag or exclude_products tag. The include_products tag is useful when only a few specific products are intended to be considered under a version. The version might have more than 100 products under it, but you want to consider only a few of them in the product category. However, when you are using this tag, then any new sub-product that is released by the vendor for the specified version is not considered for catalogs.
For example, to add Microsoft Office Web Apps Application Server Components 2013 x64, use the following block:
<product_category name="Microsoft Office Web Apps 2013">
<vendor name="Microsoft">
<family name="Office">
<version name="Office Server 2013">
<include_products>
<product name="Microsoft Office Web Apps Application Server Components 2013 x64"/>
</include_products>
</version>
</family>
</vendor>
</product_category>
exclude_products - (optional node) This repesents the list of products not to be included in the filter list. This tag needs to be added under version tag. You can use either include_products tag or exclude_products tag. The exclude_products tag is useful when only a few specific products are intended to be excluded from a version. For example, a version has 100 products under it, but you want to exclude five products from the product category. Instead of using include_products tag for 95 products, you can use exclude_products for five products. However, when you are using this tag, then any new sub-product (except the ones mentioned as part of the exclude_products tag) that is released by the vendor for the specified version is considered automatically for catalogs.
For example, to add all products under Windows Server 2008 R2 except Windows Home Server 2011, use the following block:
<product_category name="Microsoft Windows Server 2008">
<vendor name="Microsoft">
<family name="Windows">
<version name="Windows Server 2008" />
<version name="Windows Server 2008 R2">
<exclude_products>
<product name="Windows Home Server 2011" />
</exclude_products>
</version>
</family>
</vendor>
</product_category>
- Use the Windows Filter Configuration File field in the Global-Configuration-parameter-list to point to the modified file.
- If you no longer want to use the customized product_categories.xml file and use the default xml file, click
to remove the customized file.
Important
BMC recommends that you keep a backup of the product_categories.xml file before upgrading. After you upgrade, go to the file server and manually move the product_categories.xml file located at <fileserver location>\patch\GlobalConstants to a folder outside the file server. After moving the file, download the latest file from Patch Global Configuration.
If you are working in Offline Mode, the product/language combinations you define must match those defined in the configuration file used by the download utility.
You can define filters during catalog creation or later, when editing the catalog. Click Add Filter and enter the following:
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| Select a product from the list provided. |
| Select the appropriate language for the product. |