DUA in a dynamic system

[Simon Wilton]

I have a system which consists of 6 PCs running a desktop version of Winodws
(either 2K or XP) and 40 XPe nodes. In operation a private closed network is
created that consists of one PC and up to 10 XPe nodes. There are no domain
controllers, DHCP servers or anything else.

The XPe nodes run from CF with EWF. There is a small (~1Mb) unprotected
volume. There is spare space (quantity not known exactly, but likely to be
somewhere between 10 and 25Mb) on the protected volume. The application in
the XPe node has a mechanism to browse the network for a well known share
name, which it then maps as drive G:.

I want to include the facility to update the XPe image - as you would with
DUA. My reading of the literature is that the update script has to be in a
defined location (specified in TD) that exists at boot time. I guess that in
a statically configured system the registry in the XPe node can be edited to
use \\servername\sharename\.... or similar as the source - rather than the
path specified in TD, but in this case 'servername' is not known in advance,
and may be different on every boot. There is no way that I want to make the
go through updating the registry (with the servername of their PC) and
re-booting every time each node is started. Drive G: is common to all XPe
nodes, but does not exist until long after boot.

In terms of the logistics of deploying updates, the obvious, and perhaps
only, way is to copy them to the share on each PC from where the XPe can
somehow access them.

Can any-one suggest a process to allow DUA to be used, or an equivalent
mechanism that would cope with replacing files (including system files that
are in use) on the XPe node and udpating the registry.

TIA

Simon

 

[Brad Combs]

Simon,

Unless I'm missing something I think you can still just use drive G: as the
location for updates. So in your example maybe have DUA looking to
G:\Updates for new DUP files. When it finds one it will pull it over, make
the changes and set the registry to look for the next file in line (that you
specify). If the G: drive is not there it will not stop looking, so on the
next poll if your program has mapped the drive it will pull the updates over
at that time. Make sense?

Also, check out the DUA script tool at
http://blogs.msdn.com/mikehall/archive/2004/05/18/134251.aspx.

HTH,
--
Brad Combs
Imago Technologies, LLC

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[Brad Combs]

Simon,

The "updated" version of the DUA script generator lives here...

http://blogs.msdn.com/mikehall/archive/2004/05/25/141728.aspx

Sorry about that!

--
Brad Combs
Imago Technologies, LLC

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[Simon Wilton]

Thanks that looks good.

Would it not throw up a message box when it polls alocation that does not
exist?

Simon

 

[Brad Combs]

Simon,

I used DUA like this for a customer awhile back with USB DOK. It checks E:
for updates, if someone inserted the USB DOK, and E: was available the
update took place. There have been no errors from this setup, so I would say
no as long as nothing has changed with any QFE's. (I haven't applied any to
this system other than blaster, and sasser) If it ain't broke don't fix it.


HTH,

--
Brad Combs
Imago Technologies, LLC

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