Patch Management
After the initial release of a major version, there are typically a
few software service patches to fix errors. These service patches
are delivered as update installs that contain only the updated
program files. These update installs are not the full install and
they designed to be installed onto an existing installation.
Check Patch Status
To see the software build that you are currently running, go to the
Help->About Carlson command and look at the build number which
is the date of the build. This number has six digits where the
first two are the year, the next two are the month and the last two
are the day. For example, a build on July 4, 2018 would have a
build number of 180704.
Patch Notification
There are two ways to be notified of new patches. One way is that
the program is setup by default to check the Carlson server once a
week for new patches. This check is done when the Carlson program
is started. If there is no update, the check routine displays a
dialog reporting that the check didn't find a new patch. If there
is a new patch, then the routine prompts for whether to install the
update. If you choose to install the patch, the routine downloads
the patch and steps through the install. You have the option to
turn off the checking in the check status dialog by checking the
"Never check again" toggle. If the checking is turned off, it can
be turned on again by running Windows->All Programs->Carlson
Software->Check For Updates.
The other method to be notified of new patches is to go to the
Carlson website, www.carlsonsw.com, and go to
Support->Downloads. Then select the product name from the
product list. Then on the download page, there is a field for
entering your email address for getting an email notification when
updates are posted. This way you get notified immediately when an
update is ready.
Manually Installing a Patch
There are two ways to manually install a patch. One is to run the
Check For Updates function under the
Windows->Programs->Carlson Software menu. This routine checks
the Carlson server for the latest build version and compares to
your build version. If the server has a more recent build, the
program downloads the patch and steps through the install.
The second method is to go to the Carlson website,
www.carlsonsw.com, and go to Support->Downloads and select the
software from the list of products. Then there is a list of the
full install and the latest patch. The you can download and run the
patch.exe.
To install the patch, you need Windows write permission to the
program folder.
Managing Patches Centrally
Depending on your company administration policies, three different
approaches to the central patch management can be considered:
1. Portion of the application is installed
centrally, on the server, so that the files can be updated in the
single central location instead of doing it on every
workstation
2. Local patch downloads are disabled and instead
a patch is downloaded to central location and launched on every
workstation through the script
3. Local patch downloads are enforced, even if
user chose to disable them manually.
Method 1: Partial central install on the server
This method involves running usual installation of Carlson product
on the server as if it is a regular workstation. The installation
path should be a folder which is accessible through the network
share.
Next the product is installed on the workstations using the "Remote
install" option:
User will then get a prompt to select the location where the
program is installed on the server:
This will result in a smaller local installation with vital
updatable files located centrally.
The update process is performed on the server by ether installing
patch manually or running "Check for updates" from Programs
menu.
Methods 2 & 3: Using Windows mechanisms to control local
installation of the patches by the end-users
The setting controlling whether the local install on the user
workstation is automatically checking for updates is located at the
following location in registry (Carlson 2018 on IntelliCAD 8.3)
:
On 32-bit Windows:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Carlson
Software\SurvCADD\2018\ICAD8
On 64-bit Windows:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Carlson
Software\SurvCADD\2018\ICAD8
The value name is NONET and value "1" (string) disables automatic
update. Value of "0" or no value allows automatic updates.
Domain administrator can configure these settings to be changed
using group policies on the domain server:
- Run "Group Policy Management" tool located in Control Panel,
Administrative tools
- Navigate to your domain, Group Policy Objects
- Create new policy by right-clicking and selecting "New"
- Give policy a fitting name
- Right-click on policy and select Edit
- Right-click on Startup, select properties
- Click on Show File and copy your script (see below) into the
folder which opens
- Click "Add" and select the script you copied
Other methods for running scripts on startup or login will work as
well, as long as they are configured to run with administrative
rights.
Save the following snippets into batch file (.bat or .cmd) and
place then where your launching setup is looking for it.
To re-enable automatic check for updates (for 32-bit
Windows):
reg delete "HKLM\Software\Carlson Software\SurvCADD\2018\ICAD8" /f
/v NONET
To disable automatic check for updates (for 32-bit Windows):
reg add "HKLM\Software\Carlson Software\SurvCADD\2018\ICAD8" /f /v
NONET /t REG_SZ /d 1
Patches are delivered using InstallShield PackageForWeb tool. These
packages can be installed interactively by user as long we they are
launched by a script with Administrative rights. User interaction
with patching process can be controlled in the following
manner.
To minimize interaction, but still provide user with information on
patching progress, please use the following switches:
Patch_file.exe -s -a minimal
To avoid any interaction, resulting in unconditional delivery of
the patch as needed, please use the following switches:
Patch_file.exe -s -a stealth