FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Patch Connect Plus Editions, Purchase and Licensing

What are the differences between Professional, Standard and Enterprise editions?

Standard edition is a simple edition that offers third-party patching through custom software catalogs for SCCM version 1806 and above. Professional edition comes with a console that offers a variety of features like Customized deployment, auto-detection and publishing, a native plug-in and much more along with support for over 350 third-party applications. Enterprise edition has all the capabilities of Professional Edition and in addition has the features, Application Management and Admin tools. Refer here for a detailed comparison between Standard, Professional and Enterprise editions.

How is Patch Connect Plus Licensed?

Patch Connect Plus is licensed based on the number of computers you are managing in SCCM. The pricing starts at just $1.00 per computer and goes down as the volume increases. For more details on the pricing, refer to our online store.

How do I upgrade my license ?

Kindly submit your license upgrade request here


Working of Patch Connect Plus

What are the system requirements and pre-requisites for Patch Connect Plus?

Patch Connect Plus comes as a simple plug-in that doesn't demand a lot. Here is the detailed information of the system requirements for Patch Connect Plus, which includes minimum disk space, required processor, etc.

The below pre-requisites defines the user roles required to use PCP:

  • WSUS : The account user should be a member of "WSUS Administrators" group of both WSUS console and Server machines.
  • SCCM : The account user should be a member of "SMS Admins" group.
  • SCCM SQL DB : The account user should have "SELECT" permissions of SCCM database.
How to use Automated Deployment Rule for Patch Connect Plus updates?

Microsoft SCCM offers automatic deployment of patches and updates with Automated Deployment Rule. Third-party updates from Patch Connect Plus can also be automated with ADR. This document will explain the process of using Automated Deployment Rule in detail.

Do I need to purchase any database for running Patch Connect Plus?

Patch Connect Plus comes with an in-built free Postgres SQL database. You do not have to install any separate database server.

What happens during the publication of patches?

During the publication, the patches are downloaded to the WSUS content location. Then, SCCM/WSUS will distribute it to the WSUS server and then to the other sites if configured to do so.

Is there an option to expire published patches?

Yes,You can expire the patches published in SCCM from the Patch Connect Plus console's home page.

How to add third-party catalogs in SCCM?

Microsoft SCCM has extended it's support for software catalogs right from version 1806. Hence, ensure that your SCCM's version must be 1806 or up, to be compatible with the Software Catalogs. Refer this document for step-by-step guidance.

How does Application Management work?

Application Management enables you to select applications from catalogs and customize deployment using pre-built templates and custom scripts via Patch Connect Plus before publishing to SCCM.

What is the difference between Applications and Packages?

The two ways you can deploy software in SCCM: Applications and Packages. Patch Connect Plus supports Applications as it is the latest and preferred method using which you can target specific systems based on global conditions and/or if they are missing certain applications and then deploy to those endpoints.

Can I rollback application deployment using Application Management?

When the applications are deployed, the latest version is written over the former versions. If deployment does not provide desired results, you have the option to rollback to the previous versions of the applications. To know more about application management Click here .

What is included in Patch Connect Plus' Admin Tools?

SCCM Right Click Tools  is a utility that is accessible from the SCCM console and includes a wide selection of administrator functionalities. With Admin tools, you can perform on-demand client actions, initiate troubleshooting tasks and conduct processes related to system management.

General

When will Patch Connect Plus support a new update?

Patch Connect Plus is committed to supporting the newly released updates from the software vendors within the first 24 hours of their release.

What are the applications that are supported in Patch Connect Plus?

Patch Connect Plus offers support for a bevy of third-party applications ranging from Adobe to WinZip. Check out the complete list of applications that are supported by Patch Connect Plus.

What type of Certificates can be used for code-signing?

Users can use self-signed certificates provided by Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) or import their own code-signing certificate. These certificates are used to validate vendor's authenticity. Certificates with .pfx format can be usd for code signing purpose.

Why should mail server settings be configured?

You may have to configure mail server settings to get reports of newly supported applications, published updates and sync status via mail.

Why should proxy be configured?

Proxy has to be configured to download the updated information from the Central Repository and to download the patches from the vendor sites. You need not configure proxy if you have direct connection to internet.

Why should the certificates be imported to all client machines?

This should be done so that the SCCM agent across all client machines will validate vendor's authenticity and trust the third party updates to proceed with download and installation.

Where should the Patch Connect Plus server be installed in case of a Central Administration Site server with multiple sites?

Patch Connect Plus server should be installed in the top most Central Administration Site server.

How to migrate Patch Connect Plus server to a different computer?

Patch Connect Plus server can be migrated from a computer effortlessly. These steps can come in handy if you're migrating the Patch Connect Plus server.

Which versions of SCCM does Patch Connect Plus support?

Professional Edition of Patch Connect Plus supports all versions of Microsoft SCCM whereas, Standard Edition supports version 1806 or greater, as it requires the support of third-party catalogs.

Does Patch Connect Plus support Cloud Management Gateway (CMG) in SCCM?

Patch Connect Plus supports Cloud Management Gateway (CMG) in SCCM, for third-party update considerations.