Deploying IE patches with IE Version Condition

[Marcus_34]

I need to deploy MS security patches based on the IE version as a condition, but did not know if this was possible through RDP. I looked at the Advanced Conditions in the Wizard, but could not figure out how to tell it to look for precisely what we needed.

These are the version of IE I have.
6.0.3790.0
6.0.2800.1106
6.0.2600.0000
5.50.4807.2300
5.50.4522.1800
5.00.3700.1000
5.00.3314.2101
5.00.3105.0106
5.00.2919.6307
5.00.2314.1003
4.72.3612.1713
4.72.3110.8


Any pointers?
Thanks,
Marcus

[Jeff Allen_5]

What I would do is create a generic Rapid Install Package (RIP) that checks for the version you want. If the patch is needed based on the RIP's comparison of the needed file, have the rip place an empty tag file on the machine (i.e. c:\\patch.yes). If the file version is OK, you could either not leave a file at all, or you could leave a patch.no file.

Then have your install script run and the first line of the script would say something lile:
If exist c:\%windir%\patch.yes goto install
goto alreadypatched

:install
patch.exe

:alreadypatched
end

[Ryan Kiehn]

What would be ideal is to be able to select additional conditions for the install (like you can for NT4, Windows 2000, or 2003).

Is there a way to modifiy what Application information the Aclient collects about a server? Where is this setup? - is there a file which speifies where it looks? The information is inconsistent, and sparse - curiouly enough though hotfix information is listed.

Jeff - I don't think the RIP idea will work. The value information version for IE is kept in the registry. It contains decimals. The value is reported as invalid when there is a decimal present in the advanced properties for RIP deployment conditions.

[Jeff Allen_5]

The RIP process is very intelligent - everytime IE gets revved, the iexplore.exe or other dlls get updated. The RIP engine can look at an individual file version and compare it against a value that you choose - greater than, less than, equal to, etc.

You can also check for the existence of a registry key or value.

Both of these and more can be used as a condition before install and they are so simple to build and test. I don't believe it's a good idea to install hotfixes using RIPs, I just think using a RIP to check the condition and then let the normal hotfix.exe proceed or not.