Custom Sync Schedule for Patch My PC Publisher
There might be a scenario where you would like the publisher to sync at a frequency that is not available in the Sync Schedule tab. For example, every two weeks on Friday. This article will go over the current Publisher Sync Schedule options and how to use Task Scheduler to create a custom Publisher sync schedule.
Topics covered in this article:
Current Publisher Sync Schedule Options
In the Sync Schedule tab of the Patch My PC Publisher, you can set the cadence for publishing new third-party updates and applications to your ConfigMgr, WSUS, and Intune environments. The Publisher runs as a service in the background on the device where it is installed. Based on the schedule you set, the service will run and evaluate if Patch My PC has released any new catalog updates for the products you have enabled.
You can also use the Run Publishing Service Sync option to trigger a manual or Selective Sync.
How to Create a Custom Publisher Sync Schedule
You can use Task Scheduler to synchronize the Publisher on a schedule that isn’t available under the Sync Schedule tab. The following steps will guide you on how to use Task Scheduler to trigger a synchronization of the Publisher on a custom schedule.
First, open Task Scheduler.
Rights-Click Task Scheduler Library and select Create Task.
In the Create Task window, enter a name for the task under the General tab and set the Security options. You have a couple of options for the Security options section:
- Option 1: To run as a specific account (for example a Service Account) select Run whether user is logged on or not and enter the details required
- Option 2: To run as System – select Change User and enter System then click Check Names and OK.
We are going to use Option 2 and run the Task as System.
Next, move to the Triggers tab and select New.
In the Begin the task drop down, select On a schedule.
Choose your frequency in the Settings section and select OK. In our example, we have chosen Weekly and Recur every 2 weeks on Friday.
Next, move to the Actions tab and select New.
For the Action drop down, select Start a program.
In the Settings section under Program/script, browse to the installation location of the publisher. The default location is “C:\Program Files\Patch My PC\Patch My PC Publishing Service\PatchMyPC-Settings.exe”
In the Add arguments (optional) section enter: /syncnow
Lastly, select OK to save the new task.
After the task is created, you can disable the sync schedule in the publisher, so it doesn’t sync automatically outside the new scheduled task.
