Reboot behavior

[darwyn99]

Hi,

Just a general question as i get ready to roll out third party updates with Patch My PC.  How are reboots handled in conjunction with regular software updates from Microsoft?  I"m thinking VMware Tools specifically.  That application requires a reboot.  What happens when I deploy a VMware Tools update and Microsoft Updates and they install together in a particular maintenance window?  Will there be two reboots?  One for VMware Tools and then one for MS Updates? Which one gets installed first? 

Thanks!

[Justin Chalfant (Patch My PC)]

Hey,

If third-party updates need a restart (Based on update exit code), the restart will be handled based on the restart options in the software update group deployment.

Justin

[darwyn99]

I get that.  Systems will reboot when necessary based on what's in the deployment settings.  But what happens when there are two updates that need reboots and one is a PMP update (VMware tools in this example) and one is an MS Update.  Which update gets installed first?  If it's the VMware tools, does it reboot right away (is the -forcereboot switch applied possibly) and then it reboots again when the MS update is installed.  Or is the reboot suppressed until the MS update is installed and then it reboots, applying both updates on one reboot? 

[Justin Chalfant (Patch My PC)]

We always use commands to suppress restarts so both patches should apply during that same patch cycle (Assuming similar deadlines) and you should only need one restart.

[darwyn99]

Thanks for the clarification. 

In regards to VMware Tools, that application requires a reboot upon installation (when just installing it manually).  With it suppressed it leaves the reboot mechanism up to some other entity.  When you don't deploy anything else that requires a reboot, VMware tools stays in that reboot required state.  I'm guessing this normally isn't a problem but I ran into this problem with my last deployment of VMware Tools via an SCCM Application with the reboot suppressed.

https://virtualhackey.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/dns-record-removed-after-vmware-tools-update-upgrade/

By not rebooting the system after installing VMware Tools, it lost it's dns record which caused issues.  If you rebooted the VM, it recreated it's DNS record.  If you install VMware TOols with the reboot forced, it either didn't get it's DNS record deleted or it just rebooted fast enough that it wasn't noticed (I didn't dig to deep into it). 

What do you recommend in cases like that?  We won't always wait to deploy third party updates at the same time as software updates in order to get the reboot from software updates.  Should your VMware Tools software update force the reboot?  Or should I try adding a post install script to force a reboot?  Personally don't care if a system reboots after installing VMware Tools and then again when it installs software updates. 

Thanks!

[Justin Chalfant (Patch My PC)]

Hmm, yeah this seems to be a one-off scenario. For this, I would probably deploy the VMWare update and not process restarts and allow them to happen outside any windows.

That or handle this one via app model with a more aggressive reboot after.

Thanks for the clarification. 

In regards to VMware Tools, that application requires a reboot upon installation (when just installing it manually).  With it suppressed it leaves the reboot mechanism up to some other entity.  When you don't deploy anything else that requires a reboot, VMware tools stays in that reboot required state.  I'm guessing this normally isn't a problem but I ran into this problem with my last deployment of VMware Tools via an SCCM Application with the reboot suppressed.

https://virtualhackey.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/dns-record-removed-after-vmware-tools-update-upgrade/

By not rebooting the system after installing VMware Tools, it lost it's dns record which caused issues.  If you rebooted the VM, it recreated it's DNS record.  If you install VMware TOols with the reboot forced, it either didn't get it's DNS record deleted or it just rebooted fast enough that it wasn't noticed (I didn't dig to deep into it). 

What do you recommend in cases like that?  We won't always wait to deploy third party updates at the same time as software updates in order to get the reboot from software updates.  Should your VMware Tools software update force the reboot?  Or should I try adding a post install script to force a reboot?  Personally don't care if a system reboots after installing VMware Tools and then again when it installs software updates. 

Thanks!