I want to test deploying service packs through SCE. How can I deploy Service pack 3 of windows XP on the fly?

Hello Frank, There is no difference between deploying a general update and a Service Pack. To start deploying updates to managed computers, you must complete the initial configuration of update management and the initial synchronization with the Microsoft Updates Web site. You should typically complete both tasks by using the Update Management Configuration Wizard immediately after you install System Center Essentials 2010. After you approve an update for deployment, System Center Essentials 2010 installs the update on the computers it was approved for. You can monitor the progress of the update installation by running the Installation progress for Approved Updates report from the Updates Overview screen. To approve updates for deployment In the Essentials console, click Updates. In the Updates pane, select the category for which you want to approve updates. In the results pane, select the updates that you want to approve. Right-click the selected updates and click Approve. In the Approve Groups for Installation dialog box, specify the computer groups with the computers on which you want to install the update. You can do either of the following: Select one or more groups from the Computer Groups list. Click Create New Group to create a new computer group, if needed. Click Set Deadline if you want the update to be installed by a certain time. For more details, please see: About Update Management in Essentials http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb422979.aspx Thanks,Yog Li -- Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Hello Frank, There is no difference between deploying a general update and a Service Pack. To start deploying updates to managed computers, you must complete the initial configuration of update management and the initial synchronization with the Microsoft Updates Web site. You should typically complete both tasks by using the Update Management Configuration Wizard immediately after you install System Center Essentials 2010. After you approve an update for deployment, System Center Essentials 2010 installs the update on the computers it was approved for. You can monitor the progress of the update installation by running the Installation progress for Approved Updates report from the Updates Overview screen. To approve updates for deployment In the Essentials console, click Updates. In the Updates pane, select the category for which you want to approve updates. In the results pane, select the updates that you want to approve. Right-click the selected updates and click Approve. In the Approve Groups for Installation dialog box, specify the computer groups with the computers on which you want to install the update. You can do either of the following: Select one or more groups from the Computer Groups list. Click Create New Group to create a new computer group, if needed. Click Set Deadline if you want the update to be installed by a certain time. For more details, please see: About Update Management in Essentials http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb422979.aspx Thanks, Yog Li -- Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. I did that exactly, and now it's been 2 days and the service pack has still yet to install. When I check the update deployment status, it says "The client computer reported a failure for this Update or package". It doesn't give anymore details. Just a general failure it seems. You would think it would be a little bit more specific than that. Any ideas?

I downloaded the full service pack from http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=24 and I uploaded it to our System Center Essentials 2010. I approved and scheduled a desktop for the update. It failed with the following error message: The client computer reported a failure for this Update or package. Any ideas?

Hello Frank, I noticed that you have another thread which disscussed a same issue, so I merged it into here. We generally focus on one topic in one thread because in this way it will be better for other community members to participate in the discussion, and to search/find specific answers more efficiently in the future. For the failed approvement of SP3 of Windows XP, I have seen this if the "Eula" is not accepted. Sometimes this isn't visuable in the SCE server and then you can't approve it. Please try to open the WSUS console and find the SP3 and try to approve it from there. For your reference, here is a thread which disscussed a similar issue: unable to approve XP SP3 http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/systemcenter/thread/0a6fbe67-bd81-4b3d-b796-e00f52120e2d Thanks,Yog Li -- Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Hello Frank, I noticed that you have another thread which disscussed a same issue, so I merged it into here. We generally focus on one topic in one thread because in this way it will be better for other community members to participate in the discussion, and to search/find specific answers more efficiently in the future. For the failed approvement of SP3 of Windows XP, I have seen this if the "Eula" is not accepted. Sometimes this isn't visuable in the SCE server and then you can't approve it. Please try to open the WSUS console and find the SP3 and try to approve it from there. For your reference, here is a thread which disscussed a similar issue: unable to approve XP SP3 http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/systemcenter/thread/0a6fbe67-bd81-4b3d-b796-e00f52120e2d Thanks, Yog Li -- Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. I noticed that the post you referenced has to do with the error " Requesting Microsoft Software License Terms acceptance for Windows XP Service Pack 3 ( KB936929 ) Unable to display the Microsoft Licensing Terms for this update; the update will not be approved. "" I'm not getting that error message. In my scenario, it just says with the warning "The Update or package is applicable but not yet installed or downloaded on the client computer". In group policy I configured updates to check every hour. I don't know what else to do. This warning has been just sitting there and the system doesn't do anything with the service pack.

It looks like the EULA file may not have been downloaded/distributed. This can be corrected by leveraging WSUSUtil tool. Please run this command: wsusutil.exe reset Also, check for the existence of Event ID 364 on the SCE (WSUS) server. Attempt to re-download the EULA files using Wsusutil reset command.Ketan Thakkar | Microsoft Online Community Support

Hi Frank, if Ketan's suggestion doesnt work, please try wth below suggestions. service pack installation might require user intervention when there are no commands supplied while deploying the Service pack on SCE. so please check "Require input from user during installation" option in the properties of the update in SCE console or provide silent installation parameters as mentioned in this link http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-262992 -Ganesh Majeti.