So, we are all hard at work for the next month preparing for Brainshare (http://www.novell.com/brainshare - if you've not yet bought a ticket!). As part of this I am writing sessions and preparing keynote slides based on latest code. In this case ZENworks Configuration Management 10.3

Something that occurred to me is that since ZENworks 10.2 it's been possible to update from the command line very successfully, but how many people realise this? It's perfect for moving between BETA releases, as well as ideal for those situations when you need to update a server but the 'online' method is not suitable.

This blog will detail the 'how' for this update process, but first a few call outs.

• Although this is a command line update process, our official support is only for updating between supported releases (although clearly testing the process on BETA is also important!). We cannot support updating from a BETA to LIVE release (10.2.2 --> 10.3RC1 for example).

• When ZENworks Configuration Management 10.3 is released we will support the command line update method for moving between any previous (but currently supported release) and ZEN 10.3.

If you want to give ZENworks Configuration Management 10.3 a go then it can be downloaded from our communities portal. You will need to register in order to login and download - but why not give it a try? We appreciate any feedback.

http://www.novell.com/communities/node/4067/zenworks-community-builds

So, onto the process for this.

1. Go to the communities page and download the latest update file (or for live go to http://download.novell.com). Note that you do not need the actual DVD image, just the SU file.

• Login to one of the ZCM Zone Primary servers

• Copy the downloaded file to a location on the server. I suggest that you use the ZENworks Home directory (default: C:\Program Files\Novell\ZENworks). DO NOT unzip the file.

• Use the ZMAN sui command to run the update : zman sui {path to file}
  
• If the command is successful then the console will report “The update(s) contained in [path to file][ZIP file name] will begin importing shortly. You may use ZCC to track the status of your import”
  
• Login to ZCC and check the SystemUpdate tab. The progress of the update will be displayed as 'downloading'

• When the update has been imported it will show as 'BASELINED'. You can now deploy the update in the normal way.

Your system should now be successfully updated to the latest release.

Enjoy!