Handling updates of third party software packages.

[bmichael]

Been using jamf for a couple weeks now and came across an issue this morning with an update. Cisco Webex meetings has an update a non admin tried to install on their machine which they cant because they arent an admin. So I started looking for ways to get that update out without having to create a new package and policy. I came across this http://kb.mit.edu/confluence/display/istcontrib/Jamf+Pro+-+Installing+and+patching+third-party+software but not sure if it will work. What is the best way to get software updates to third party software such as cisco, office, etc?

Thanks

[tjhall]

Couple of different ways but if you're on Jamf 10 you can use "Patch Management".
Download and add the updated package to Jamd admin and create a patch policy for it in patch management to update to the latest version (for 3rd party products I suggest having a look at 'Patch server" which works well).
Alternative is to push an update via smartgroup (everyone who has Webex.app installed for example).

[bmichael]

In Patch Management I dont see the webex package that I uploaded to Jamf Admin

[damienbarrett]

Patch management of 3rd party software is still very much a work in progress within JSS. Jamf is only defining a handful of the most well-known software packages within their patch management -- Flash, Office, Sophos, a few web browsers. If you want definitions beyond that you'll have to point JSS's patch management to another service. Some people are using CommunityPatch, an open source (and still in beta).

However, by far, the most common 3rd party patch management solution is Munki, which has integrations into JSS and is widely used and supported. Tom Bridge even had a Munki-in-a-Box script for awhile that would, with one Python script, install and configure Munki on a Mac Mini server. With the castration of Server.app, though, he's working on a Munki-in-the-Cloud solution that would allow you to easily spin up a Munki instance on a service like AWS.