Policies for wireless clients

[jagress]

Hi all,

How do you handle policies that execute on mobile laptop carts? I'm hesitant to treat them the same way as lab/desktop machines (i.e. deploying software updates via policy, etc) because 1) they're on a slower wireless connection and 2) we never know when a user will close the laptop and interrupt a policy.

What are others doing about this? How/when are you getting software updates to your shared-use laptops?

[mscottblake]

For Apple updates, I use an EA to determine if they need to be restarted and only apply the updates that don't. If an update requires a restart, it waits until the machine is in my office for some other problem and I apply it manually, or I scope the policy that updates all updates to them during a semester break.

My wireless network is capable and stable so I don't worry too much about policies being interrupted, but if it's an issue for you, you could always set your policies to cache the package, then fire another policy to install it once it sees that it has been successfully cached.

[Nix4Life]

I applaud both of you. good or bad, I manage them with ARD, and Casper .dmgs converted to pkgs. they are updated during the summer,and that's it unless someone NEEDS an update or gets new software. even at that point i work with the cart owner. they know the drill. turn on all the laptops, call me I use ARD to push out whatever they need..done

hth

LS