BatchPatch is the ultimate WSUS companion tool! Use it as a central console to initiate the download and installation of Windows updates or non-Windows patches to LOTS of remote computers, simultaneously. Then initiate remote reboots and monitor status in real-time. Additional features include a task scheduler, job queues, wake on LAN, front-end for PsExec, and more.
Features:
Initiate the download and / or installation of Windows updates on MANY remote computers simultaneously from a single console (works with your own WSUS server or Microsoft’s server)
Reboot or shutdown remote hosts and monitor status in real-time with integrated pinging
Deploy non-Windows patches to remote hosts
Integrated job queues: Create job queues to execute a set of actions sequentially on remote hosts
Execute your own custom scripts locally or remotely or add them to job queues for full automation flexibility
Integrated task scheduler: Any action or entire job queue can be executed by the task scheduler on a specific date and time
Retrieve the last boot time from remote hosts (very handy when rebooting computers)
Retrieve the used/free C: disk space from remote hosts (make sure the remote hosts have enough space available for patch installations)
Retrieve the list of services that are set to “Automatic” but not currently running on the remote hosts (diagnose bootup issues)
Wake on LAN
How it works: BatchPatch was designed to be simple and intuitive. Special attention was given to keeping the app as slim as possible. No installation necessary– just launch the EXE and you’re ready to go! You start by loading a list of computer names, IP addresses or MAC addresses (MACs are required for Wake on LAN). Then highlight one, some, or all rows in the grid to perform actions on just the selected hosts. Either right click on the currently selected rows or use the Actions menu to select an action to perform. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
System Requirements: BatchPatch was created using Microsoft’s Visual C# 2010. In order to use it you must have the .NET Framework 4.0 or later installed on the computer you’re running it from.
For WSUS installations, BatchPatch will display a progress bar for each remote host during the patch download and/or installation. However, the progress bar relies on the remote hosts having .NET 3.5 or later installed. Remote hosts that do NOT have at least .NET 3.5 will still work with BatchPatch, but there will simply be no progress bar visible for those hosts.
Microsoft’s Sysinternals PsExec must be saved to your Windows system path or in the directory that you launch BatchPatch from. If you’re unsure about modifying your system path, you can simply drop psexec.exe into C:\Windows and that should do the trick. Launch psexec.exe one time to accept the license agreement.
Limitations: The installation of Windows Updates is performed by executing a script (using PsExec) on the remote machine(s). If you have specified alternate logon credentials (this means that you have disabled Integrated Security in BatchPatch for a specific host or set of hosts) when you choose a WSUS task from the actions menu, PsExec will send the specified credentials in clear text to the remote machine. However, if you enable Integrated Security (impersonates the currently logged on user) your credentials will not be passed in clear text.
If you’re running BatchPatch on a Windows 7, Vista, or 2008 machine AND you have specified alternate logon credentials, you might experience problems with the WSUS actions. To avoid any issues, either use Integrated Security or run BatchPatch on a Windows XP or 2003 machine instead.
BatchPatch is FREE to try. The evaluation version is fully functional with only one exception. You are limited to a maximum of 7 hosts in the grid. Try it out and see if it suits your needs before investing any money.