Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 Active Directory Roll-out

To install Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 on all your network computers using active directory you con do the following steps:
Please note I am using Mozilla Firefox 2.0 to download the files
Windows 2003 server with GPMC (Group Policy Managment Console)

1. Download Adobe Acrobat to your computer and install it.
   
2. Find the Setup.msi file in the folder: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 8.0\Setup Files\
   
3. Copy the files in this folder to your NETLOGON folder on your server
   C:\WINDOWS\SYSVOL\sysvol\scripts\
   
4. Add the package in your active directory use group policy management console.
   Right Click on an OU in AD and select "Create and Link GPO here"
   
   Give the GPO a name. Then Right click on it and select "Edit"
   Expand Computer Configuration -> Software Settings -> Software Installation.
   Right Click on Software Installation and Select New -> Package.
   Browse to \\netlogon\. Click ok.
   Click ok on the assigned dialog and you are done.
   
5. You Should see the entry below appear in your window indicating that the package is ready to be installed.
   
6. Next time your computers in that OU reboot they should get Adobe Acrobat 8 Installed
   

A little bit more on WSUS3

OK, so I have now finally made the full shift to WSUS3. My WSUS2 server is not a thing of the past and I have come to love this change. I have noticed one or two more coll things that make the change a good one.

Some of my favorite things are:

• Custom views
• Better filtering
• Event Log

Custom Views
You can now create a custom update view for your updates using multiple criteria.
I have created custom views for ISA Server 2004 updates, Exchange Updates, Windows 2000 Updates, Windows 2003 Server updates and Windows XP updates. Now what this allows me to do is to find the updates that are needed by using the filters to find the updates which these particular Operating systems or applications require and apply the to the relevant groups I wish to apply them to.

Better Filtering
The WSUS3 MMC console allows you to filter your updates and computer with dropdown lists. You can now set the console to show you only the computers that require your attention and the ones that are 100% up to date will not be displayed. this helps save time by only showing you what you want to see and not everything at once.

Event Log
There is an event log for each and every computer and each and every update. You can now see the status of the update. For instance you can see if it has just been downloaded by the client or if the client had a problem installing it. It even tells you if the update is just waiting for a re-boot to finish the installation.

Conclusion
WSUS3 is a step in the right direction. The system allows for much more control and flexibility compared to its predecessors. I would recommend any admin to upgrade to WSUS3.