I have some works groups win2003 pc on DMZ and i need to regulary patch .  I have sms 2003 running and i have tried to copy entire package folder to workgroup pc and run using following commands.  Since there is no %windir%\System32\CCM\Logs\PatchInstall.log  file i cannot troubleshoot .  No updates are applied as yet.

syntax
patchinstall.exe /g:336 /z:s /c:0 /t:10 /m:"PatchAuthorize.xml"
as far i understand
/g:336
The "g" stands for Grace Period and the number after it refers to the number in hours until it is considered mandatory. You can set the range on this switch from zero to 999 and the default is 336 hours which is 14 days. This switch is optional and if it is not used, it will be disabled and therefore the installation will be optional for the user.

/z:s
This implies that if this program is run on a server (s=server), the reboot will be suppressed. You can also, use the switch /z:w which would suppress reboots to workstations. Or, you can combine them such as /z:sw which would suppress for both workstations and servers. Remember, if you do not reboot after installation, some patches may not function properly until the next reboot.

/s
Not what you are thinking! This is not a silent switch as most of us are used to. This switch will suppress the hardware inventory at the end of the patch install. This option is by default and if you want to enable the inventory, you will need to remove the switch. Hmmm, and I was wondering why my inventories were not returning!

/q
I could not find any information on this switch. I am going to guess that it would specify the patch(s) run quiet.

/c:5
Very awesome! This switch sets the number of minutes for the countdown before and after the install. If you take the default, 5 minutes before the start of the installation you will see the countdown and after the installation the countdown will also be 5 minutes. The numeric value determines both countdowns. You can set this option from 0 – 99 minutes where 0 is immediate.

/t:30
This option sets the failsafe timeout in minutes. If the time is exceeded, the patch will terminate. If the program is unresponsive for 30 minutes (in this example) a reboot will take place because it will believe the system is in an unresponsive state. Microsoft recommends the minimum time to set this switch to is 10 minutes. However, the full range is 0 – 99 minutes. If you set it to zero, there would not be any time for it to install and it would fail.

/m:"PatchAuthorize.xml"

The /m switch simply refers to the .xml file for the patches to install. There are no configurations for this switch.


please help.