Most businesses today are spread across the globe. As network managers you need to ensure the computers at your Head Office and Branch Offices are patched alike. You will also need to patch the computers of roaming/mobile users who connect to your network via Internet.
Patch Manager Plus patches desktops that are geographically distributed from a central point. This includes computers that are located in a LAN, WAN and Mobile users as well. In LAN network, each managed computer will directly communicate with the Patch Manager Plus Server for pulling the instructions for performing patch management activities and to update the status back to the server. Patch Manager Plus has introduced the concept of Distribution Servers to patch computers that are located in remote offices(WAN). This helps administrators to plan and control the bandwidth utilization and associated costs.
The figure below depicts the architecture for patching computers across WAN:
The Distribution Server located at the remote location synchronizes the Patch repository with the Patch Manager Plus Server located at the Main Office at specific intervals. Now the WAN agents installed on the desktops at the remote location can download the patch or service packs from the Distribution Server locally within the Remote Office LAN. This mechanism clearly addresses the bandwidth related issues and also improves the efficiency and control-level that network managers/administrators can exercise on the remote machines.
This feature is available in the Enterprise and Patch Editions of Patch Manager Plus. If you are currently using the Professional Edition and would like to use Distribution Servers in patching your remote office computers, contact sales@manageengine.com to upgrade or visit our Online Store for pricing details.
