Windows 10 Updates and identifying core software

[Marco Lorenz]

Hello,

after we finally survived our first Windows 10 rollout our next step is updating to release 1909.
For that purpose we would like to use dynamic query based groups to define our rollout rings in addition to a few "hand picked" ones.
The idea we're going with is: defining a set of applications that are our "core" applications. All clients that only run these applications are in one group of clients. Then we'll have a group of "mission critical" applications that get a separate pot followed by the "nice to have" category (just a rough sketch of the approach, we'll have a few other "in betweens").
But now one of the major challenges is to retrieve the clients that only have a certain set of applications and nothing else installed.
Manually we achieved that with an Excel sheet and marking the applications as "core", "mission critical", "nice to have" and so forth, but we'd rather have that capability within ITCM.
tl;dr:
How to select clients with a defined set of applications and no other applications installed?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

------------------------------
Marco Lorenz
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[Stephen McCormick]

Start by defining the 'Other applications' in a query, for instance apps:

 

• Application X installed
• OR
• Application Y installed
• OR
• Application Z installed

 

Then you can define the next Tier as:

 

• NOT
• Link Query 'Other Applications'                 -              OR 'Member of Group Other Applications', your choice
• AND
• (
• Application M Installed
• OR
• Application N Installed
• OR
• Application O Installed
• )

 

You can create as many tiers as you need to in this fashion. To create a group with ALL core applications and NO OTHER applications you would use something like:

 

• NOT
• (
• Member of Group XYZ
• OR
• Member of Group MNO
• )
• AND
• Core Application A Installed
• AND
• Core Application B Installed
• AND
• Core Application C Installed

 

 

Steve McCormick

 

[Marco Lorenz]

Hello Steve,

thanks for the reply.

I was afraid of that. :-)

Is there a way to create that query through a script? There are quite a few applications out there and if there's a new addition to the fold, we need to update that query/computer group. and creating that query with mouse interface will be very time consuming.

Regards,

Marco Lorenz

[Stephen McCormick]

HI Marco,

 

There's no command line for queries so you can't script the whole process, but if you have the skills you can do it with Web Services. Having said that, you can script creating the .cmsobj file then you will have to manually import it. You can create a sample .cmsobj file by creating a query that is representative of the query you need, then write a script to extend it. The format is not that difficult.

 

Steve McCormick