Sideloading Updates

Overview

The Use a local source folder option must be enabled in order to use the sideload feature.

Sometimes an update cannot be automatically downloaded by Patch for Configuration Manager. This can happen for a number of different reasons. For example, the update might be an old update that has been removed by the vendor, a login to the vendor website might be required to access the update, the update might have been only available via a temporary link, etc.

If an update cannot be downloaded, the phrase Acquire from vendor will be displayed in the Download method column.

In order to publish an update that cannot be automatically downloaded it must first be sideloaded. Sideloading means the update file is downloaded manually, its contents are verified and then the file is saved to the proper directory within the local source folder. The exact process is as follows:

  1. Select an update in the grid.
  2. In the bottom pane, locate the Download URL link.
    This link provides information on how to manually download the update.
  3. Download the update file to a folder on the console machine.
    The best choice is to create a new folder that is used exclusively for sideloaded updates.
  4. Repeat Steps 1 - 3 for each update that must be sideloaded.
  5. Select the update(s) in the grid.
  6. Launch the Sideload Updates dialog.
    You can do this one of three ways:
    • Click the Sideload Updates toolbar icon
    • Right-click one or more updates and then select Sideload Updates
    • Click the Sideload Updates button on the Publish selected updates dialog

  7. Input the associated update files into the dialog.

    8. You can do this one of two ways:

    • Click Browse and select the associated update files that you manually downloaded earlier.
    • Drag the update files from File Explorer to the dialog.

    The files you add to this dialog will be processed and readied for publication. Specifically:

    • The correct GUID folder is created for each update.
    • The correctly-named update file is placed within each GUID folder.
    • The update files are verified by comparing the file digest to the expected digest for each update.
    • Each update's entire <GUID>/<update file> folder structure is copied to the Local Source folder.

    When the process is complete, each update's status will change to Successfully copied.

At this point the updates are ready to be published from the Local Source folder using the normal publication process.

Related Information

Publish Manually Downloaded Products in Patch for SCCM (opens in a new window)