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CRM4.0: AutoUpdate Outlook CRM Client Patches

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so we are finally at the stage of service-in our CRM Project to customer. since we did use CRM Outlook Client, when there are official patch updates, we won't be able to manually install them to all the client. thanks to client auto-update features, we can just put patch files on server and let outlook crm client patch itself. When end-users start outlook, crm client will check if there are patches needs to be update, and if got any, it will prompt user to install it.

reference articles:

Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The AutoUpdate Tool

CRM Client AutoUpdate

will summarize steps here for my later reference.

1. Prepare a web folder to store all the patch exe files.

2. At all client computer, registry path [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSCRMClient] with String value key [AutoUpdateDownloadUrl] that point to the patch download http url (be sure to end with back-slash "/") is needed. using Group Policy or login script to set this will be a good idea.

3. Extract patch exe file with "/x" option and get the [PatchID] GUID from config.xml file.

4. Copy the patch exe file to the web folder for client to install.

5. Prepare AutoUpdate Config xml file of contents like this (save the file and copy to CRM Server):

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ClientPatches>
<Create>
    <ClientPatchInfo>
        <PatchId> [PatchId got from config.xml file] </PatchId>
        <Title> [Title of the patch] </Title>
        <Description> [Description of the patch] </Description>
        <IsMandatory>true</IsMandatory>
        <IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
        <ClientType>OutlookDesktop,OutlookLaptop</ClientType>
        <LinkId> [patch exe file name, http path is not needed since client got it setup at step 2] </LinkId>
    </ClientPatchInfo>
</Create>
</ClientPatches>

6. At CRM Server, open a cmd window, go to [c:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics CRM\Tools] folder, and run [microsoft.crm.tools.clientpatchconfigurator.exe AutoUpdateConfig.xml] to register the patch.

7. Go to client PC with CRM Outlook Client installed and open Outlook to update the client.

that's it.

 

FYI.

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