Using the Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool

The Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool manages the workflow of updating large numbers of offline virtual machines according to their individual needs. The tool works with Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 (VMM) and with software update management systems (at present, either Windows Server Update Services 3.0 (WSUS) or System Center Configuration Manager 2007).

The following figure illustrates the workflow:

How information flows between the tool and other system components

The tool uses “servicing jobs” to manage the update operations based on lists of existing virtual machines stored in VMM. Using Windows Workflow Foundation technology, a servicing job runs snippets of Windows PowerShell scripts to work with virtual machines. For each virtual machine, the servicing job:

• “Wakes” the virtual machine (deploys it to a host and starts it).
• Triggers the appropriate software update cycle (Configuration Manager or WSUS).
• Shuts down the updated virtual machine and returns it to the library.

The Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool is straightforward to use. To use the tool:

1. Install the tool in your environment. A configuration wizard guides you through the process of connecting the tool to VMM and your software update management system.
2. Configure virtual machine groups. You have the option to group your virtual machines to simplify the process of creating servicing jobs.
3. Create and schedule servicing jobs. A servicing job specifies which virtual machines to update, what resources to use for the update process, and when to start the servicing job. You can schedule jobs to run immediately, or to run during low-traffic maintenance windows. You can also schedule servicing jobs to recur at regular intervals to keep your virtual machines up-to-date in the long term.

   Note   The tool works with Windows Task Scheduler to determine when to run the servicing job.

The Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center.