One of the first decisions you need to make when implementing a patch management solution is agent vs. agent-less distribution. To help you with the pros and cons of each we've put together this resource page where we will assemble bits of advice on agent vs. agent-less patch distribution.
First, an excerpt from Best practices for patch management:
Is it agent or agent-less distribution? There are two key issues to remember when looking at patch management deployment: agent or agent-less. An agent is when the patch management solution has a client side component. Any solution for this requires a deployment for the agent as well as the patches. The agent must be running in order for it to connect to the distribution server. Agent-less is when a server scans a network client by reading its registry remotely. This means you have to have a remote registry reading tool or some other method to administer the machine remotely.
Agent vs. Agent-less advice:
- Patch management expert Jason Chan discusses the complexity of agent-based distribution in this Ask-the-Experts response.
- Site expert Brian Posey relates a story on agent-based distribution in part 3 of this Step-by-step guide on Patch management must-dos.
Check back soon for a detailed look at the pros and cons of agent and agent-less patch distribution.
This was first published in August 2005
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