CRM Client AutoUpdate

This is a Clip from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A new feature in CRM 4.0 is for administrative ability to prompt clients to install patches on their CRM client. This feature is called AutoUpdate and it applies to any client where the user has administrative rights on his/her machine. I’ll document some common scenarios here and I’ll encourage you to read the Implementation Guide – Operating document for more detailed information.

When you install the CRM 4.0 client, one of the new components is a tool called Update. This is the client component of the AutoUpdate process. You can launch the Update tool directly, run it as a scheduled task quietly, launch it from Outlook under the CRM toolbar – Check for Updates or it will run each time you launch Outlook. Also, by default, the AutoUpdate check is performed on all CRM 4.0 clients* every 4 hours*.
* These options can be turned off or adjusted via registry keys.

In order to make updates available to clients, you need to post the updates to the server. The CRM Server installation comes with a new tool called the Client Patch Configurator. The tool is installed by default at [Program Files]\MSCRM\Tools\Microsoft.Crm.Tools.ClientPatchConfigurator.exe. You need to run a DOS command to call the XML file you can use to define the patches that will be provided to the client. The patch configurator process will add the patches to the MSCRM_Config database. You can use the tool to create, update or delete patch information, so if you add a patch you didn’t intend to add, you can remove it from being pushed to clients.

Read the full blog here