WPKG - anyone use it?

[KK20]

I already use FOG to deploy our images. WSUS is great for patches but plugins to maintain software cost a fortune (and ive only really seen one company promoting this). I was looking at WPKG (WPKG | Open Source Software Deployment and Distribution) for software deployment and wondered if anyone used it? Any advice before I embark? Currently I simply use GPO to update and remove software - scripts mainly. I was wondering is WPKG is a better idea overall (from the point of view of people who used it vs GPOs)

[sparkeh]

I used to use it before we got SCCM. Can't fault it, worked really well and a lot better than using gpo to distribute software as you can run installations in the background rather than wait at startup for it to complete.

[Boredguy]

We've been using it for a while now, and it works quite nicely. There is a few niggles when some applications that we've told to update attempt to get installed every time the computer boots up, but when that happens we just alter the local xml file to put the correct version number in.

 

It's much better than GPO's but not as good as SCCM but you get what you pay for (which in this case is a good free software deployment) If you use the WPKG-GP add on and Verbose messages for your windows 7/8 stations, your users can see what it's doing before it gets to the logon screen.

[KK20]

We cant afford SCCM which is why im looking at this. Do you find any conflicts with installations running concurrently? Im thinking WSUS and AV possibly running at the same time as WPKG trying to fire off an install.

[Boredguy]

Not had any issues as WPKG only runs at station startup and wsus and AV normally don't start processing updates until later