HP SoftPaq Download Manager and HP System Software Manager - A Powerful Combination

Advanced usage of HP SSM

Running SSM from Removable Media

SSM can be run directly from removable media, such as a USB memory stick or portable hard drive.

The setup process is similar to setting up SSM for use across the network, except that the SSM file

store is copied to a USB drive instead of being shared across the network. SSM is then run directly

from the USB drive. This can be useful for updating machines not attached to a network or for

machines with special considerations.

It is recommended to create a .bat located in the root of the SSM folder with a command that would

execute SSM with the desired parameters. This would allow for easy double-click execution when

moving from machine to machine.

Note:

Certain SoftPaqs that deal with USB devices (such as Bluetooth drivers) may

interfere with the operation of the update process in SSM if run from a

removable drive. To work around this, copy the SSM directory to the local

hard drive and run SSM from there.

Updating the SSM DB and CVAs via command line

Instead of running through the SSM wizard to rebuild and update the DB, you can perform the

process via a command line. The command is:

SSM /AM_BLD_DB

SSM.exe must be run and located in the root of the file store for this command to work.

This command will also update the CVA files by downloading updated ones from HP’s server. Each

SoftPaq comes with a CVA file that determines which SoftPaq applies to what machines. Sometimes

these CVA files are updated to add supported machines/OSes or to fix errors. If you do not wish to

update the CVAs use the /NOCVAUPDATE switch.

Other SSM Configuration Options

SSM has a number of command-line switches and options that can be used during the setup and

execution process. For more details on the options, please refer to the SSM User’s Guide included

with SSM.

Multiple File Stores

You can share copies of the SSM file share on more than one computer or use multiple SDM

configurations and download directories to create different SSM file shares. By spreading the load

you may be able to alleviate network performance issues you may run into and help simplify the

update process when trying to update a large number of PCs via SSM.