Using SMS Jobs to Install Packages

Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) uses jobs to distribute packages to target systems. There are various job options that you can specify, depending on the type of job that you are creating. The main options that affect the distribution of software are the specification of targets, the distribution servers where the package will be made available, and the options for the run phase of the job.

There are three primary types of jobs to distribute packages:

• Run Command on Workstation jobs, which run on the target clients in the context of the package share that is associated with the job. They are the most common type of job used in SMS to install, remove, and maintain software on target clients.
• Share Package on Server jobs, which are used to install an SMS network application on a set of servers. Unlike the Run Command on Workstation job, the Share Package on Server job does not actually run a command on the distribution servers. It simply copies the files and directory structure in the package directory to the specified servers and makes them available as a share.
• Remove Package From Server jobs, which are used to remove packages from SMS site servers, distribution servers, and servers that have had a package installed using the Share Package on Server job. These jobs do not remove packages from clients; that is performed using deinstall options for the Run Command on Workstation job.