How To Push Adobe Flash Updates Over the Network

By Bozteck

Adobe Flash Player has been the target of many security attacks lately due to its inherent security flaws.  Adobe updates the Flash player frequently. 

It’s very difficult to get all of the systems on your network updated because it requires Administrator permissions to apply the updates.  There aren’t any inexpensive tools for pushing these updates out so I will show you how to do this using Bozteck VNCScan.

Here are the steps in a nutshell:

  1. Download the flash player distribution from here
  2. Create the script in the Script Manager
  3. Add the flash install file to the script window
  4. Ensure that you have access permissions to the remote computer(s)
  5. Select the computers that you’d like to deploy the script to
  6. Select the script from the dropdown
  7. Watch it work

Downloading Flash Player

You can download the scriptable Flash player from http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/fp_distribution3.html.  For this tutorial, we’re going to download the Internet Explorer executable.

Create the script

Open the script manager using the Tools => "Scripts and Commands” menu as shown below:

image

From the window below, choose “New Script”

image

In the new script window,enter the script title and optionally a folder to group it in as well as any notes on the deployment and then choose to include a file.

image

Browse to the install_flash_player_10_active_x.exe file that you downloaded to choose it.  You will see the path to the file below:

image

When the script is executed on the remote computer, the path to the included file will be %systemdrive%\temp\vncscan\install_flash_player_10_active_x.exe.  Any files that you attach to script this way are always stored there.  You’ll need to reference that location by using that in the path of the file that you’re calling.  See the screen shot below:

%systemdrive%\temp\vncscan\\install_flash_player_10_active_x.exe /silent

image

Choose “Save and Close” to return back to the main window.

Deploy the script

We need to start by ensuring that the administrative access to the remote computer has been set.  One way to do this on a per-computer basis is to right-click the computer and choose properties; and then flip to the “Windows Login” tab.  Enter the Administrator username and password that is valid on the remote computer.  If you’re not on a domain, just leave the domain field at %HOST%.

image

Now, select the computer in the Managed List.  Now, click on the “Remote Scripts” and choose your new script.

image

The window below will pop up and the software will be deployed:

image 

Keeping Up to Date

You can keep this script up to date easily because Adobe always names the file the same every time.  Simply return to the website and download the latest version, remove the one in the script, and then add this new download.  Simply re-deploy and you’re up to date!


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categoriahow-to commento24 Comments dataFebruary 26th, 2010

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  • Bill Hughes

    Any chance this will work with Adobe Reader as well?

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  • Steve

    Yes, you can download the reader from http://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/

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  • drewbarclay

    Also works with the msi file with the following:

    MsiExec.exe /i install_flash_player_10_active_x.msi /q REBOOT=ReallySuppress

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  • jdbtsi

    Has anyone tried to do this or gotten this to work with a Java update? I'm trying to get it to work with
    the Java Ver 6 Update 18 .exe found here: http://javadl.sun.com/webapps/download/AutoDL?B…
    and it just seems to stall. I'm sure I'm missing something… maybe more coffee would help.

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  • andyr354

    Keep up the good work.

    Had been looking for an easy way to do this a while back.

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  • bazagee

    Steve – just wanted to say thanks for these types of Howto Blogs. They are invaluable to us as a small busy SMB with limited resources. The fact that you have been able to target realworld issues is a great thing. It truely extended the value of your product.

    Great work and hope you will continue to find ways to may our jobs a little less stressful… :)

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  • Bill Hughes

    I haven't been able to get the Adobe Reader to work, but Flash works perfectly. Could you do a blog post outling the steps for Reader? Please and thank you.

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  • jamessumnall

    I've tried this and it's working great with Win XP, thanks! Although Win 7 deployments show an UnauthorisedAccessException. the account I'm using has admin privs. Any ideas?

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  • fuckit2

    JRE-6u18-Win-i586-s.exe /qr IEXPLORER=1 MOZILLA=1 ReebootYesNo=No AUTOUPDATECHECK=0 JAVAUPDATE=0 JU=0 SYSTRAY=0 OTHER=0 SDKSILENT=1

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  • Chris

    I have followed the steps listed above and have double and triple checked them. The file and the sript is being copied to the remote test machine; however flash is not installing itself. Here is a copy of the script file am using. If I am missing something please let me know.

    %SYSTEMDRIVE%
    cd tempvncscan
    %systemdrive%tempvncscan\install_flash_player_10_active_x.exe /silent

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  • Harrison

    Thank Steve Bostedor. I was able to use this and alter just a little to push out Office 2007 Compatibility Pack.. GREAT!
    Now I was to figure out if there is a way to do Adobe Flash, and Java updates.

    If anyone has already done this and can save me time, I would appreciate an email reply, if you would be so kind. Thank you.

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  • Harrison

    Actually, I got flash push to work. Just working on Java now.

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  • Harrison

    Steve, are you trying to update/install Adobe Flash or Adobe Reader?

    for Flash you would just need
    %systemdrive%tempvncscan\install_flash_player_10_active_x.exe /silent

    but for Adobe Reader you would need
    %systemdrive%tempvncscan\AdbeRdr930_en_US.exe /silent
    (this was the default filename from the adobe website)

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  • Harrison

    Sorry, I meant to say Chris there, not Steve…

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  • VNCSUser

    I think there is a typo in your script.

    %systemdrive%tempvncscan\install_flash_player_10_active_x.exe /silent should be:
    %systemdrive%tempvncscaninstall_flash_player_10_active_x.exe /silent

    (There is an extra slash)

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  • Ycjackchen

    Does a deployments report available?
    how does we know which PC is not install/update yet?

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  • Danm

    Has anyone had a problem with Flash uninstalling itself? We have a area that the Flash just dissapears after several reboots, requiring a repush. Any ideas?

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  • Dom

    Hi

    Is it normal that the scirpt runs for many minutes? the dos windows should close when done?
    Dom

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  • Jdbtsi

    Dom, the newest version does hang when using this method… not sure why.

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  • Jdbtsi

    I got around it by downloading the MSI rather than the EXE and using the command line that drewbarclay posted below.

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  • Lpiergrossi

    Is there a work around if McAfee prevents executables from running in the temp directory?

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  • Jason

    I am also having trouble with deploying to windows 7.u00a0 Any Ideas on this or if it works…. I like the product but if I cannot deploy 3rd party software to my windows 7 machines then I do not want to buy it.

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  • Anonymous

    Jason, please send an email to support@vncscan.com and we’ll take a look at what may be the issue. u00a0Be sure to include any error messages that you can capture.

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