'HP Systems Software Manager can download all HP Drivers and software standalone as Tar file

[cooperator]

Hi,

I've read that HPSSM can download all HP drivers and software as (tar files) without needing to go the my home page.

APPLICATIONS THAT OPEN A .CVA FILE is HPSSM

HP Systems Software Manager [SSM] is a free systems solution that automatically updates and detects device drivers, management agent versions and BIOS on your networked computers. Its benefits and functions cover optimization of your PC’s performance, simplifying the complexity of HP System Software for PC management, streamline mass deployment of updates for HP System Software, reduction of total ownership costs, provision of consistent and stable key features for your PC environment, simultaneous automatic installation of HP System Software’s latest releases to various PCs, automatic detection of out-of-date HP System Software and BIOS and hardware, remote updates that can take place in unattended or silent mode so you can do other tasks and summary report for management and tracking purposes. HP SSM supports the unattended installation and/or upgrade of system agents, drivers and ROM system simultaneously on several computers from a central file store without implementation of an infrastructure for software distribution. HP SSM 2.1 adds support for Windows 7.0. It updates integration of SSM to support HPQFlash BIOS Update Utility. HP SSM is launching HPQFlash including management of secure passing of password credentials when it comes across SoftPaqs built with HPQFlash as installation mechanism. It also provides additional support for return conditions that are custom-defined from SoftPaqs. It now recognizes the ReturnCode section of CVA document defining unique management for application-specific values of return code. These changes will help administrators to determine if HP SSM has successfully installed a SoftPaq, or get detailed information if it fails.

But I don't know where can I donwnload it?

[richard429]

SSM is a free utility used for pc client management.

HP added a forum last year for discussions specific to this and related tools.

Like other forums here, it is a peer to peer forum,  but there are some HP employees with pc client management experience that volunteer their time to answer questions when they can assist.

You can find SSM and other client management tools in the HP PC Client Management Community forum.

The pc client management discussion board is focused on the following topics but is not exclusive to them:

HP Client Catalog

                The HP Client Catalog for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager products is used in the deployment of HP software updates (SoftPaqs) to HP commercial PCs in a Microsoft System Center environment.

HP Driver Packs

                HP Driver Packs contain the necessary Microsoft Windows drivers required

to support HP hardware platform(s) listed in each of the driver pack’s release notes.

HP Client Integration Kit

The HP Client Integration Kit ( HP CIK ) is a plug-in for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager.

HP BIOS Configuration Utility

The HP BIOS Configuration Utility ( HP BCU ) provides the ability to manage BIOS settings on HP supported desktop, workstation and notebook computers.

HP System Software Manager

The HP System Software Manager ( HP SSM ) is a utility for updating BIOS and device drivers on your networked PCs.

These tools and more can be found at www.hp.com/go/clientmanagement

Look in the Resources menu for items such as the HP CMS Download Library,  HP CMS Whitepapers or HP Driver Packs.

The HP CMS Download Library contains the latest release version of SSM.

      HP CMS Download Library

If you have questions about SSM or any of the other utilities listed, this is the best forum to find answers.

thanks,

Richard
I work for HP but am not a company spokesperson.  Participation in the community forums is voluntary.

[cooperator]

Thanks a lot,

You think that HPSSM will be installed well on my laptop

HP Pavilion dv6-6093ex Entertainment Notebook PC support.

You think I can find any HP software which can  check for any new HP software( and if any), then the software will download as tar files without needing to visit my home page? I used 'HPSA' but it is only download the Software as extracted files, and as tar files.

[richard429]

My apologies for misunderstanding your post.

You asked where can SSM be download and I provided that.

SSM installs HP SoftPaqs but does not download them.

SoftPaqs are not TAR files.

An HP Pavilion is a consumer based system and I believe uses HP Support Assistant to perform driver and software updates.

Although SSM can install any compliant SoftPaq, including ones for consumer systems, it is primarily targeted for commercial systems.

The key here is the SoftPaq MUST be SSM compliant.

SoftPaq Download Manager ( SDM ) is a utility that is designed to download SoftPaqs but is typically targeted at commercial systems.

As far as I know, there are very few, if any, consumer model SoftPaqs contained in the database that SDM uses.

There are a large number of SoftPaqs for various consumer systems, but the catalog used by SDM does not typically contain them.  Again - SDM is focused on commercial platforms.

The CVA file is used by multiple HP applications to indicate what system a driver or application applies to.

The CVA file can be used by HP Support Assistant, SSM or SDM.

I don't believe SSM will provide the solution you are looking for.

On consumer units, HP Support Assistant or the "Home Page" you reference are probably more applicable.

thanks,

Richard
I work for HP but am not a company spokesperson.  Participation in the community forums is voluntary.

[cooperator]

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@richard429 wrote:

SSM installs HP SoftPaqs but does not download them.

SoftPaqs are not TAR files.

---

Thanks a lot,

You don't think that SoftPaq is Tar file, I was told that HP compresses its software as Tar files.

Thus, for instance, this one shown in this screen shot is the SoftPaq file of HP support Assistant, which is Tar file

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@richard429 wrote:

I don't believe SSM will provide the solution you are looking for.

On consumer units, HP Support Assistant or the "Home Page" you reference are probably more applicable.

---

Yes, but  'HP Support Assistant' downloads the updates of software as extracted files, I want them compressed( files Yes, but  the "Home Page" needs me to check all versions manually if any new updates, then I will download them manually.

---

@richard429 wrote:

The CVA file is used by multiple HP applications to indicate what system a driver or application applies to.

The CVA file can be used by HP Support Assistant, SSM or SDM.

 

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What difference is there between SoftPaq and CVA file.?

I really when I download the HP software, they all are compressed files with a file name, thus they are Tar files, I think.

When I want to install them, then I open them, then they extracted directly into a folder called 'C:\swsetup'

---

@richard429 wrote:

SSM installs HP SoftPaqs but does not download them.

Download Manager ( SDM ) is a utility that is designed to download SoftPaqs but is typically targeted at commercial systems.

 

---

I really don't understand you about "'SSM' installs HP SoftPaq." How to install SoftPaq.

I really don't have 'SSM', and when I install any HP software, like the one below, I don't need 'SSM' to install it.

You mean Download Manager ( SDM ) will NOT be installed on my HP Pavilion laptop?

[richard429]

          richard429 wrote:

          SSM installs HP SoftPaqs but does not download them.
          SoftPaqs are not TAR files.

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     cooperator wrote:

     Thanks a lot,
     You don't think that SoftPaq is Tar file, I was told that HP compresses its software as Tar files.
     Thus, for instance, this one shown in this screen shot is the SoftPaq file of HP support Assistant, which is Tar file

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reply

The SoftPaq you reference (sp68201.exe) is not a TAR file.
SoftPaqs are created with a utility called Package For The Web - PFTW.
PFTW is used to create SoftPaqs as self extracting executables.

Depending upon what options are used at the time of SoftPaq creation, the SoftPaq can extract its contents and run an installation program after the extraction occurs.
There are no SoftPaqs that are TAR files although someone can compare similarities between tar files and SoftPaqs.

A TAR file derives it's extension from the Unix 'tar' command which stood for Tape ARchive.
See the wikipedia -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(computing)
See also http://www.washington.edu/computing/unix/tar.html

Neither the 'tar' command, nor a .tar extension represent a compressed file.
It is possible however, for a tar file to contain one or more files that were compressed prior to being added to the TAR file.

A true TAR file is not self extracting, nor does it perform software installation.

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          richard429 wrote:

          I don't believe SSM will provide the solution you are looking for.
          On consumer units, HP Support Assistant or the "Home Page" you reference are probably more applicable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     cooperator wrote:

     Yes, but  'HP Support Assistant' downloads the updates of software as extracted files, I want them compressed( files Yes, but  the "Home Page" needs me to check all versions manually if any new updates, then I will download them manually.
 
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reply

HP Support Assistant is downloading the file to the hard drive, extracting the files, installing updates as required and then performing clean up.
All SoftPaqs are stored in a common location on an HP server and are of the format spXXXXXX.exe.
The files within any single SoftPaq are not stored on the server as separate files.

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          richard429 wrote:

          The CVA file is used by multiple HP applications to indicate what system a driver or application applies to.
          The CVA file can be used by HP Support Assistant, SSM or SDM.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     cooperator wrote:

     What difference is there between SoftPaq and CVA file.?
     I really when I download the HP software, they all are compressed files with a file name, thus they are Tar files, I think.

     When I want to install them, then I open them, then they extracted directly into a folder called 'C:\swsetup'

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reply

The SoftPaq contains files & directory structures associated with the contents of the SoftPaq.

As noted earlier, the CVA file contains information that informs HPSA, SSM and SDM which systems ( computer model or models ) the SoftPaq is applicable for. The CVA file is used to determine which system model, which OS and which language it applies to.
The various utilities use information in the CVA file to determine if the SoftPaq in question applies to your computer.
    C:\swsetup  is the standard directory for SoftPaqs to extract into.

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          richard429 wrote:

          SSM installs HP SoftPaqs but does not download them.
          Download Manager ( SDM ) is a utility that is designed to download SoftPaqs but is typically targeted at commercial systems.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     cooperator wrote:

     I really don't understand you about "'SSM' installs HP SoftPaq." How to install SoftPaq.
     I really don't have 'SSM', and when I install any HP software, like the one below, I don't need 'SSM' to install it.

    You mean Download Manager ( SDM ) will NOT be installed on my HP Pavilion laptop?

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reply

SSM is primarily intended for businesses or corporate environments where an IT department wants or needs individual control over which updates are performed across their organization.

It does have the ability to install drivers or software applications but is significantly different from HPSA.

HP Support Assistant performs the function of SSM and multiple other functions also but does not allow an IT administrator the level of control many organizations desire.

If you are running HPSA on a consumer unit, then neither SSM, nor SDM are needed.
My recommendation is continue to use HP Support Assistant.

thanks,

Richard
I work for HP but am not a company spokesperson.  Participation in the community forums is voluntary.