ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM | Configuration Manager

Let’s understand the ConfigMgr Client Action called Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle in a bit more detail. The users/admins can initiate the Software Update (a.k.a patching) deployment evaluation cycle to speed up the troubleshooting of patching-related scenarios.

I have explained about Machine Policy Request & Evaluation Cycle in the previous post. But, it’s also important to understand ConfigMgr Client Component Status details for troubleshooting. There are three different status details are available for each component of the client. Those are installed, disabled, and enabled.

I have seen many admins getting confused between ConfigMgr Client App and SCCM Software Center. Both are different and client actions are available with ConfigMgr Client App (a.k.a Configuration Manager Application) available in the control panel.

Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle

There are 8 (eight) client actions available in Configuration Manager client application properties as of the ConfigMgr 2010 version. The Software Update Deployment Evaluation Cycle client action is the Fifth (5th) one from the top.

Patch My PC

Navigate to:

  • You can launch the client app from any computer that has an SCCM client installed.
  • Open Command Prompt
  • Run the following command – Control smscfgrc
  • Click on the Actions tab
  • Select Software Update Evaluation Cycle
  • Click on OK from the Software Update Deployment Evaluation Cycle popup window
ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM
ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM

Background Processes

Let’s understand the Software Update Deployment Evaluation Cycle via log files. When you initiate this action from the ConfigMgr client app, you can see the Updates deployment agent is triggered. The default Software update deployment evaluation cycle can be configured on Client settings.

This SCCM client action Software Update Deployment Evaluation Cycle “immediately” triggers the patching process from Windows 10 client.

As per my quick analysis both the components (Update Deployment Agent & Scan Agent) processed the evaluation and scan respectively around the same time for all the patch deployments assigned to a particular Windows 10 client. This is what showed in the following log snippets. The update store component stores the details about the compliance status for the software updates (a.k.a patches).

Adaptiva
  • ScanAgent.log
    • Processing Scan Job TTL invalidity request
    • *ScanByUpdates request received with ForceReScan=0, ScanOptions=0x00000008, WSUSLocationTimeout = 604800
    • – –Evaluating Update Status
    • Found CategoryID of :b3c75dc1-155f-4be4-b015-3f1a91758e52 for Update:19274002-295b-414b-9bf1-200a223f865f
    • CScanAgent::ScanByUpdates – Found UpdateClassification 0fa1201d-4330-4fa8-8ae9-b877473b6441 for Update:19274002-295b-414b-9bf1-200a223f865f
    • Sources are current and valid. TTLs are, however, invalid.
    • Sources are Valid, so converting to Offline Scan.
    • ScanJob({825C0BD2-334B-4170-847A-37336EA3F2CD}): CScanJob::Scan- Requesting Offline Scan with last known location.
    • ScanJob({825C0BD2-334B-4170-847A-37336EA3F2CD}): Scan Succeeded, setting flag that performed scan was catscan
    • ScanJob({825C0BD2-334B-4170-847A-37336EA3F2CD}): CScanJob::OnScanComplete – Scan completed successfully, ScanType=2
    • ScanJob({825C0BD2-334B-4170-847A-37336EA3F2CD}): CScanJobManager::OnScanComplete -ScanJob is completed.
    • ScanJob({825C0BD2-334B-4170-847A-37336EA3F2CD}): CScanJobManager::OnScanComplete – Reporting Scan request complete to clients…
    • Calling back to the client on Scan request complete
ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM
ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM
  • UpdatesDeployment.log
    • SoftwareUpdatesMessage MessageType=’EvaluateAssignments
    • Assignment {0f8e25be-6c3f-472c-98bd-49d31732ba73} has total CI = 18
    • Detection job ({CF2CF3DF-285F-404D-BAF7-9EA15374A2D8}) started for assignment ({0f8e25be-6c3f-472c-98bd-49d31732ba73})
    • Started evaluation for assignment ({0f8e25be-6c3f-472c-98bd-49d31732ba73})
    • Evaluation initiated for (7) assignments.
    • DetectJob completion received for assignment ({acc9a01a-1389-4d40-8a9c-7fcdba241795})
    • Update (Site_1074285A-82C7-474F-B242-1EE20F8C3CE5/SUM_8088355e-3873-4912-a85e-32d67df681af) Name (2020-11 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 2004 for x64-based Systems (KB4586781)) ArticleID (4586781) added to the targeted list of deployment ({acc9a01a-1389-4d40-8a9c-7fcdba241795})
    • Raised assignment (TopicID) ({F4B1BDA6-AF5E-47E2-9EA1-005BBD8B910C}) state message successfully. TopicType = Evaluate, StateId = 2, StateName = ASSIGNMENT_EVALUATE_SUCCESS, StateCriticality = 0
ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM
ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM
  • UpdatesStore.log
    • Querying update status of 18 updates.
    • Queried Update (2239fdd3-cd7a-41df-8fb6-f1793f5bc0d0): Status=Installed, Title=2020-10 Security Update for Adobe Flash Player for Windows 10 Version 2004 for x64-based Systems (KB4580325), BulletinID=, QNumbers=4580325, LocaleID=, ProductID=b3c75dc1-155f-4be4-b015-3f1a91758e52, UpdateClassification = 0fa1201d-4330-4fa8-8ae9-b877473b6441, ExcludeForStateReporting=FALSE.
    • Querying update status completed successfully.
    • Update status from update (075e46dd-7c09-4263-93d1-20f851ca76dd) already exists, will modify existing instance.
    • Successfully done with SetStatus() operation.
    • Querying update status of 1 updates.
    • Querying update status completed successfully.
ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM
ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM

Logs

The following are the log files that recorded a few entries when I triggered the Software Update Deployment Evaluation Cycle. More details about SCCM clients logs are available here.

  • ScanAgent.log
  • UpdatesDeployment.log
  • UpdatesStore.log

Resources

Author

Anoop is Microsoft MVP! He is a Solution Architect in enterprise client management with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. E writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc…

1 thought on “ConfigMgr Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Client Action | SCCM | Configuration Manager”

  1. Hi anoop we deployed windows 10 21h2 feature update through SCCM Via Windows Servicing Option And Most of the devices getting failed with the error code X87D00664 (Updates handler job was cancelled) can u please suggest how to trouble shoot this error step by step process

    Reply

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