SupportAssist for Business PCs Frequently Asked Questions

Update PCs using custom catalogs

• What are custom catalogs, and what types of catalogs can I create in TechDirect?

  In Connect and manage, you can create, manage, edit, and deploy customized catalogs for the latest BIOS, driver, firmware, and Dell application software updates. These custom catalogs streamline the process of identifying and applying essential PC updates, ensuring that your PCs remain secure and up-to-date.

  If your PCs connect to Dell and if the PCs have an active ProSupport Plus or ProSupport Flex for Client service plan, you can create a Product series, Fleet, or Model catalog.

  • Product series—includes devices in your environment for a particular Dell commercial PC family.
  • Fleet—includes all commercial devices in your environment.
  • Model—allows you to select up to 80 individual commercial device models.

• If I select the Latest version category during catalog creation, will updates for BIOS, drivers, and firmware be deployed automatically when Dell releases new versions?

  No, you must manually edit and update the catalog to include the latest updates.

• If I have selected the option to automatically apply updates when a new version of the custom catalog is available on the Set PC update source page, will the PCs be updated again with the new version of the catalog if the previous version was deployed?

  Yes, the PCs are updated with the latest version.

• If I edit the catalog to a higher version and have selected the option to automatically apply updates when a new version of the custom catalog is available on the Set PC update source page, do I need to redeploy the catalog?

  No, redeployment of the catalog is not required. However, if the option is disabled later, then the subsequently edited catalog must be redeployed.

• Is the option to automatically apply updates when a new version of the custom catalog is available applicable for the test catalog?

  No, this option is only applicable for the production catalog.

• If more than one catalog contains the same driver update with the same or different driver versions, and both catalogs are deployed, will the system be updated with drivers from both catalogs?

  Both catalogs are applied to the PC in the order they were deployed, and the result depends on the PC state and the catalog applied.

  For example:

  • Catalog 1: Audio Driver v1.0
  • Catalog 2: Audio Driver v2.0
  • Catalog 3: Audio Driver v1.0

  If Catalogs 1 and 2 are deployed in order, the PC is updated with the Audio Driver v1.0 first and then with v2.0.

  If Catalogs 1 and 3 are deployed in order, the PC is updated with the Audio Driver v1.0 from Catalog 1, and the Audio Driver with the same version from Catalog 3 is ignored as it is the same version.

  If Catalogs 2 and 3 are deployed in order, the PC is updated with the Audio Driver v2.0 from Catalog 2, and the Audio Driver with the same version from Catalog 3 is ignored as the PC already has the higher version installed.