Enterprise Patch Utility: It's time to end Java

[ThomasColson]

The current ArcGIS Server Patch Utility (C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\Server\tools\patchnotification) relies on Java. Even the most permissive security model blocks java. This makes ESRI one of the few (only?) vendor where sys admins have to go to a web site, find the patch, download it, and install it. So 2000's! Give us a patch manager that works! 

[JoshuaBixby]

I would add, give us a patch manager that works correctly!  As good as an idea the PatchNotification tool is, the implementation hasn't been thought out completely and quality controlled very well.  I opened an Esri Support case a few week back pointing out all of the bad URLs and information in the JSON file that drives the tool.  To their credit, they have cleaned a bunch of it up, but there are still several other big issues with the tool.

[PatrickMcKinney99]

I just discovered this tool today, and it looks promising, but I also found many pages here with issues.

I also think improvements that allow collecting messages regarding available updates and errors would be useful.

Some people may want to automate running the tool to find out about available patches, but not automate the actual installation of said patches.

Scenario: I have a scheduled task that runs weekly, captures any available updates, and emails me that information.  I then schedule a time to manually install updates.