We recently did a slow release by installing Dell Command Update in new images (so not directly from Intune) and configuring it to update itself via the Intune ADMX. So right now, only about 5% of devices have Dell Command Update. We have it configured to update once per month.

How has it worked for you? Do you have any horror stories? Do you have any config recommendations?

We utilize PatchMyPC and this morning, it updated "Dell Command | Update" to v5.6.0. Our OSD task sequences install DCU, apply a config file for DCU, then invoke the CLI to apply any driver/firmware updates it finds. For us, this is simpler than updating the driver packages for each model all the time and ensures that a system is running the latest patches and is ready for use as soon as the task sequence completes.

I tested an OSD task sequence on a Dell workstation to validate the new version. DCU installs successfully, I'm able to apply the config file, but when it runs the "dcu-cli.exe" command, it fails immediately and returns 3006. That specific return code is not documented, but 3000-3005 all indicate issues with the Dell Client Management Service. Looking into the logs, I can see smsts.log showing the following output from dcu-cli.exe:

Currently the system is in Windows Out of Box Experience (OOBE) State. Please try again after sometime.

Applying Dell updates via DCU at this stage of OS provisioning has never given us problems before, so I can only assume it's something that changed in this update. To confirm, I rolled back the version of DCU used in the task sequence to 5.5.0 and observed the failure was no longer present.

Not sure if this issue is expected going forward and is the "new normal" (which would be disappointing) or if it's unintentional. Regardless, I figured I'd share here in case anyone else was experiencing this and had any suggestions.

I have been messing around with the new version of DCU on our TS and cannot seem to get it installed.

I created an application with the following install code:

Dell-Command-Update-Windows-Universal-Application_P4DJW_WIN64_5.5.0_A00.EXE /s

I am reading this new version of DCU now needs .NET 8.0.12 or higher Created .NET as a dependency

I have been using the below command to apply all of the Dell command updates during the TS:

cmd /c "C:\Program Files\Dell\CommandUpdate\dcu-cli.exe" /applyUpdates -outputLog=c:\Admin\DellUpdatelogs\dcu.log

This similar setup was working with 5.4 for year or so now.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Hello,

I am currently quite confused about the situation with Dell Command Update. I would like to introduce it in our company to manage driver and BIOS updates.

Initially, I created a package that installs .NET Desktop Runtime 8 first and then Dell Command Update Classic, because I read that this version supports CLI usage and GPO management via an ADMX template.

However, I noticed that some users already have Dell Command Update installed by a colleague, but in this case it is the Universal version that was installed manually.

After taking a closer look at the Universal version, I also found ADMX templates included. Does this mean the Universal version also supports GPO-based management?

While researching further, I came across additional confusing information. I read that Dell planned to discontinue the Classic version about three years ago, but it still seems to exist. I also saw references to version 5.7, but now I only see 5.6 again.

In addition, I found a post from someone who mentioned that they are still using version 5.5, claiming that it is more stable.

Could someone please clarify what the current situation is?
What actually happened with the different versions, and what would be the best and easiest approach for deploying Dell Command Update in a business environment?

Thank you very much for your help.