Updates for Windows Applications Extended site, support for native ARM64 versions?

We’ve been testing with ARM64 devices and have run across patch content that is becoming relevant to the ARM64 device which has the ARM64 version of the application installed however the result is the upgrade content changes the app architecture from the Native ARM64 version to the x64 version which then requires emulation.

An example in the BigFix updates for Windows Applications Extended site is:
ID: 5602501
Name: Update: Microsoft Visual Studio Code x64 v1.109.3 - Windows (x64)

All of the relevance contained in this version is satisfied by both an x64 as well as an ARM64 device:

//Relevance of the Upgrade content:

Q: windows of operating system

A: True

T: 2.000 ms

Q: x64 of operating system

A: True

T: 5.000 ms

Q: version of operating system > "6.3"

A: True

T: 5.000 ms

Q: exists keys whose(value "DisplayName" of it as string starts with "Microsoft Visual Studio Code") of keys "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" of (x64 registries)

A: True

T: 5.000 ms

Q: not exists (it as string as version) whose(it >= "1.109.3") of values "DisplayVersion" of keys whose(value "DisplayName" of it as string starts with "Microsoft Visual Studio Code") of keys "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" of (x64 registries)

A: True

T: 7.000 ms

//===================================================

//Additional questions to the endpoint

Q: architecture of operating system

A: ARM64

T: 7.000 ms

Q: architecture of operating system = "ARM64"

A: True

T: 10.000 ms

Have there been thoughts to both support the ARM64 native apps (where available) in the updates sites and in those cases adding a check for the architecture of the OS to help prevent non-native applications from being installed?

I did check the BigFix Ideas site & did not find an existing request to support ARM64 native applications in the Patch content sites. This has been added & is available for upvoting if helpful to your organization: BFPTCH-I-399

2 Likes

Voted, with a comment:

+1 When available from upstream vendors, make available ARM64 versions as distinct from x86_64.

Note that on Windows/ARM, x86_64 applications can run on ARM64 architectures. As such, architecture-specific relevance should make sure that x86_64 distributions are only patch against existing x86_64 installs.

1 Like

Voted. Was just talking about this yesterday.