# Tell Me About Automatic Update Notifications

FLEXnet Connect provides a mechanism that enables you to automatically notify your Web-connected end users when patches, updates, and product information for your application are ready for release. FLEXnet Connect helps you reduce the number of end users running old releases of your products and to prevent them from installing the wrong updates from your Web site.

## FLEXnet Connect Implementation

There are two cycles of tasks that you perform when using FLEXnet Connect to automatically inform end users about updates: Initial Deployment and Update Deployment. Once you have performed the Initial Deployment steps for your application, each time you want to distribute an update of that application to end users, you perform the Update Deployment cycle of steps.

### 初始部署

1. Use InstallShield to create the installation project for your application. FLEXnet Connect should be enabled in this project. When you enable FLEXnet Connect, InstallShield includes the Software Manager in your installation. This desktop tool ships with your application and provides a tool for your users to view available updates. To learn more, see "Enabling Automatic Update Notification for a Project" in the InstallShield Help Library.
2. Register your application with the FLEXnet Connect Publisher site, a Web-based management portal. To learn how, see "Registering Your Application with FLEXnet Connect" in the InstallShield Help Library.
3. Install your application and test it.

### 更新部署

1. Use InstallShield to create an update for your application.
2. Register your new product version and product code with FLEXnet Connect.
3. Publish your update to the FLEXnet Connect Publisher site, and set the Message Status to Test.
4. 测试您的更新。
5. Publish your update to the FLEXnet Connect Publisher site, and set the Message Status to Active.

FLEXnet Connect includes a variety of options that can be purchased together for a complete solution, or separately for a customized solution. To learn more, visit the Macrovision Web site. To access the FLEXnet Connect documentation, see the FLEXnet Connect Help Library.