If you do not want to install new software or a new software version directly on all Clients, but instead want to test it on a few selected Clients before releasing it, you can do so using the test and release process in Managed Software.
Proceed as follows:

1. Subscribe to the software

Subscribe to the desired software—in this case, Mozilla Firefox 64-bit—in the Managed Software plugin, either via the Managed Software First Steps wizard or by clicking the Subscribe button on the ribbon bar.

The software package now appears on the Managed Software default Dashboard.

2. Define a custom test and release process

After you subscribe to a package, the package download begins and the software automatically enters the release process. This is indicated in the default Dashboard by the “R” (R = Release) following the version number. In this case, the standardized default process applies, in which software packages are released to Clients without going through the test rings

To customize this later, select the software (or the new version) and click Change Distribution Ring on the ribbon bar. In the Distribution Ring Editor, specify Distribution Ring 1 and leave the checkbox Automatically move items to the next distribution ring enabled so that this automatic process takes effect and the software is moved to the next two rings at a later time.

You then have the option to either change the default test and release process entirely or create a new one for the software packages. Go to System > Settings > Managed Software > Testing and Release to access all existing test and release processes.

• Change the Entire Default Process:
  Click the Edit button and then, in the window that appears, click the Test and Release Ring configuration tab. Here you can edit the default settings. In this case, the “No Ring” setting is bypassed by enabling the corresponding checkbox, so that the subscribed software is moved directly to Test Ring 1. Then specify the number of days after which the software package is moved to the next test ring or to the Release Ring—in this example, after 2 and 3 days.
• Create a new test and release process:
  Instead of clicking the Edit button, click Add. In the window that appears, enter a new name for the process and, if desired, a description. In the next step, use the corresponding button to add Mozilla Firefox 64-bit. You will then be returned to the settings overview for the test and release processes. Define this process as described above.

Using this created or customized test and release process, the software package does not go directly to the Release Ring, but rather to Test Ring 1. This gives you the opportunity to test the desired software in advance.

3. Create a Container

In the next step, you must create a container for each test ring. This allows you to automatically deploy the software packages to the desired Clients in each test ring.

In the navigation pane, click Add under Containers on the ribbon bar. Enter Test Ring 1 as the container name, and under Run Windows Update Management and Managed Software Jobs in this distribution ring, select the Test Ring 1 option.

If you want your test clients to be dynamically linked via a filter, you can apply it in the next step of the wizard. If this does not apply to your 5 selected clients, you do not need to apply a filter in the wizard and can add them statically afterward using a Query. Then click Done.

The newly created container appears in the container list. To ensure that the clients are dynamically linked to the containers based on the filter, you must trigger the linking process by clicking the Calculate Shortcuts button. Only then will the desired clients be placed in the newly created container.

To statically add the 5 clients, select the Test Ring 1 container and click Add on the ribbon bar. An overview of the available Queries will appear. Find the appropriate Query for your clients to choose your test clients. They will then appear in the Clients tab.

4. Add a job to the container

To ensure that the container you created also performs the installation of the desired software on the 5 test clients, you must add a job to the container.

To do this, select the Test Ring 1 container and go to the Jobs > Add tab. In the window that appears, select Managed Software as the Job Type.

Then double-click to select the software—in this case, Mozilla Firefox 64-bit. Next, click the Mozilla Firefox entry on the right to configure the settings. Here, for example, you can specify what should happen with the software on the Clients. In this case, it should be installed on the 5 test Clients, or updated if it is already present on the Client.

Next, specify the start conditions—when the container job you created should execute. If you do not specify this, the job will execute every hour by default.

The container job you created will now install the Mozilla Firefox 64-bit software on the 5 test clients in the Test Ring 1 container at the times you specified.

5. Create the Test Ring 2 and the Release Ring containers

Repeat this process starting with Step 3 once for Test Ring 2 and once for the Release Ring. In Test Ring 2, you can then optionally add, for example, 10 clients from different departments to the newly created Test Ring 2 container. You can then add clients to the Release Ring container—either dynamically or statically via the dynamic Client link—who will ultimately receive Mozilla Firefox.