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Windows Server Update Services

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File:Microsoft WSUS Admin.png
Screenshot of a Windows Server Update Services administration console

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) provides a software update service for Microsoft Windows operating systems and other software. WSUS is a locally managed alternative to computer's Microsoft Update system. By using Windows Server Update Services, administrators can fully manage the distribution of updates released through Automatic Updates to computers in a corporate network.

WSUS originated as Software Update Services (SUS), which delivered only operating system hotfixes and patches. WSUS builds on SUS by expanding the range of software it can update. The WSUS infrastructure allows automatic downloads of patches and updates to clients in an organization from a central server(s), instead of using the Microsoft Windows Update website. This saves bandwidth, time and disk space, as the individual computers in a network do not have to connect to an external server themselves, but connect to a local central server.

Microsoft has made WSUS available on their web site as a free download. Microsoft also plans on including WSUS with Windows Server 2008, as an out-of-band component.

Administration

WSUS can display precise information about which updates each client needs

Windows Server Update Services 2.0 comprises, collectively, a repository of update-packages from Microsoft, an instance of MSDE, a service that takes retrieved updates from upstream servers, and an IIS virtual site. As with many of Microsoft's newer server products, administration of WSUS takes place via a web interface. It allows administrators to approve or decline updates before release, and to obtain extensive reports on what updates each machine requires. System administrators can also configure WSUS to approve certain classes of updates automatically (critical updates, security updates, service-packs, device-drivers). One can also approve updates for "detection" only, allowing an administrator to see what machines will require a given update, without also installing that update.

Administrators can use WSUS with Active Directory Group Policy for client-side configuration of the Automatic Updates client, ensuring that end-users can't disable or circumvent corporate update policies. WSUS does not require the use of Active Directory, client configuration can also be applied by modifying the registry.

In version 3.0, a Microsoft Management Console "snap-in" can be used for administration of the server.

Version history

Rel 3.0: It’s important to keep in mind that the new client is only a partial solution and clients must have both KB927891 and the new 3.0 client installed for a full solution [1].

Supported software

As of August 2006, Windows Software Update Services supports updating the following Microsoft operating systems and software:

The list is not comprehensive, additionally, "Max" appears in the UI as a product which WSUS supports. However, Microsoft describes this as an error, and will not offer updates for "Max". Microsoft has indicated that WSUS was designed to be able to provide updates for non-Microsoft software, but this has not been implemented yet.

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