WSUS – updating Windows 10 to Creators Update [EN]

Based on the previous post about dealing with Windows 10 updates our WSUS is already prepared to serve Feature Updates. To enable this you have to open your WSUS console, go to Options, Products & Classifications and enable the Upgrades category (not the Updates). This will automatically create the Upgrades view on the left in the Updates branch. Then you have to go to the home page and run the synchronization. After this the Upgrades view should be populated with all the possible upgrade options. Among them the Creators Update for Windows 10. You will also see upgrade options for Windows 7 and 8.1 (we will not cover them in this article). Be sure not to approve them, if you are not planning to upgrade your existing older installations to Windows 10. To be sure, you can even decline them, so your clients won’t be showing in the list as if they are missing some update. There is also a distinction by the language used to install Windows 10. We currently have only two laptops with Windows 10. They came with a retail UK version of Windows 10 on DVDs (laptops came with pre-installed Ubuntu on them, so no OEM Windows). I had to approve Feature Update to Windows 10 Pro, versijon 1703, en-gb, Retail update option for them. There is also Feature Update to Windows 10 Pro, versijon 1703, en-us, which should cover regular OEM US installations. Enabling this upgrade wasn’t enough though.  Read More

WSUS woes with Windows 10 [EN]

At the end of 2016 i had a chance to update our WSUS system. We’ve been using WSUS 3 version for almost 6 years on a rather old Windows Server 2008 platform. WSUS was installed as a separate service back then. And now we have used a new Windows Server 2012 R2 as a basis for it (of course, after the release of 2016 it can be considered as outdated already). WSUS 4 is now being deployed as a standard role (Server Role). All other requirements and features are selected and installed automatically. Although WSUS 4 itself both visually and in its functions hasn’t changed much. WSUS 4 deployment and configuration was a breeze and haven’t caused any problems, especially as it is so standartized and simplified in this case. But at the same time we have decided to launch a Windows 10 pilot (2 new PCs). So Windows 10 category and its updates have been enabled in our new WSUS system. And then the hell broke loose..

First of all, if you want to manage and deploy Windows 10 updates via WSUS, you have to provide a lot more storage space. Because one Cumulative update can take 1-1.5 GB 😯  Yes, i can’t wait for a time when MS will introduce their improved Windows 10 updates with a new Windows Update system, which should take less space (it should probably be revealed with the Creators Update in the Spring of 2017). The other thing to keep in mind – Feature Updates or Upgrades (how they are called in WSUS). These are not security or critical updates, but the new builds (just like SR1 – 1511 or Anniversary Update – 1607). WSUS 4 can’t normally deal with them without a few special hotfixes. So enabling this category without them can break your WSUS 4 system. We haven’t even tried this yet, as we are installing the newest build to this day – 1607. I might post about nuances of updating to the newer build via WSUS after the Creators Update arrives next year. But if you are installing WSUS 4, you can prepare for it in advance by installing those hotfixes and doing other required changes (more on this later). Read More

WSUS nesklandumai su Windows 10 [LT]

2016 metų gale man teko atnaujinti mūsų WSUS sistemą. Iki tol apie 6 metus naudojom WSUS 3 versiją įdiegta jau gana senoje Windows Server 2008 platformoje. Tuo metu WSUS buvo diegiamas kaip atskiras servisas. Dabar gi kaip pagrindas buvo panaudotas naujas Windows Server 2012 R2 (aišku, neseniai pasirodžiusi 2016 serverio versija padarė ir 2012 R2 pasenusiu produktu). WSUS 4 jau yra diegiamas kaip viena iš standartiniu rolių (Server Role). Automatiškai parenkami visi kiti reikalavimai ir papildiniai (requirements, features). Nors vizualiai ir funkcionaliai WSUS 4 neatrodo labai pakitęs. Pats WSUS 4 diegimas ir konfigūravimas nesukėlė jokių problemų, juolab, kad dabar procesas yra toks standartizuotas ir supaprastintas. Bet tuo pačiu metu buvo nuspręsta paleisti ir Windows 10 pilotą (2 nauji kompiuteriai). Todėl naujoje WSUS sistemoje buvo iškart įjungti ir Windows 10 šaka ir atnaujinimai. Ir prasidėjo smagumai..

Pirmiausiai, norint kontroliuot ir platint Windows 10 atnaujinimus WSUS sistemoje, reikia numatyt daug daugiau talpos. Nes vienas Cumulative atnaujinimas gali sverti 1-1,5 GB 😯 Taip, laukiu nesulaukiu kada MS įvykdys pažadą sumažint Windows 10 atnaujinimų dydį su nauja Windows Update sistema (tikriausiai turėtų pasirodyti kartu su Creators Update 2017 pavasarį). Kitas dalykas – Feature Updates arba Upgrades (kaip ši šaka vadinama WSUS). Tai yra ne saugumo ar kritiniai atnaujinimai, o būtent nauji build’ai (kaip SR1 – 1511 ar Anniversary Update – 1607). WSUS 4 negali normaliai atpažinti tokių atnaujinimų be kelių specialių hotfix’ų. Todėl šios šakos įjungimas be šių pataisymų gali sugadinti jūsų WSUS 4 sistemą. Mes kol kas net nebandėm šio dalyko, kadangi kompiuteriuose buvo iškart diegiamas naujausias šiai dienai build’as – 1607. Apie niuansus su Upgrades galbūt parašysiu pavasarį, kai pasirodys Creators Update. Bet diegiant WSUS 4 sistemą galima iš anksto pasiruošti tam ir įrašyti pataisymus bei atlikti kitus reikalingus veiksmus (apie tai žemiau). Read More