Viewing and Managing Updates

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Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

You can use the WSUS console to view and manage updates.

Viewing Updates

On the Updates folio, you tin practise the following:

  • View updates. The update overview displays updates that have been synchronized from the update source to your WSUS server and are available for approval.

  • Filter updates. In the default view you can filter updates by approval condition and installation status. The default setting is for unapproved updates that are needed by some clients or that have had installation failures on some clients. You can change this view by changing the blessing status and installation status filters, and so clicking Refresh.

  • Create new update views. In the Actions pane, click New Update View. You can filter updates by classification, product, the group for which they take been canonical, and synchronization engagement. Y'all can sort the list by clicking the advisable column heading in the championship bar.

  • Search for updates. Yous can search for an individual update or fix of updates by title, description, Knowledge Base article, or the Microsoft Security Response Eye number for the update.

  • View details, condition, and revision history for each update.

  • Approve and Refuse updates.

To view updates

  1. In the WSUS administration console, aggrandize the Updates node, and and so click All Updates.

  2. By default, updates are displayed with their title, classification, installed/non applicable percentage, and approving condition. If you wish to brandish more than or different update backdrop, correct-click the column heading bar and select the appropriate columns.

  3. To sort past different criteria, such as download status, title, classification, release date, or approval status, click the appropriate cavalcade heading.

To filter the list of updates displayed on the Updates page

  1. In the WSUS assistants console, aggrandize Updates, then click All Updates.

  2. In the heart pane next to Approving, select the desired approving status, and next to Status select the desired installation status. Click Refresh.

To create a new update view on WSUS

  1. In the WSUS administration panel, expand Updates, and and then click All Updates.

  2. In the Actions pane, click New Update View.

  3. In the Add together Update View window, under Step 1: select backdrop, select the properties y'all need to filter the update view:

    • Select Updates are in a specific classification to filter on updates belonging to one or more update classifications.

    • Select Updates are for a specific product to filter on updates for 1 or more products or product families.

    • Select Updates are canonical for a specific group to filter on updates approved for ane or more estimator groups.

    • Select Updates were synchronized within a specific time period to filter on updates synchronized at a specific fourth dimension.

    • Select Updates are WSUS updates to filter on WSUS updates.

  4. Under Step two: edit the properties, click the underlined words to choice the values you want.

  5. Under Step iii: Specify a name, requite your new view a name.

  6. Click OK.

Your new view will appear in the tree view pane nether Updates. Information technology will be displayed, similar the standard views, in the center pane when yous select it.

To search for an update

  1. Select the Updates node (or whatsoever node under information technology).

  2. In the Actions pane, click Search.

  3. In the Search window, on the Updates tab, enter your search criteria. Yous can apply text from the Championship, Description, and Microsoft Noesis Base (KB) article number fields. Each of these items is a belongings listed on the details tab in the update properties.

To view the properties for an update

  1. In the WSUS administration panel, expand Updates, and then click All Updates.

  2. In the listing of updates, click the update you want to view.

  3. In the lower pane, you will meet the different property sections:

    • The title bar displays the title of the update; for example, Security Update for Windows Media Histrion 9 (KB911565).

    • The Status section displays the installation status of the update (the computers on which it needs to exist installed, computers on which information technology was installed with errors, computers on which it has been installed or is not applicable, and computers that have not reported status for the update), every bit well as general data (KB and MSRC numbers release date, etc.).

    • The Clarification department displays a brief description of the update.

    • The boosted details section displays the following information:

      • The installation behavior of the update (whether or non it is removable, requests a restart, requires user input, or must be installed exclusively).

      • Whether or not the update has Microsoft Software License Terms

      • The products to which the update applies

      • The updates that supersede this update

      • The updates that are superseded by this update

      • The languages supported past the update

      • The update ID

Notation that you tin perform this process on merely ane update at a time. If you select multiple updates, simply the beginning update in the list will be displayed in the Properties pane.

Managing Updates with WSUS

Updates are used for updating or providing a total file replacement for software that is installed on a computer. Every update that is available on Microsoft Update is made up of two components:

  • Metadata: Provides data about the update. For instance, metadata supplies information for the properties of an update, thus enabling you lot to find out for what the update is useful. Metadata also includes Microsoft Software License Terms. The metadata bundle downloaded for an update is typically much smaller than the actual update file packet.

  • Update files: The actual files required to install an update on a computer.

When updates are synchronized to your WSUS server, the metadata and update files are stored in 2 separate locations. Metadata is stored in the WSUS database. Update files can be stored either on your WSUS server or on Microsoft Update servers, depending on how you have configured your synchronization options. If you cull to store update files on Microsoft Update servers, only metadata is downloaded at the time of synchronization; you approve the updates through the WSUS console, and then client computers become the update files directly from Microsoft Update at the time of installation. For more than information well-nigh options for storing updates, see section 1.3. Choose a WSUS storage strategy of Step 1: Prepare for Your WSUS Deployment, in the WSUS deployment guide.

You will be setting upwardly and running synchronizations, adding computers and reckoner groups, and deploying updates on a regular basis. The following list gives examples of general tasks yous might undertake in updating computers with WSUS.

  • Determine an overall update direction program based on your network topology and bandwidth, company needs, and organizational structure.

    • Whether to prepare up a hierarchy of WSUS servers and how the bureaucracy should be structured.

    • What computer groups to create, and how to assign computers to them (server-side or customer-side targeting).

    • Which database to apply for update metadata (for example, Windows Internal Database, SQL Server).

    • Whether updates should be synchronized automatically, and at what time.

  • Set synchronization options, such as update source, product and update classification, linguistic communication, connection settings, storage location, and synchronization schedule.

  • Get the updates and associated metadata on your WSUS server through synchronization from either Microsoft Update or an upstream WSUS server.

  • Approve or decline updates. Yous have the selection of allowing users to install the updates themselves (if they are local administrators on their customer computers).

  • Configure automatic approvals. You can also configure whether you want to enable automatic approving of revisions to existing updates or approve revisions manually. If you choose to corroborate revisions manually, then your WSUS server will go on using the older version until you manually approve the new revision.

  • Check the condition of updates. You can view update status, print a status study, or configure e-mail for regular status reports.

Update Products and Classifications

Updates bachelor on Microsoft Update are differentiated by product (or production family unit) and nomenclature.

A product is a specific edition of an operating system or awarding, for case, Windows Server 2012. A product family is the base operating system or application from which the private products are derived. An example of a product family is Microsoft Windows, of which Windows Server 2012 is a member. You can select the products or production families for which yous want your server to synchronize updates. You can specify a product family or individual products within the family. Selecting any product or product family volition get updates for current and time to come versions of the product.

Update classifications represent the type of update. For whatever given production or product family unit, updates could be available among multiple update classifications (for instance, Windows seven family Critical Updates and Security Updates). The following table lists update classifications.

Update Classifications Clarification
Critical Updates Broadly released fixes for specific problems addressing disquisitional, not-security related bugs.
Definition Updates Updates to virus or other definition files.
Drivers Software components designed to support new hardware.
Feature packs New feature releases, usually rolled into products at the next release.
Security updates Broadly released fixes for specific products, addressing security issues.
Service packs Cumulative sets of all hotfixes, security updates, disquisitional updates, and updates created since the release of the product. Service packs might also incorporate a limited number of client-requested design changes or features.
Tools Utilities or features that aid in accomplishing a job or ready of tasks.
Update rollups A cumulative set of hotfixes, security updates, critical updates, and other updates that are packaged together for piece of cake deployment. A rollup generally targets a specific area, such equally security, or a specific component, such as Internet Information Services (IIS).
Updates Broadly released fixes for specific bug addressing not-critical, non-security related bugs.

Icons used for updates in Windows Server Update Services

Updates in WSUS are represented by one of the following icons. To view these icons, you have to enable the Supersedence column in the Update Services panel.

No Icon

The update has no supersedence relationship with any other update.

Operational Concerns:

There are no operational concerns.

Superseding Icon

This update supersedes other updates.

Operational Concerns:

There are no operational concerns.

Superseded & Superseding Icon

This update is superseded by another update, and supersedes other updates.

Operational Concerns:

Supersede these updates with the superseding updates when possible.

Superseded Icon

This update is superseded by another update.

Operational Concerns:

Replace these updates with the superseding updates when possible.