Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 SP2 Released
There is a new WSUS SP2 release for Windows Server 2008. Here’s a look at what you can expect.
Tonight I discovered Microsoft had released WSUS 3.0 SP2. This is a big deal for most enterprise shops since Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is the primary method corporations use to Patch their Desktops (and sometimes servers). It’s free, simple to use, and very useful. A low-level Systems Admin can use it (unlike SCCM) to easily keep all systems globally updated with the latest Security and OS Patches. With Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 recently being released, I knew this was coming “eventually.”
The released code can be installed either as a new install or an upgrade to WSUS 3.0 SP1. The upgrade from WSUS 3.0 to WSUS 3.0 SP1 was very painless, so I decided to go ahead and upgrade my home WSUS server to SP2, skipping the testing I would usually go through. This shortcut will be an excellent test before I look at upgrade work tomorrow.
WSUS 3.0 SP2 Release
The release notes appear to add some nice new features to the Free Microsoft Patching Service, specifically support for their new OS’s Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7:
WSUS 3.0 SP2 delivers important customer-requested management, stability, and performance improvements. Some of the features and improvements include the following:
New Windows Server and client version support
- Integration with Windows Server 2008 R2
- Support for the BranchCache feature on Windows Server 2008 R2
- Support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 clients
- Compliance Reporting WSUS feature improvements
- Auto-Approval Rules: Auto-approval rules now include the ability to specify the approval deadline date and time for all computers or specific computer groups.
- Update Files and Languages: Improved handling of language selection for downstream servers includes a new warning dialog that appears when you decide to download updates only for specified languages.
- Easy Upgrade: WSUS 3.0 SP2 can be installed as an in-place upgrade from earlier versions of WSUS and preserves all settings and approvals. The user interface is compatible between WSUS 3.0 SP1 and SP2 on the client and the server.
- Reports: New Update and Computer Status reports let you filter on updates that are approved for installation. You can run these reports from the WSUS console or use the API to incorporate this functionality into your own reports.
Software updates- Stability and reliability fixes are included for the WSUS server, such as support for IPV6 addresses that are longer than 40 characters.
- The approval dialog now sorts computer groups alphabetically by group name.
- Computer status report sorting icons are now functional in x64 environments.
- A new release of Windows Update Agent is included with WSUS 3.0 SP2 that provides improvements and fixes, such as support for APIs called by nonlocal system callers in a non-interactive session.
Ok. Looks good. Let’s get move forward with the upgrade:
The first and only issue I ran into during the install was the Installer complaining that I didn’t have the Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2008 Installed – Download Link.
The installer told me I could complete the install of the Report Viewer after WSUS 3.0 SP2 completed the install (which I did.) After that, the Upgrade from WSUS 3.0 SP1 to SP2 was as simple as Next, Next, Next…
Following the initial install, go through the remainder of the install/upgrade by the WSUS Config. Wizard. Settings such as Upstream Server, Proxy Server, and Patch Languages are configured here.
Once the install was completed, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the upgrade truly was an in-place upgrade. After the upgrade, I launched the WSUS Admin Console and found all prior patch approvals, servers, workstations, etc., were still intact, just like I left them before the upgrade.
Regarding the Admin Console, it looks like no significant or even noticeable changes to the GUI. Everything was in the same place, no big changes. As I dig in, I’ll post any additional findings.
5 Comments
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just paul
Great info and screenshots. Would you happen to know if one could go from RTM (i.e., pre-SP1) directly to SP2, preserving all of the existing config?
MrGroove
@just paul,
Looking at the Install notes here: http://is.gd/2TeAa/groovypost/ this is the only mention I can find which might tell me that you cannot go from RTM to SP2 (Skipping SP1)
WSUS 3.0 SP2 can be installed alone, or as an upgrade of WSUS 3.0 SP1.
The way I read that, you must be at SP1 prior to SP2. That being said…. I would try it anyway. The installer appears to do a good job of scanning for pre-req’s so the worst case is it will tell you “Sorry, you need SP1”.
Another option is to just apply SP1 then apply SP2. It might be an extra step and take an extra 30 minutes but if you don’t have a test environment and you don’t want to screw up production, that would be the safer path probably.
aisha
hi,
how to change windows 7 update path to local WSUS?
Billi Shears
I tried to install WSUS 3 SP2, and it was a disaster, it wiped out my WSUS 3 SP1 and I am now without WSUS. The installation logs tell me about some errors, here is the log, maybe you can shed some light as to where to look fix and prepare for the install, WSUS 3 SP1 was working perfectly:
2009-09-16 14:42:20 Success MWUSSetup Validating pre-requisites…
2009-09-16 14:42:20 Error MWUSSetup Failed to determine if an higher version of WSUS is installed. Assuming it is not… (Error 0x80070002: The system cannot find the file specified.)
2009-09-16 14:42:28 Success MWUSSetup Initializing installation details
2009-09-16 14:42:28 Success MWUSSetup Installing ASP.Net
2009-09-16 14:42:54 Success MWUSSetup ASP.Net is installed successfully
2009-09-16 14:42:54 Success MWUSSetup Installing wYukon using MSI on Win2k3
2009-09-16 14:42:54 Success MWUSSetup wYukon is already installed on this machine
2009-09-16 14:42:54 Success MWUSSetup Installing WSUS…
2009-09-16 14:42:56 Success CustomActions.Dll Unable to get INSTALL_LANGUAGE property, calculating it…
2009-09-16 14:42:56 Success CustomActions.Dll Successfully set propery of WSUS admin groups’ full names
2009-09-16 14:42:56 Success CustomActions.Dll .Net framework path: C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Creating user group: WSUS Reporters with Description: WSUS Administrators who can only run reports on the Windows Server Update Services server.
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Creating WSUS Reporters user group
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll WSUS Reporters user group already exists
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Successfully created WSUS Reporters user group
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Creating user group: WSUS Administrators with Description: WSUS Administrators can administer the Windows Server Update Services server.
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Creating WSUS Administrators user group
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll WSUS Administrators user group already exists
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Successfully created WSUS Administrators user group
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Successfully created WSUS user groups
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Succesfully set binary SID property
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Succesfully set binary SID property
2009-09-16 14:42:57 Success CustomActions.Dll Successfully set binary SID properties
2009-09-16 14:44:18 Info IISCustomAction Performing Setup Action, Command /Install
2009-09-16 14:44:23 Info IISCustomAction Command /Install Succeeded
2009-09-16 14:44:31 Success CustomActions.Dll Path C:\Program Files\Update Services\Selfupdate does not exist to delete.
2009-09-16 14:44:43 Info IISCustomAction Performing Setup Action, Command /Rollback
2009-09-16 14:44:57 Info IISCustomAction Command /Rollback Succeeded
2009-09-16 14:45:10 Error MWUSSetup InstallWsus: MWUS Installation Failed (Error 0x80070643: Fatal error during installation.)
2009-09-16 14:45:10 Error MWUSSetup CInstallDriver::PerformSetup: WSUS installation failed (Error 0x80070643: Fatal error during installation.)
2009-09-16 14:45:10 Error MWUSSetup CSetupDriver::LaunchSetup: Setup failed (Error 0x80070643: Fatal error during installation.)
2009-09-16 14:45:30 Error MWUSSetup CWatsonHelper::Init: Failed to load WER library. (Error 0x8007007E: The specified module could not be found.)
2009-09-16 14:45:30 Error MWUSSetup CSetupDriver::ReportFailure: Failed to initalize the CWatsonHelper. This is expected on pre-Vista machines. (Error 0x80004005: Unspecified error)
2009-09-16 14:45:30 Error MWUSSetup DoInstall: Wsus setup failed (Error 0x80070643: Fatal error during installation.)
Any ideas?
Josh
It doesnt work