Easing the Pain of Patching

Microsoft has taken the next step on the road to easing the deployment of Windows operating system patches with the release of Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

When Windows XP was released, it included the Automatic Updates feature, which was also incorporated into a service pack for Windows 2000. While Automatic Updates is a great option for home users and small offices, it requires that each computer download the updates individually and lacks any centralized management control over which updates should be installed. Microsoft then released Software Update Services (SUS), a centralized patching system, which allows Windows patches to be downloaded to a single server and distributed to clients throughout the network. Patches needed to be approved before deployment, allowing companies to test the impact of the patch before installing.

The newly released WSUS replaces SUS as Microsoft's free patch management offering for small-to-medium size businesses. WSUS expands on the features offered by SUS. Previously, only patches for Windows 2000 and XP could be pushed out from the SUS server. WSUS is also able to update some versions of Microsoft Office, SQL Server and Exchange Server.

In the future, support for patching additional Microsoft programs will be made available.

As a user of the earlier SUS for more than a year, I am excited about the updated control that WSUS gives you when deploying patches. You can now uninstall problematic patches, as well as create specific groups of computers to betargeted for patches. This is especially useful for doing pre-deployment testing of newly released patches.

WSUS is not an upgrade of SUS, but a replacement. Thankfully, there is a migration tool for users of SUS that will allow existing patches and deployment authorizations to be transferred to WSUS. Both services can be installed on a single server, which allows you to test WSUS while still running Windows patch management off of SUS.

Keeping Windows up to date is a necessary step in maintaining a secure office network. Minimizing the time it takes to manage patching systems is tremendously valuable and Microsoft has made great strides in providing a way for Windows users to achieve that goal. While not as full featured as other pay-management systems, WSUS handles the most important core patching functions in a competent manner.

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