How to use WSUS in Windows Server 2012 R2

What is WSUS? How to best use it? Does the WSUS server support PowerShell?

Operating system platforms are never static. Once installed, the operating system needs to be patched and updated as new content emerges. This guarantees the best performance, reliability and security. But enterprise deployment poses challenges. When IT administrators have to update dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of physical and virtual machines, potential negligence and errors can exist even in the best data centers. Administrators need to find a tool that can help manage OS updates through the corporate network. Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) is such a local tool.

WSUS is a server-based tool available for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 management to support Microsoft enterprise product updates. This tool simplifies the update process and helps ensure that all servers and systems are properly and timely updated. This also avoids the time-consuming and error-prone inventory in each machine. WSUS was first introduced in 2005 and is currently version 4 released in late 2012.

In most cases, a single server can be configured as a WSUS server. The WSUS server connects to Microsoft Update and caches the available updates and patches. Administrators can use the WSUS server to check for installations, accept update status reports for certain machines, and push cached updates to specific systems. This allows IT administrators to centrally manage and automate software updates. In addition, some non-critical systems or machines located in non-key network areas can connect directly to Microsoft Update.

For the WSUS server role on Windows Server 2012 R2 and NET Framework 4.5, hardware requirements are usually simpler, but data center developers should try to meet or exceed these requirements. Requirements include: at least one 1.4GHz or faster CPU, 1.5GB of additional memory (not including Windows operating system requirements), 10 GB of storage and at least 10/100MB Ethernet connection. Most servers are able to meet these needs. The WSUS server can be configured with a virtual machine.

Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 introduce 12 new cmdlets that can be easily written by PowerShell (or added to existing scripts). By creating scripts, administrators can automate activities and help maintain consistency across data center activities. For example, Add-WsusComputer can add a specific client system to the target group, Get-WsusUpdate can get the details of the available updates, and Approve-WsusUpdate can apply an update to the system. Other cmdlets provide additional control over the acquisition and use of WSUS services.