OSupdater 3.0 (powered by WSUS)

What is it?

Automatic Updates!
 
This component is built into the Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 SP4 operating systems. Automatic Updates enables both server and client computers to receive updates from Microsoft Update or from a WSUS server.
 
How can it help me?
 
EGI Managed OSupdater 3.0 automates the process of installing Microsoft updates to “ALL” of your Windows based computers and servers. Instead of paying someone to load Windows updates on every PC in your organization, have the OSupdater 3.0 server download “ALL” updates …only once.
 
How does it work?
 
(small-sized or simple network)
 
In a single OSupdater 3.0 server scenario, EGI can set up a server running WSUS inside your corporate firewall, which synchronizes content directly with Microsoft Update and distributes updates to client computers, as shown in the following figure. 
 
 
 
 
This Microsoft recommended approach to the update management process consists of an ongoing set of four phases, as illustrated in the following figure. It is essential to repeat the update management process on an ongoing basis, as new updates become available that can enhance and protect the production environment.
Following the figure are the goals of each phase and examples of how EGI can use WSUS features to ensure success during each of the four phases of the process. It is important to note that many of the features can be employed in more than one phase.
The four phases of the update management process
 
 
EGI’s goals for the Assess phase are:
    • To set up a production environment that will support update management for both routine and emergency scenarios.

 

Although it is the first step, the Assess phase is essentially an ongoing process. For example, EGI has to assess how many servers and client computers they need to update, what their storage and network bandwidth requirements are, and what time frame is acceptable to deploy an average update. EGI also has to determine what platforms, products, and languages they want to update. Based on these factors, EGI can determine the most efficient topology for scaling out your WSUS components.

 

WSUS provides numerous options for setting up WSUS components, including the ability to store update content locally on WSUS servers or download content on demand from Microsoft Update. EGI can also configure Automatic Updates to download and install missing updates on a computer automatically. WSUS provides options for managing client computers in both Active Directory and non–Active Directory environments.

 

WSUS provides standardized aggregate reports that EGI can run on an ongoing basis. These reports provide comprehensive information about all activity in the WSUS implementation, including information about updates that have been synchronized to a WSUS server, and which updates are installed or are missing from each computer.

 

 

2. Identify

 

EGI’s goals for the Identify phase are:

 

    •   To discover new updates in a convenient manner.
    •   To determine whether updates are relevant to the production environment.

 

EGI Managed WSUS enables you to determine which types of updates to synchronize from Microsoft Update and when to synchronize them. Because WSUS automatically gathers data about all the computers known to the WSUS server in order to determine whether an update is relevant, EGI can see immediately how many computers need the update and how the deployment of the update would impact the network before installing the update in the production environment.

 

 

3. Evaluate and Plan

 

 

 

EGI’s goals for the Evaluate and Plan phase are:

 

    • To test updates in an environment that is separate from but resembles the production environment.
    • To determine the tasks necessary to deploy updates into production, plan the update releases, build the releases, and then conduct acceptance testing of the releases.

 

When evaluating updates in a test environment, EGI can run many of the WSUS features they would be using in the actual deployment. They can set the criteria and schedule for automatically synchronizing their WSUS servers, create computer groups, and then target updates for those groups by approving updates for install. During and after testing, EGI can use the standardized reports that WSUS provides to monitor the success of their test update installations.

 

WSUS enables EGI to evaluate the result of installing updates before deploying them to a production environment. By creating a group of test computers and autoapproving different sets of updates by product, language, and other classifications, EGI can test various types of updates using automation. During and after testing, EGI can correlate WSUS update reports with their test results to validate installed updates and decide how and when to schedule download and installation approvals for the production environment.

 

 

 

 

EGI’s goals for the Deploy phase are:

 

    •  To approve and schedule update installations.
    •  To review the process after the deployment is complete.

 

WSUS allows EGI to specify target groups of computers and approve the deployment of updates to those groups. To establish the order in which updates are deployed, EGI can use WSUS to create the most efficient upstream and downstream WSUS server configuration for their network and staffing resources. In addition, EGI can configure how client computers communicate with WSUS servers or Microsoft Update by using Group Policy or by scripting with the WSUS API. The administrator can then use reporting to determine the success of the update deployment by computer or target group.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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