Grant Szabo - Windows Software Update Services (WSUS)

Friday, July 14, 2006

I installed WSUS at work and have been learning how to administrate/manage the service. Here's a few tips:

* You've got to configure Group Policy after installation in order to get clients of the domain to start using WSUS instead of Microsoft Update. There's ample info on the 'net about how to configure GP.

* Once you've got Group Policy updated and replicated, you can force a client to update by typing GPUPDATE at the command line.

* To force a client computer to contact WSUS to update itself, type:

wuauclt.exe /detectnow

* To keep WSUS fit and trim so that it runs well, copy/paste the following to a batch file on the WSUS Server and set it up as a Scheduled Task. This is a script that someone else wrote that I found doing some Internet searches in trying to improve WSUS performance. If you don't run this batch file on your WSUS instance, Approving Updates through the WSUSAdmin interface can become painfully slow.

Please note, you will need to download WSUSDEBUGTOOL.EXE -- which is called "Server Diagnostic Tool" and available here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/updateservices/downloads/default.mspx. After download, run and extract the wsusdebugtool.exe file to the X:\Program Files\Update Services\Tools directory on the WSUS Server. Make sure to configure the first TWO lines of the batch file so that the paths are correct.

SET ScriptPath=F:\WSUS-Scripts

SET BackupPath=F:\WSUS-BAK

SET WSUS_DB=%ComputerName%\WSUS

SET ProgPath=%ProgramFiles%\Update Services\Tools

if not exist "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log" echo Log Created > "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :---------------Begin WSUS Cleanup-------------------: >> %ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log

if not exist "%ProgPath%\wsusdebugtool.exe" echo Please Download the Debug tool from http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/7...ebug%20Tool.EXE

if not exist "%ProgPath%\wsusdebugtool.exe" echo ERROR Please Download the Debug tool from http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/7...ebug%20Tool.EXE >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

if exist "%ProgPath%\wsusdebugtool.exe" echo %ProgPath%\wsusdebugtool.exe Found. >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Starting WSUS Cleanup.... >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

date /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Stopping Web Service >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

NET STOP w3svc >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Begin Deletion of Unneededrevisions >> %ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

"%ProgPath%\wsusutil.exe" deleteunneededrevisions >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Begin Purge of Unneeded Files >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

"%ProgPath%\wsusdebugtool.exe" /tool:purgeunneededfiles >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Begin OSQL Commands to backup the DB >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

del "%BackupPath%\backup_wsus.bak.old"

ren "%BackupPath%\backup_wsus.bak" backup_wsus.bak.old

Osql -S %WSUS_DB% -E /Q "Backup Database SUSDB to disk = '%BackupPath%\backup_wsus.bak'" >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

Osql -S %WSUS_DB% -E /Q "backup log SUSDB with TRUNCATE_ONLY" >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Begin OSQL Commands to Add Indexes if missing >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

Osql -S %WSUS_DB% -E /Q "USE SUSDB BEGIN TRAN IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sysindexes where name='nc7DeploymentRevision') BEGIN CREATE NONCLUSTERED INDEX nc7DeploymentRevision ON dbo.tbDeployment(RevisionID, TargetGroupID, ActionID) END COMMIT TRAN" >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Begin OSQL Commands to Truncate tbEventInstance >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

Osql -S %WSUS_DB% -E /Q "USE SUSDB declare @RS as int select @RS=(select count(*) from tbEventInstance) select @RS as tbEventInstanceRowCount if @RS > '3000' truncate table tbEventInstance" >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Begin OSQL Commands to compress the DB >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

Osql -S %WSUS_DB% -E /Q "use SUSDB dbcc shrinkdatabase ('SUSDB')" >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo Starting Web Services >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

net start w3svc >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

date /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

time /t >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"

echo :---------------Cleanup Finished -------------------: >> "%ScriptPath%\wsus_clean.log"