WSUS 3.0 Now Available for Download

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0 is now available for download.

I updated 4 of my servers from WSUS 2.0 to 3.0 today with no apparent problems - the install was very smooth. The biggest difference so far is the move from WSUS Administration being web-based to being an MMC 3.0 snap-in.

If you'd like to administer your WSUS 3.0 install from a workstation, just double click WSUS3Setupx86.exe and select Administration Console Only when prompted. Once installed, the snap-in can be found under Administrative Tools -> Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0. I thought of just yanking the wsus.msc module itself but it seems the Console_install switch installs not only that file but also 230+ of its friends. According to the Microsoft employee who left a comment below, you must install the entire package for the msc to work.

TechNet also added a section for Server-Side management on Windows Update Server. The current scripts include: - Delete Empty Target Groups - Re-index the WSUS 3.0 Database - Server Status for Approved Updates - Server Status Summary for All Computers and Updates - Start Server Synchronization

WSUS 3.0 also allows administration from the command line using both wsutil and Powershell via the WSUS 3.0 API.