Where on Windows Server Update Services WSUS server is the metadata stored when updates are synchronized?

All updates consist of two parts—updatefiles and metadata.The update files are the actual files used to update a client computer and the metadata is the information about the update. Keeping the metadata separate from the actual update files reduces synchronization time with Microsoft's servers. Since WSUS only has to synchronize the information about the updates and not the updates themselves, it can finish initial synchronizations much quicker. This gives you all of the information you need about an update such as its purpose, its End User Licensing Agreement (EULA), and which platforms are supported by the update, without having to download the update first.

WSUS stores each of these parts in separate locations. The metadata is stored in the WSUS database and the update files are either stored locally on the WSUS server or they are left on Microsoft's servers. If you choose to leave the update files on Microsoft's servers, your WSUS server will only download the metadata for updates. When you set these updates to install on client machines, each machine will go directly to Microsoft Windows Update Servers and download the update. This requires each machine to have access to the Internet. This is not the preferred method for storing updates, as you will have a lot of unneeded Internet traffic. Instead of just downloading updates once from the Internet to the WSUS server, updates will be downloaded every time they are deployed. If you want your clients to install from Microsoft's servers, select the radio button next to Do not store updates locally; clients install from Microsoft Update in the Advanced Synchronization Options window shown in Figure 6.8.

The preferred storage location for update files is locally on the WSUS server, which requires at least 6 gigabytes (GB) of free disk space to hold all of the updates. Microsoft recommends having at least 30GB free. If you are supporting several languages or if you are using express installation files, you can easily have more than 6GB of updates. If you want WSUS to store its updates locally, select the radio button next to Store update files locally on this server in the Advanced Synchronization Options windows shown in Figure 6.8. When storing files locally, WSUS only downloads the metadata until the update is approved for installation. If you want WSUS to download the metadata and the update files at the same time, uncheck the box next to Download update files to this server only when updates are approved in the Advanced Synchronization Options windows shown in Figure 6.8.

Express Installation Files

Updates contain new versions of files that already exist on the client machines. Express installation files look at things from a binary perspective. There are a lot of similarities between the original file and the updated file. Express installation files pinpoint the exact differences between each file version and only update the differences (also called deltas). Once the differences are changed in the original file, you are left with the new updated file. This approach uses much less bandwidth between the client and the WSUS server because less data has to be pushed to the client.The trade-off is that express installation files are much larger than standard installation files. The reason for this is that, instead of just containing the new updated file, they must contain all possible variants of the files they will update.

Express installation files provide quicker update deployments to client machines. They are, however, much larger than standard updates. It is common for an express update file to be two to four times larger than the file being updated. If you are running low on disk space (less than 30GB), Microsoft does not recommend using express installation files; however, if you have the disk space, this is the preferred method of deploying updates.

You must store updates locally to take advantage of the Express Installation files; however, if you are storing your updates on Microsoft's servers, this feature is not available to you. By default, Express Installation files are not used by WSUS. If you want WSUS to download express installation files, check the box next to Download express installation files in the Advanced Synchronization Options windows shown in Figure 6.8.

One must configure windows server update services (WSUS) for daily downloads and synchronizations. After synchronizing, one must view all the possible updates and decide what to do with them. If one decides to install the updates, one must properly test them to make sure they work in the environment. After all this, one should ensure to backup one's WSUS server in case of a failure. When configuring WSUS for downloading, one must always remember choosing a time for WSUS to perform daily synchronizations, allowing WSUS to access the Internet, selecting where WSUS will store updates locally or on Microsoft's servers, choosing the languages supported by WSUS, selecting which products WSUS will update, and choosing which update classifications will be downloaded by WSUS. Managing updates involves viewing which updates are available, approving the updates for clients, and testing the updates before rolling them out to production.

Where are updates synchronized from in WSUS?

Where is WSUS data stored?

Where are WSUS superseded updates?

What are the 4 stages of the WSUS update management process?