WSUS 2012 R2 migration to 2022 - computers not appearing/replicating

Question

I'm migrating a single WSUS 2012 R2 server to WSUS 2022.

I've prepared new the environment and made the 2022 server a replica. All update content and groups have successfully replicated except for computers, I see a message saying "Your WSUS server currently shows that no computers are registered to receive updates".

After completing initial replication I expected to see all computers display on the new WSUS server.

Changing the registry on a random client computer and pointing it to the new server doesn't work, there's simply no communication with no clues appearing in Event Viewer. As expected, when targeting the old server it continues to communicate as before.

Replication between servers appears okay, I don't see any errors related to this problem in Event Viewer.

If I can get all computers talking to the new WSUS server my plan is to stop replication and remove the old server from service.

Answer 1

Run through my guide - The first place to start is the client side script on 1 system. If that resolves it, deploy the script out to your network to run ONCE. If that doesn't work, follow the page down to the troubleshooting steps.

https://www.ajtek.ca/wsus/client-machines-not-reporting-to-wsus-properly/

Another link that may help, but just to check your process of the migration

https://www.ajtek.ca/wsus/how-to-migrate-or-upgrade-wsus/

Answer 2

Hello Mr Down,

Thank you for your question and for reaching out with your question today.

If you have successfully replicated the update content and groups from your WSUS 2012 R2 server to the WSUS 2022 server, but the computers are not registering with the new server, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can follow:

1. Verify network connectivity: Ensure that the client computers can communicate with the new WSUS server. Check for any network or firewall issues that might be preventing the clients from reaching the server.

2. Verify WSUS configuration: Double-check the WSUS configuration on the new server. Ensure that the client targeting settings are correctly configured and match the settings on the old server. Confirm that the new WSUS server is configured to listen on the correct port (default is 8530 for HTTP and 8531 for HTTPS).

3. Check Group Policy settings: If you are using Group Policy to configure WSUS settings on client computers, verify that the Group Policy is properly configured to point to the new WSUS server. Run a Group Policy update on the client computers to ensure they receive the updated settings.

4. Check client registry settings: On a client computer, check the registry settings to confirm that they are pointing to the new WSUS server. The relevant registry keys are located under `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate`. Verify the values of the following keys:
   - `WUServer` should be set to the URL of the new WSUS server (e.g., `http://new-wsus-server:8530`).
   - `WUStatusServer` should be set to the same URL as `WUServer`.
   - `TargetGroup` should match the target group configuration on the new WSUS server.
   - `TargetGroupEnabled` should be set to `1` to enable client-side targeting.

5. Restart the Windows Update service: On a client computer, restart the Windows Update service (`wuauserv`). This can be done through the Services management console (`services.msc`) or by running the command `net stop wuauserv` followed by `net start wuauserv` in an elevated Command Prompt.

6. Verify client registration in WSUS: On the new WSUS server, check the synchronization and event logs to see if there are any errors related to client registration. Look for event IDs 386, 364, and 1001 in the WSUS event logs to identify any issues with client registration.

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it may be necessary to perform further troubleshooting, such as capturing network traffic between the client and server or enabling additional logging on the client side to identify any communication problems.

I used AI provided by ChatGPT to formulate part of this response. I have verified that the information is accurate before sharing it with you.

If the reply was helpful, please don’t forget to upvote or accept as answer.

Best regards.