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The Software Update Maximum Runtime has been a problem a number of times in my environment and again has been causing updates to fail the last two months. Specifically, I had a number of Windows Server 2016 and 2019 computers fail to install the 2020-10 and 2020-11 Cumulative Update because the installation was exceeding Microsoft's set Maximum Runtime of 20 minutes. I didn't realize this until today. I don't know what Microsoft baselines these updates on, but I have servers that take much longer than 20 minutes to install the monthly Cumulative Update. I just clocked one server that took about 40 minutes. Can Microsoft please make it possible for clients to ignore Max Runtime? I've been modifying the values and even wrote a PS script that is automated on Patch Tuesday to change the MaxExecutionTime on a number of updates at once, but I would prefer that computers simply not acknowledge this setting. I understand its purpose, but we have sufficient maintenance windows scheduled for patching and it is more important that these updates get installed than how long they take, unless of course it takes hours. I think I posted a suggestion on uservoice a while ago, but likely has been buried now.
I don't see this ever happening. The maximum runtime is specific to ConfigMgr and is in place for a couple of reasons all of which are meant to protect the systems from long running updates. If you don't like the maximum runtimes, you are free to increase their values as you've already been doing.
unless of course it takes hours
This is exactly what the maximum runtime is meant to protect against. Every org's threshold for this is different however and ConfigMgr sets reasonable defaults that you are free to change to meet your own requirements.
Hi @BrandonM ,
As we mentioned, the maximum runtime of Windows Server 2016 and 2019 computers is 20 minutes. I sync the update in environment, the maximum runtime is 60 minutes by default.
Here is the post about the same runtime:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/azure/en-US/7a0c188b-f730-4806-856b-14df977bd24c/maximum-runtime-on-updates?forum=ConfigMgrCompliance
Could we check if we have change the default runtime? if it is 60 minutes, the client could be installed the update success.
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I believe Microsoft has changed the defaults at some point. My understanding is that the default max runtime is based on the update classification. This doesn't work so well for Windows 10/2016+ Cumulative Updates. They are classified as Security Updates which is the same category as some Servicing Stack, Adobe Flash, IE and .Net Framework updates. The problem with that is, say the default is 60 minutes and a computer requires a Servicing Stack, IE, Flash and .Net update, as well as the regular Windows critical and security updates. Those four updates would add up to 240 minutes of maximum runtime, when we know in reality, they each should only take several minutes to install. Then you have a Maintenance Window set on the collection of 3 hours. Since those updates are given 240 minutes total, plus the time added from the other updates, the maintenance window observation will determine that all the updates may take longer to install than the given window, causing the client to not install any updates. This is what is being discussed in that post @Amandayou-MSFT .
Using my automated PS script, I alter the Servicing Stack, Flash, IE and .Net updates to be set to 20 minutes. I believe they were set longer in the past; maybe 60 minutes. Microsoft definitely changed the default at some point to 20 minutes, likely because maintenance window observation was causing updates to not be installed at all. The problem with the Windows 10/2016+ Cumulative Updates is that they are fairly large and may take longer than 20 minutes on slow computers.
SCCM team could easily implement a Client Setting that tells clients to not calculate the Maximum Runtime during Maintenance Window observation and just install updates. This way, you can have the option for computers to ignore maximum runtime. I am not saying for Microsoft to get rid of it as I understand its purpose. Maybe another option could be to come up with a different method other than using "Update Classification" to determine the default maximum runtime. Maybe consider the update size instead.
That's what UserVoice is for. You should solicit upvotes for your item to possibly get it more attention. All items entered in UV are directly triaged by the PMs and Devs on the team. Given there's a fairly simple and straight-forward workaround here though (using the script as you are doing) I don't ever see this getting much attention though.