WSUS 2016 server Client Machines sitting at zero download

Question

WSUS 2016 server Client Machines sitting at zero download

ChristyA 6

I setup a new 2016 server for WSUS. I have clients reporting but they are not able to download updates from the server. I can remote onto the machine and go to updates and click the link "check online for updates form Microsoft Update" and the machine gets and installs update fine. If I click on the Check for Updates button (which goes to WSUS) it shows the updates to download but all the computers will sit at zero.

I have my GPO setup that worked with the prior server. Clients are able to go to http://<server name>/selfupdate/wuident.cab and download the cab file.

If the computers are reporting and seeing the updates I'm not sure what I'm missing.

ChristyA 6 Reputation points

2021-08-31T15:21:39.52+00:00

One thing to add; I did change where my updates are stored. I created a separate partition on the server for update storage. I did check regedit and in the Setup entry it shows the new location. Also, in IIS right clicking on the content folder I changed the file path to the new location.

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ChristyA 6 Reputation points

2021-08-31T15:21:39.52+00:00

One thing to add; I did change where my updates are stored. I created a separate partition on the server for update storage. I did check regedit and in the Setup entry it shows the new location. Also, in IIS right clicking on the content folder I changed the file path to the new location.

Answer 1

Limitless Technology 39,931

Hello @ChristyA

I would suggest you below troubleshooting steps.

Are you able to browse actual update files like .msu or .cab
Please run gpupdate /force and gpresult to verify WSUS url points to correct server.
Please verify again Product classification rules and Run update cleanup.
Manually sync the updates and notice the disk space.
Please have a look on below Microsoft article for similar issue.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/228186/wsus-client-does-not-download-updates.html

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

ChristyA 6 Reputation points

2021-08-31T19:05:51.253+00:00

Hi! Thank you for the response.

Here are my answers to these statements:

Are you able to browse actual update files like .msu or .cab - I am able to see this cab file /selfupdate/wuident.cab and the test client can see the shared folder from file explorer

Please run gpupdate /force and gpresult to verify WSUS url points to correct server. - gpupdate /force has been run multiple times through out the weeks gpupdate /r shows one of the DC's and the OU that the GPO is pointed to.

Please verify again Product classification rules and Run update cleanup. - I'm not sure I understand this statement. I have products selected such as office and windows 1903 or later selected for updates. Under classication i have the types of updates that I want to download. I have performed a clean up no change in the result.

Manually sync the updates and notice the disk space. - As stated prior I am able to by pass the wsus and successfully install updates directly from the Microsoft server with no issues. It's only when i click the get updates button which points me to the wsus server that give me issues.

Please have a look on below Microsoft article for similar issue - I have looked all over with articles on the web and have not found a solution. But i will look into this one as well.
ChristyA 6 Reputation points

2021-08-31T19:14:48.233+00:00

I just looked into that article. I have already deleted the software distribution folder on all client machines (these machines are only 5 months old) All updates on the wsus server are showing to be downloaded and ready for install and they are approved. When I was trying to get all the clients to report to the new wsus server. I ran the following:

wuauclt /reportnow
wuauclt /detectnow

gpupdate /force
gpupdate /r

Stopped the updates server and bits (if it was running) then deleted software distribution folder and restarted the machines multiple times until the content would let me delete everything within the folder.
Once i was able to see the client on the wsus server they were still not able to download the updates so I click the link "check online for updates form Microsoft Update" on the updates window from the control panel. Hoping that once they were caught up on the updates that they would be able to start downloading from the server instead. However, they are all contacting and reporting but not able to download...
Adam J. Marshall 10,356 Reputation points

2021-09-02T15:30:59.47+00:00

Just an FYI - /detectnow doesn't do anything on Windows 10/Server 2016 and above.

https://www.ajtek.ca/wsus/does-wuauclt-exe-detectnow-reportnow-work/

Answer 2

Rita Hu -MSFT 9,661

Hello @ChristyA ,

Thanks for your posting on Q&A.

There are another two parts we have to confirm again. Please follow this link. Note that please fourse on the Validate WSUSContent Move was Successful part.

Note that the link is not from MS, just for your reference.

Please refer to this screenshot to check the approved updates downloaded successfuly and are ready for installation.

Also we could change the active hours. The important updates will download and install out of the active hours.

I suspect that the download stuck due to the active hours. We could change the active hours and confirm.

Hope the above will be helpful.

Please keep us in touch if there are any updates.

Regards,
Rita

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ChristyA 6 Reputation points

2021-09-01T14:37:49.063+00:00

It shows active hours are set to night time. This specific computer is left on over night and still is not getting updates. There was a change in the status from yesterday, as shown in the screen shot. I believe it is a setting on the server itself since all machine are having this trouble. Any other suggestions are appreciated.
ChristyA 6 Reputation points

2021-09-01T15:16:52.063+00:00

Also they seemed to have stopped reporting but they are contacting

Answer 3

Adam J. Marshall 10,356

I'd recommend going over the troubleshooting steps here: https://www.ajtek.ca/wsus/client-machines-not-reporting-to-wsus-properly/#to=TroubleshootingSteps&offset=-155

This should be a 1 stop shop to getting the client system working again.

Answer 4

Adam J. Marshall 10,356

Also, I know you've tried something similar before, but it would be a good idea to start at the top of that page and delete the client from the WSUS MMC and run the client side script on it from my guide linked above. Yes, you may have done something similar, but you also may have missed something along the way too.

Answer 5

@ChristyA
Thanks for your feedback.

Have you enabled the Automatic Approval Rules on the WSUS server? The computers did not report to the WSUS server. So the computer could not get the approved updates.

First of all, I recommended to troubleshot why the computers didn't report. Perhaps we could remove the affected devices and follow this link to Reindex the database and Decline superseded udpates.

We could remove the below wsus file in the WSUS server. The file is in the path: %AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\MMC

Wait for a while and the affected computers should report to the WSUS server.

Hope the above will be helpful. Please keep us in touch if there are any updates of the case.

Regards,
Rita

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WSUS 2016 server Client Machines sitting at zero download

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