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Manage driver approvals using the Windows Update for Business deployment service

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With the Windows Update for Business deployment service, you can deploy Windows updates to devices in a Microsoft Entra tenant. Today, the deployment service supports deployments of Windows 10 and Windows 11 feature updates, expedited quality updates, and driver updates. This topic focuses on managing the deployments of driver updates. For information about deploying feature updates, see Deploy a feature update. For information about deploying expedited quality updates, see Deploy an expedited quality update.

When devices enrolled in the Windows Update for Business deployment service scan Windows Update, the deployment service collects scan results of applicable drivers that are better than what is currently installed on the device. The service then catalogs them to be browsed, approved, and scheduled for deployment. Only content approved using the deployment service is offered to devices as long as it remains enrolled in driver management.

Prerequisites

Devices must meet the prerequisites for the deployment service.

Step 1: Enroll devices in driver management

When you enroll a device in driver management, the deployment service becomes the authority for driver updates coming from Windows Update. As a result, devices do not receive drivers from Windows Update until a deployment is created or they are added to a driver update policy with approvals. To enroll a device, you must provide an azureADDevice ID.

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/updatableAssets/enrollAssets
Content-Type: application/json
{
  "updateCategory": "driver",
  "assets": [
    {
      "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.azureADDevice",
      "id": "fb95f07d-9e73-411d-99ab-7eca3a5122b1"
    },
    {
      "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.azureADDevice",
      "id": "fb95f07d-9e73-411d-99ab-7eca3a5122b2"
    },
    {
      "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.azureADDevice",
      "id": "fb95f07d-9e73-411d-99ab-7eca3a5122b3"
    }
  ]
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted

Step 2: Create a deployment audience for receiving updates

After devices are enrolled and managed by the deployment service, they can be placed into audiences for a deployment. Deployment audiences specify content to deploy, how and when to deploy the content, and the targeted devices.

The following example shows how to create a deployment audience. The targeted devices are specified in the next step.

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences
Content-Type: application/json
{
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-Type: application/json
{
    "@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/$metadata#admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences/$entity",
    "id": "f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb",
    "applicableContent": []
}

Step 3: Assign devices to the deployment audience

After a deployment audience is created, you can assign devices to the deployment audience. When the deployment audience is successfully updated, the Windows Update for Business deployment service will start collecting scan results from Windows Update to build a catalog of applicable drivers to be browsed, approved, and scheduled for deployment.

The following example shows how to add Microsoft Entra devices as members of the deployment audience.

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences/f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb/updateAudience
Content-type: application/json
{
    "addMembers": [
        {
            "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.azureADDevice",
            "id": "fb95f07d-9e73-411d-99ab-7eca3a5122b1"
        },
        {
            "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.azureADDevice",
            "id": "fb95f07d-9e73-411d-99ab-7eca3a5122b2"
        },
        {
            "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.azureADDevice",
            "id": "fb95f07d-9e73-411d-99ab-7eca3a5122b3"
        }
    ]
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted

Step 4: Create an update policy

After devices are added to a deployment audience, you can create an update policy that governs the deployment of content to the associated deployment audiences. The update policy is a high-level template so content can be deployed in a similar way for a given audience without having to create, manage, and relate individual deployments. Content is deployed to the devices in the associated audiences when a content approval is added to the policy.

The following example shows how to create an update policy and assign an existing deployment audience to it.

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/updatePolicies
Content-type: application/json
{
  "audience": {
    "@odata.id": "f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb1"
  }
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Content-type: application/json
{
    "@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/$metadata#admin/windows/updates/updatePolicies/$entity",
    "id": "d7a89208-17c5-4daf-a164-ce176b00e4ef",
    "createdDateTime": "2023-01-19T07:58:01.9721459Z",
    "autoEnrollmentUpdateCategories": [],
    "complianceChangeRules": [],
    "deploymentSettings": {
        "schedule": null,
        "monitoring": null,
        "contentApplicability": null,
        "userExperience": null,
        "expedite": null
    }
}

Step 5: Get inventory of driver updates

After devices are added to a deployment audience, you can browse and review a catalog of applicable content for drivers and firmware that are better than what is currently installed on the collection of devices in a deployment audience. The applicable content also provides a matched devices list of Microsoft Entra devices that are applicable for each driver.

The following example shows how to get the inventory of driver updates available for devices in an existing deployment audience. Note: each page of results returns up to 100 catalog entries. Use the returned continuation token to see more results.

Request

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences/f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb/applicableContent?$expand=catalogEntry,matchedDevices

Response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-type: application/json
{
    "value": [
        {
            "@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/$metadata#admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences('f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb')/applicableContent", 
            "catalogEntryId": "5d6dede684ba5c4a731d62d9c9c2a99db12c5e6015e9f8ad00f3e9387c7f399c,
             "catalogEntry": {
                "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.driverUpdateCatalogEntry",
                "id": "5d6dede684ba5c4a731d62d9c9c2a99db12c5e6015e9f8ad00f3e9387c7f399c",
                "displayName": "",
                "deployableUntilDateTime": null,
                "releaseDateTime": "",
                "description": "",
                "driverClass": "",
                "provider": "",
                "setupInformationFile": null,
                "manufacturer": "",
                "version": "",
                "versionDateTime": ""
            }, 
              "matchedDevices": [], 
              "matchedDevices@odata.nextLink":"https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences/f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb/applicableContent/5d6dede684ba5c4a731d62d9c9c2a99db12c5e6015e9f8ad00f3e9387c7f399c/matchedDevices"
        }, 
        ...99 entries
    ], 
    "@odata.nextLink":"https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences/f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb/applicableContent?$expand=catalogEntry&$skiptoken=%5b%7B%22token%22%3a%22%2bRID%3a~nx5uAPpQsrzgSQAAAAAAA%3d7b1e923b%22range%22%3a%7b22min%22%3a%max%22%3a22FF%227D%7D%5d"
}

Due to the large size of matchedDevice lists, the default return behavior when a caller expands the navigation property matchedDevices is an empty collection and a continuation token to get the first page of results. The following example shows how to get the list of matchedDevices for a given catalogEntry. Note: each page of results returns up to 100 devices. Use the returned continuation token to see more results.

Request

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences/f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb/applicableContent/5d6dede684ba5c4a731d62d9c9c2a99db12c5e6015e9f8ad00f3e9387c7f399c/matchedDevices

Response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-type: application/json
{
    "value": [
        {   
          "deviceId": "id-1",
          "recommendedBy": ["Microsoft", "Contoso"]             
        }, 
        {   
          "deviceId": "id-2",
          "recommendedBy": ["Microsoft", "Contoso"]             
        }, 
        {   
          "deviceId": "id-3",
          "recommendedBy": ["Microsoft", "Contoso"]             
        }, 
        ...97 entries
    ], 
   "@odata.nextLink":"https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/deploymentAudiences/f660d844-30b7-46e4-a6cf-47e36164d3cb/applicableContent/5d6dede684ba5c4a731d62d9c9c2a99db12c5e6015e9f8ad00f3e9387c7f399c/matchedDevices?$skiptoken=deviceId:{id-97}"
}

Step 5: Create driver approval

Deployments for driver updates are created and enforced on a policy through compliance changes. Content approvals for driver updates are added to a policy by specifying the catalog entry associated to a specific driver update. Content will only be delivered to devices in the deployment audiences associated with the update policy when approved.

The following example shows how to add a content approval to an existing policy.

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/updatePolicies/d7a89208-17c5-4daf-a164-ce176b00e4ef/complianceChanges
Content-type: application/json
{
    "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.contentApproval",
    "content":{
        "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.catalogContent",
        "catalogEntry":{
            "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.driverUpdateCatalogEntry",
            "id": "5d6dede684ba5c4a731d62d9c9c2a99db12c5e6015e9f8ad00f3e9387c7f399c"
        }
    },
    "deploymentSettings": {
        "@odata.type": "microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.deploymentSettings",
        "schedule": {
            "startDateTime": "2023-02-14T01:00:00Z"
        }
    }    
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-type: application/json
{
    "@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/$metadata#admin/windows/updates/updatePolicies('d7a89208-17c5-4daf-a164-ce176b00e4ef')/complianceChanges/$entity",
    "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.contentApproval",
    "id": "dbf29574-ffd9-49cf-87f2-f03629e596ba",
    "createdDateTime": "2023-01-19T08:41:29.3840994Z",
    "isRevoked": false,
    "revokedDateTime": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "content": {
        "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.catalogContent"
        "catalogEntry@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/$metadata#admin/windows/updates/updatePolicies('d7a89208-17c5-4daf-a164-ce176b00e4ef')/complianceChanges('dbf29574-ffd9-49cf-87f2-f03629e596ba')/microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.contentApproval/content/microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.catalogContent/catalogEntry/$entity",
        "id": "5d6dede684ba5c4a731d62d9c9c2a99db12c5e6015e9f8ad00f3e9387c7f399c",
        "displayName": "Microsoft - Test - 1.0.0.1",
        "deployableUntilDateTime": null,
        "releaseDateTime": "0001-01-21T04:18:32Z",
        "description": "Microsoft test driver update released in January 2021",
        "driverClass": "OtherHardware",
        "provider": "Microsoft",
        "setupInformationFile": null,
        "manufacturer": "Microsoft",
        "version": "1.0.0.1",
        "versionDateTime": "2021-01-11T02:43:14Z"
        }        
    },
    "deploymentSettings": {
        "schedule": null,
        "monitoring": null,
        "contentApplicability": null,
        "userExperience": null,
        "expedite": null
        "schedule": {
            "startDateTime": "2023-02-14T01:00:00Z",
            "gradualRollout": {
                "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.rateDrivenRolloutSettings",
                "durationBetweenOffers": "P1D",
                "devicesPerOffer": 0
            }
        }
    }
}

During a driver deployment

While a deployment is in progress, you can update its audience members, as well as prevent the content from being offered to devices if they haven't already received it, by setting the isRevoked property to true. This is the auditable way to pause a deployment and will automatically populate the revokedBy and revokedDateTime properties. To resume offering the content, create a new approval.

Request

PATCH https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/updatePolicies/d7a89208-17c5-4daf-a164-ce176b00e4ef/complianceChanges/dbf29574-ffd9-49cf-87f2-f03629e596ba
Content-type: application/json
{
    "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.contentApproval",
    "isRevoked": true
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

Unenroll from driver management

When you unenroll a device from management by the service for a given update category, the device is no longer managed by the deployment service and may start receiving other updates from Windows Update based on its policy configuration. The unenrolled device is removed from all audiences and deployments that contains content for the given update category. The device remains registered with the service and is still enrolled and receiving content for other update categories (if applicable).

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/admin/windows/updates/updatableAssets/unenrollAssets
Content-Type: application/json
{
  "updateCategory": "driver",
  "assets": [
    {
      "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.windowsUpdates.azureADDevice",
      "id": "fb95f07d-9e73-411d-99ab-7eca3a5122b1"
    }
  ]
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted