Deploying Windows Update with Windows Server Update Services

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WSUS is a Windows Server role available in Windows Server operating systems. It provides a single hub for Windows updates within an organization. WSUS allows companies not only to defer updates but also to selectively approve them, choose when they're delivered, and determine which individual devices or groups of devices receive them. WSUS provides additional control over Windows Update for Business but does not provide all the scheduling options and deployment flexibility that System Center Configuration Manager provides.

When you choose WSUS as your source for Windows updates, you use Group Policy to point Windows 10 client devices to the WSUS server for their updates. From there, updates are periodically downloaded to the WSUS server and managed, approved, and deployed through the WSUS administration console or Group Policy, streamlining enterprise update management. If you are currently using WSUS to manage Windows updates in your environment, you can continue to do so in Windows 10.

Use Computer groups in the WSUS console

You can use computer groups to target a subset of devices that have specific quality and feature updates. These groups represent your deployment rings, as controlled by WSUS. You can populate the groups either manually by using the WSUS Administration Console or automatically through Group Policy. Regardless of the method you choose, you must first create the groups in the WSUS Administration Console.

Using WSUS console to populate deployment rings

Adding computers to computer groups in the WSUS Administration Console is simple, but it could take much longer than managing membership through Group Policy, especially if you have many computers to add. Adding computers to computer groups in the WSUS Administration Console is called server-side targeting.