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MU product team blog intro...

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Welcome to the Microsoft Update blog! In the coming weeks/months we will have some very exciting stuff to blog about, starting with MMS (Microsoft Management Summit); on to TechEd; and beyond. To kick things off, I want to give a quick primer/faq on Microsoft Update…

Q. What is Microsoft Update (MU)?

MU is a service that brings together updates/content for different Microsoft products (e.g. Windows, Office, Exchange, etc.) into a single distribution pipeline. This service is then leveraged by numerous solutions, including the Microsoft Update site; Automatic Update (AU); Windows Server Update Services (WSUS); and many more.

Q. How do I get MU?    

Getting MU is easy… several Microsoft products will be building MU into their setup (i.e. when you run setup, you get “opted-in” to MU). Additionally, you can “opt-in” to MU by going to https://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate.

Q. How are MU and AU related?  

AU is a feature/service of Windows Update that comes with Windows. By default, AU determines which updates your machine needs based off of handshakes/discussion with the Windows Update (WU) service. When you “opt-in” to Microsoft Update, AU continues to work/run per your previously selected settings… however, instead of talking with the Windows Update service, it now talks with the Microsoft Update service. This gives you additional content in on top of what’s offered by WU. The same applies to the Microsoft Update web site. Once “opted-in”, you get the same WU software on the MU web site… plus additional content for other Microsoft products.

Q. What other applications/sites does the MU service power?

As mentioned above, the MU service is the lifeblood for several Microsoft software distribution solutions. These include Microsoft Update (web site); Automatic Update (Windows Update service that comes with Windows); Windows Server Update Services (WSUS – IT focused software distribution solution); Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS – enterprise system management solution); Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA); and more to come!

Q. Is there a MU FAQ?  

Yes… you can find it here.

 

NateC

Program Manager

Microsoft Update

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

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